It was another fantastic week here at Blue! If you were on the slopes Wednesday morning, you might have noticed something different about the natural snow that fell. The powder felt lighter, fluffier, and drier than what we typically experience here in Ontario—and there’s a fascinating reason why.
A Rare Treat: “Champagne” Powder
The Georgian Bay has completely frozen over! This is significant because it changes the type of natural snow we receive. Normally, our lake effect snow is dense and heavy. When weather systems move across the open waters of Georgian Bay, they pick up moisture and don’t have far to travel before dumping that moisture-laden snow on the hill. Lake effect snow is also incredibly unpredictable—some days we might see 10 cm, other days 40 cm. It’s one of the most challenging aspects of forecasting conditions here.
But this week’s snow was different. What we experienced was light, fluffy powder coming from far away, travelling over the mountains. This allows the snow crystals to develop into the light, dry powder that some skiers and riders call “Champagne powder.” It’s a noticeable difference when you’re out there—the snow is drier, lighter, and incredibly fluffy rather than the dense, moisture-heavy snow we typically get from lake effect.
We call this snow Western interior powder, and we very rarely see it in Ontario. It’s an awesome time to get out on the mountain and enjoy it while it lasts! The good news? Snow is still in the forecast, and it will be coming from low pressure systems instead of lake effect snow. This means we could see more of this beautiful powdery snow over the coming weeks.
Two Historic Seasons
We’re currently experiencing the second highest snowfall year in the past 20 years, with two consecutive years of exceptional natural snowfall. This has been a remarkable stretch for Blue Mountain, and Mother Nature continues to deliver.
With these conditions, we’ve hit our 1 metre base depth target. As a result, we have paused snowmaking operations as the long range forecast looks positive with consistent cold temperatures ahead. This allows us to shift our focus from snow production to snow quality and management.
Renovation Focus
We renovated the snow Sunday through Tuesday last week and we’re planning on renovating again next week. As we turn our backs to snowmaking, our attention shifts more to quality, moving the snow around and renovating the trails to get the best product possible on the hill. We’re ahead of the game with renovating, and combined with this natural snow, it’s adding up to some of the best conditions we’ve seen this season.
Terrain Park Updates
Yahoo, Badlands, and the Grove terrain parks are all open and riding well. Our park crew has been working hard on L-Park, and we’re making excellent progress on the cross track. We’re anticipating it should be open as soon as Saturday!
Get Out and Enjoy It
With rare Western interior powder conditions, a solid 1 metre base, freshly renovated trails, and more snow in the forecast, conditions at Blue Mountain are exceptional right now. Whether you’re chasing powder runs, lapping the parks, or just enjoying bluebird cruisers, this is the time to be on the hill.
