Last Day Of The Ski Season In Canada
Monday, May 24th, 2010
It’s the last day of the long 2009-10 ski season in Canada today (Monday, May 24) with Sunshine mountain at Banff the last resort still standing after Whistler Blackcomb closed at the weekend. Whistler’s closure is only temporary however, it re-opens for summer glacier skiing and boarding in three weeks on June 18.
Sunshine Village finishes its seven-month season with the 82nd annual Slush Cup today. The traditional season-closing special sees all comers try their luck as skiers and riders aim to cross the massive pond of ice water.
Competition participants are encouraged to dress to impress — skiers and riders dressed in creative and original costumes, along with the skill, will have a chance to win prizes. Categories include Awesome Air, Best Belly Flop and Excellent Enema.
Although Canada joins France in having no ski areas open at present, the season continues in nine other ski nations including our own local Scottish slopes, where Cairngorm saw people skiing in kilts in +20C temperatures at the weekend. The centre above Aviemore plans to open Saturday to Monday for the coming bank holiday weekend.
South of the Canadian border you can ski weekends at Snowbird in Utah, or at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Mammoth in California has announced it will be open to July 4th.
Elsewhere there are four glacier ski centres open in Austria, two in Norway, two in Switzerland and two in Italy. There’s skiing still in Iceland, if you can get in under the cloud, and there’s midnight skiing at Riksgransen in the Swedish Arctic circle as 24 hour daylight has returned to the area. Ruka in Finland is also still open for skiing in to June.
