Marmot Basin will open for its 50th season Nov. 15, one week after its target date.
October鈥檚 unusually warm temperatures set the ski hill back, melting the natural snow that fell throughout the month and making it impossible to fire up the snow machines.
鈥淲e鈥檙e like farmers that are waiting for the rain in the spring or the sun in the fall,鈥� said Brian Rode, VP of marketing for Marmot, 鈥渨e鈥檙e weather dependent. But we鈥檙e only weather dependent in so far as having cold enough temperatures to make enough snow.
鈥淲hat we need is another three or four days of colder temperatures to make enough snow to get a few runs open in the lower area, so we can open the lower part of the mountain,鈥� he said last week.
Those colder temperatures have arrived and continue to fill the forecast, so all systems are a go for a Nov. 15 opening.
Marmot will now ramp up its snowmaking, running the snow machines around the clock, and get the runs groomed and prepped for early season shredders.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the snow. Once you make the snow it takes some time to groom it, push it out and then you set up all the fences. So we need a few days to set that up as well,鈥� said Rode.
Marmot will open next week, even if it鈥檚 only a couple of runs, but Rode said those runs have to be in great shape.
鈥淟ast year we opened on Nov. 9 and we only opened Tranquilizer and one novice run, and everybody who came up said it was awesome,鈥� he said. It was only a few days later that Jasper got a pile of natural snow last year, and after one more good dump, just like that, two-thirds of the mountain was open.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a funny time of year,鈥� said Rode of the weather. But even with the slow start, he said Marmot鈥檚 50th year is going to be a fantastic one, full of fun events and great deals.
鈥淢armot Basin is coming together with the Jasper community ... and we are planning a series of events during the course of the season to celebrate not only our 50th season, but all that Jasper has to offer in winter.鈥�
Like, for instance, Jasper in January, an event that was borne out of Marmot Basin鈥檚 25th anniversary.
鈥淲e came up with this great idea, we said, 鈥榃ell, it鈥檚 our 25th anniversary, let鈥檚 have all kinds of events and we鈥檒l discount our lift tickets and we鈥檒l celebrate,鈥� and that festival was so successful and so much fun that the legacy we got was the annual Jasper in January festival. So that鈥檚 why Jasper in January鈥檚 25th anniversary is Marmot鈥檚 50th.鈥�
To acknowledge both anniversaries, a lot of the celebratory events will take place during the Jasper in January festival next year.
鈥淪o all of this will be wrapped up into one big celebration鈥� along with the many other anniversaries that are taking place in 2013 and 2014, including the 100th anniversary of the Visitor Information Centre, the 50th anniversary of the Jasper Tramway, the 40th anniversary of Arts Jasper and the 25th anniversary of HIV West Yellowhead, to just name a few.
The big anniversary bash for Marmot Basin will occur the first weekend in May, the last weekend of the ski season.
Rode said that will be like a homecoming. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e inviting everyone who鈥檚 a Jasper fan, our visitors and guests, people who used to work and live in Jasper, to come on back for one big homecoming, to ski at Marmot Basin.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have some events at the hill and we鈥檒l have some entertainment.
鈥淪o come on back to Jasper and celebrate Jasper.鈥�
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
