Frigid holidays were a lump of coal for Yukon's Mount Sima

As winter cold snaps go, Yukon's most recent one was a downer for Mount Sima. 

The community ski hill in Whitehorse lost an estimated $30,000 in revenue over the two-week Christmas break, when temperatures consistently hovered around –30 C.

"It wasn't a stellar Christmas for us," said Janet Hink, general manager of Mount Sima. "It is a significant part of our season."

The hill's quad lift was closed on Dec. 29, and the entire facility was closed Dec. 30 and 31 because of the cold. Most years, those are some of the most lucrative days for the hill. 

And even when the hill was open, skiers seemed to be opting for warmer holiday activities.  

"We would have come every day if we could have — if the weather would've been better," said Chantal Briscoe, out on the hill with her son on Tuesday. It was the last day of Christmas break for most students, and the first day after the cold spell broke. 

"It's nice to be out on the hill now, getting some fresh air."

Janet Hink, general manager of the ski hill, says only one kids' ski camp was cancelled over the break, because of the cold. But she figures a lot of people wrongly assume the hill is closed anytime the mercury drops that low.

"We are trying to do a better job of getting the word out," she said.

Now the weather has turned, and suddenly — temperatures shot from –30 C to near zero in little more than a day — and most people are back at work and school.

Still, Hink hopes that people will make up for the skiing they missed, in the coming weeks and months.

"There's always that fine balance between too warm and too cold, but the weather that we're having right now is pretty wonderful," she said.