Big White extends ski season a week after late start

Big White Ski Resort will be staying open for an extra week this winter thanks to the extra snow that fell on the mountain this month. The Kelowna-area resort experienced its latest opening date in years this season.  Weather woes and a lack of snow meant the resort didn't open until Dec 8, 2023.  READ MORE: Big White Ski Resort pushes back opening day, again https://infotel.ca/newsitem/big-white-ski-resort-pushes-back-opening-day-again/it101953 To make up for such an uncharacteristically late start, the resort will be closing its slopes on April 14 and it looks like skiers and snowboarders will be making the most of that extra time. “It’s starting to get busy,” Michael J. Ballingall with Big White told iNFOnews.ca. The last weekend of the season is already sold out, Ballingall said, and the mountain is expecting a large turnout for April 7 and 8, when Big White https://www.bigwhite.com/  will be celebrating its 60th anniversary. READ MORE: 6 things you may not know about Big White on the resort's 60th anniversary https://infotel.ca/newsitem/6-things-you-may-not-know-about-big-white-on-the-resorts-60th-anniversary/it102037 The resort is pushing its closing date to the very end before its seasonal staff leave.  “Staff have jobs in other places,” Ballingall said. “(We have) seasonal staff. So, you know, the fact that they'll stay an extra week is a blessing.” The ski and board season will be cut slightly shorter at Sun Peaks Resort https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/  near Kamloops, coming to an end, April 7. Sun Peaks managed to stick to its planned opening and closing dates thanks to the resort’s snow-making efforts. Christina Antoniak with Sun Peaks said a dedicated crew works full-time and starts sometimes as early as October to make sure there’s enough powder on the slopes. “The snow really started to arrive late December and then January,” Antoniak told iNFOnews.ca. “Once the new year hit we had really strong snowfall events through that month and even through February. Despite the temperature fluctuations things have held on really nice.” The resort will be holding a festival on its closing weekend on April 6 and 7 called Wonder Weekend. “That's just our big celebration of this season,” Antoniak said. The festival will host a whole range of events including top to bottom runs and a live DJ. READ MORE: Visually-impaired Vernon skier dreams of competing on Para-Alpine World Cup circuit https://infotel.ca/newsitem/visually-impaired-vernon-skier-dreams-of-competing-on-para-alpine-world-cup-circuit/it103328 SilverStar Ski Resort https://www.skisilverstar.com/ near Vernon will be closing on April 7. Residents in and around Penticton will be the first to pack up their snow gear as Apex Mountain Resort https://apexresort.com/ will close on April 1. To contact a reporter for this story, email Georgina Whitehouse mailto:gwhitehouse@infonews.ca  or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .