Winter is here: Opening day in Alberta

SnowSeekers Staff

It’s official! Winter is here and ski season has started in Western Canada and everyone is smiling ear-to-ear. In the last 48 hours, five ski resorts have turned on their chairlifts in Alberta. The rush to get on the snow started with Canyon Ski Resort, which started the season off with some night skiing on Thursday night. It’s the earliest the resort has ever opened.

Friday morning brought a rush of big hills ready to get in on the action. Those who stayed on-hill at Sunshine Village woke up to blue bird skies and were on the chair by 8:30 and skiing/riding not long after.

The Sunshine lift lines were filled with an enthusiastic bunch just stoked to get going. Some even sang a Happy Opening Day song to the tune of Happy Birthday.

Over at Lake Louise, the excitement was much the same. Plenty of dancing, singing and high fives as folks quickly got off the chairs and got down to the business of skiing and riding.

At Mount Norquay, the first ski resort in the Canadian Rockies, guests were all about shaking out their muscles and getting their carving turns back in order.

Nakiska, a legacy ski hill from the Calgary 1988 Olympics, waited until 12:30pm to turn on its chairlifts, but fans of the hill were not disappointed. Blue skies and sweet turns made for a perfect day.

Take a look at the images below – and that's just the first day!

Canyon Ski Resort

Sunshine Village

Lake Louise

Mt. Norquay

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We are open! Feels good to be sliding on snow again! #mtnorquay #skibig3 #banff #explorealberta

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Nakiska

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

? if you’re hitting the #SkiBig3 resorts for Opening Day today!! // ?: @mtnorquay

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Get ready for the season with these awesome tips to make you a better skier or snowboarder.

Are you ready for opening day at your favourite resort? See when it opens here.

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