Vancouver's local ski hills busy thanks to belated blast of winter

sundialhotel.com | Whistlerblackcomb.com

It’s finally a Winter Wonderland on the local ski hills, thanks to a heavy snowfall that brought as much as 2.5 feet of fresh powder in the last 48 hours.

Whistler Blackcomb saw the largest amount of new snow and, along with it, some major crowds on Thursday morning.

Watch: Whistler Blackcomb webcam captures the crowds

With 77 cm added to the base depth, that brings it up to 240 cm, and about 600 cm this whole season, still very far off what’s considered to be a typical snowfall for the region.

Watch: A webcam captures a live look at the lines on Thursday

Other hills also shared that they are celebrating the new snow and, as a result, are able to open more lifts for skiers and snowboarders.

“We are excited to announce that the Mystery Peak Express and Brockton Chairlifts plus the Goldie Meadows Magic Carpet will be operating today, Feb 29, from 1pm onwards,” Seymour Mountain told riders Wednesday.

Cypress Mountain shared that it is “stocked.”

“The snow has officially arrived! We received 23cm overnight at 1,110m elevation, and 55cm in the last 48 hours. Expect highs of -3°C and lows of -9°C throughout the day, with winds from the southeast & south west at rates of 15km/h,” the skihill added.

Grouse Mountain was forced to stay closed Wednesday due to unsafe winds but is now open.

Some snow school lessons are still not running because of the conditions. The Screaming Eagle and Full Cut are now open, thanks to 30 cm of snow in the last 24 hours, the mountain’s website reads in part.

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Meantime, there’s more expected. The forecast calls for near-freezing daytime temperatures in the mountains and even cooler in some higher elevations and flurries on Friday and Saturday. Environment and Climate Change Canada has not issued a warning at this time.