Ski season a dud in Ottawa region

Ottawa area ski hills say an unusually short winter has led to one of the worst ski seasons in recent memory.

Ski hills like Camp Fortune and Edelweiss in Quebec and Calabogie Peaks Resort in Ontario all closed last week when a wave of summer-like temperatures melted what remained of the winter's snow.

Most ski hills in the area stay open until at least April.

Camp Fortune co-owner and president Bob Sudermann said he hoped to stay open until at least Easter.

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't impact our bottom line and our revenues, it certainly does," said Sudermann.

Worst season in 30 years

"We're missing about three weeks to a month of ski season and a month of revenue. So that does affect our bottom line for sure."

Sudermann said it would be bad for business if this is the beginning of a warm weather trend.

Calabogie Peaks president Paul Murphy said it's the worst ski season he's seen in 30-to-40 years.

But Murphy remains optimistic that next season will bring better luck.

"I think we could walk into a winter over the next two winters where the trends go in the opposite direction and we could have a longer season," said Murphy.

Die-hard skiers can still get their fix at Mont Tremblant, which is expected to remain open for limited spring skiing into the middle of next month.