After a string of warm winters, much of Canada is in for some snowy months.
For the country’s winter tourism industry, hit by climate change and warmer than usual winters, this has brought hope.
In 2022, Ottawa’s iconic Rideau Canal Skateway, for the first time in its 52-year history, failed to freeze and open for the public. Last year, the impact was felt out west, with several ski areas in British Columbia struggling with warm weather.
Last year, a combination of El Niño and climate change meant a warm winter for much of Canada. Paul Pinchbeck, president and CEO of the Canadian Ski Council, said the winter tourism industry felt the effects of that.
“We hit nearly three million Canadians who took to the slopes in each of the two years prior to last year. Last year, our estimated number fell to 2.4 million, and it really shouldn’t be a surprise. The weather was highly variable,” he told Global News.
Pinchbeck added, “In Ontario, in particular, we were down nearly 14 per cent in terms of skier visits and participation.”
For many parts of Canada, the forecast this winter is for below-normal temperatures. Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell said part of what will drive winter conditions is La Nina.
That flow of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean typically brings lower temperatures and higher precipitation, an opposite to the El Nino weather pattern seen last winter, which caused higher temperatures from coast to coast to coast.
According to Farnell, much of British Columbia and Alberta and part of southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Yukon will see below-normal temperatures. The rest of Saskatchewan, most of the Northwest Territories, all of Manitoba and northwestern Ontario are expected to experience near-normal temperatures.
Pinchbeck said this has Canada’s ski industry excited.
“We don’t want it (warm winters) to be a trend. And so right now, in the early season, there’s definitely some heightened excitement with the snow out west.”
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Beth Potter, CEO and president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, agreed.
“This winter, our industry is optimistic as snowfall levels are looking promising across many regions of Canada, setting the stage for an incredible season of winter tourism,” Potter said.
“Each year, millions of visitors come to Canada to enjoy our world-renowned ski resorts, charming winter festivals, and signature events like Winterlude in our Nation’s capital.”
Christopher Nicolson, president of Canada West Ski Areas Association, said ski resorts in western Canada are already seeing an uptick.
“It’s been a very, very strong opening. We’ve got a lot of ski areas in the west that have already opened and are operating and have got very, very good conditions,” he told Global News.
A 2023 report, co-authored by University of Waterloo professor Daniel Scott and his colleagues, Natalie Knowles and Robert Steiger, predicted that ski resorts in Canada would have to rely more and more on machine-made snow.
“The results demonstrate an increase in snowmaking requirements (depth of machine-made snow) from baseline levels across all regional markets and under all climate change scenarios for the 2050s,” the report read.
Nicolson said for many businesses, machine-made snow is already the primary means of preparing ski areas.
“Natural snow is a bonus. The actual primary snow that some skiers will operate on is from machines,” he said.
Pinchbeck said, “Snowmaking will become a much more integral tool to all resort operations, along with what we call snow-farming practices.”
Snow-farming or snow-harvesting refers to a process of building fences that would capture or direct snowfall to be concentrated in certain areas.
He added, “Natural snow provides the top-up — or maybe we should call it the icing on the cake — that people get excited about.”
Despite the reliance on machine-made snow, natural snowfall creates hype and excitement around winter sports and winter tourism.
“I can tell you that when there’s snow in Toronto, the skiers come,” said Pinchbeck, “There’s something about us skiers and snowboarders that gets us right in the heart when we hear about a heavy snowfall year.”
But despite the favourable forecast, the tourism industry is bracing for the worsening effects of climate change.
“While the impacts of climate change remain a pressing challenge for our industry, this year’s encouraging snow forecasts remind us of the resilience and adaptability of winter tourism in Canada,” Potter said.
She added, “We continue to lead the way in sustainable tourism, from adopting energy-efficient technologies to crafting innovative experiences that attract visitors and reimagining winter tourism experiences to adapt to changing weather patterns.”
The reimagining of winter tourism means not only the diversification of winter offerings, but also having something to offer to tourists in warmer temperatures.
Pinchbeck said the skiing industry is preparing for a shortening ski season over the next 20 or 30 years, due to the adverse effects of climate change. He said ski areas that have not diversified beyond skiing and snowboarding have had to face challenges.
“Most ski areas in Canada have a four-season strategy and are still rolling that out. Whether that’s the obvious mountain biking or ropes courses or mountain coasters,” Pinchbeck said.
Some of Canada’s most popular ski areas, such as Banff in Alberta or Blue Mountain in Ontario, are expected to see heavy footfall this year. However, Nicolson said the big skiing hubs are not your only option.
“Within western Canada, there are 92 downhill ski areas, and then you’ve got all the cross-country ski areas and other kinds of mechanized skiing opportunities,” he said.
Pinchbeck recommended researching smaller ski resorts before booking your winter vacation.
“For every Whistler, there is an Apex in the Okanagan. For every Blue Mountain, there’s Hockley Valley, just north of the city. Each of these places has a distinct culture and a distinct way that they embrace their guests and their customers,” he said.
–with files from Global’s Sean Previl