Kitchener’s Chicopee closes ski hills after ‘one of the best’ seasons | CBC News
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After one of the “longer seasons in a long time,” Chicopee finally closed down their slopes for the winter on Monday.
Bill Creighton, CEO of Chicopee, told CBC News the cold, snowy weather this winter helped the ski resort stay open all the way through March. The resort opened on schedule in December for the first time in five years, meaning the slopes were able to run for three months.
“We did have a little bit of rain at the end,” Creighton said, “But we actually made snow the latest in the season we’ve ever made snow just to keep the conditions fantastic for everyone.”
Large amounts of local snow and consistent cold temperatures have boosted operations at Chicopee in Kitchener, Ont., this year. A lot of people have been hitting the slopes this year, CEO Bill Creighton said, telling CBC K-W’s Lauren Kuivenhoven the season got off to a great start and hasn’t stopped.
The resort did have to shut down for a few days earlier in March, but otherwise it was smooth skiing throughout the winter.
“I think this past season has been one of the best in several years just because the length of the season,” Creighton said. “We also had cold temperatures throughout, so we were able to save a little on snow making.”
Now that the season is over, Creighton and the staff at Chicopee are shifting gears and looking ahead to their re-open in the fall.
“It’s that old joke: you’ve got winter and you’ve got construction season.”
Creighton said that Chicopee will be expanding a new ski run with automated snowmaking and LED lights. They also will be landscaping the property to make room for future trails.