John's Report - December 01, 2006

Opening Day Tomorrow...

... well, at Castle Mountain, at least. Due to an abundance of autumn snows, Castle decided to open on the weekends of December 2nd & the 9th (Fernie�s opening day), with the 15th marking the beginning of Castle's full season. Castle, which often suffers protracted powder droughts, is presently sitting on a base of 242 cm, which is 110 cm more than what Fernie is reporting! It should be powder-hound nirvana.

On down side, if everyone�s thinking like me, the place will be packed. Castle only has one triple chair to mid-mountain (& sometimes a T-Bar) & a double to the top. This can make for long weekend lift lines (weekdays are best at Castle). The Haig Ridge expansion, which will open Castle to intermediates, is due to come online December 15th; so no life-line relief tomorrow on this account.

Returning to the positive, after many days of temperatures hovering around -20c (thus keeping the snow in excellent condition), the cold spell is breaking. Castle predicts tomorrow's high at -5c and the winds should be light; a real blessing as Castle's winds can cut your heart out.

Castle is a little less than an hour and � from Fernie. If interested, from Fernie take Highway 3 east, go through the Crowsnest Pass, and just as the high prairie begins to open up, turn right on road 507 - if you see the truck weigh station you�ve gone to far. Road 507 continues straight on to road 774, and ends about 40 kms, after the turn, at the mountain.

Stay tuned for the follow-up report.

Happy Tracks.