Castle Mountain offering ‘sneak peek’ this weekend

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 25, 2022.

photo Courtesy Castle Mountain Resort Snowmakers have been busy at Castle Mountain to prepare the slopes for skiers and snowboarders this weekend for the resort's Sneak Peek event.

Castle Mountain Resort along the southern slopes of the Rocky Mountains is announcing the earliest opening they have had in modern history, with a sneak-peek this weekend Nov. 26 – 27 followed by an official opening day on Friday, Dec. 2.

“We will be open this weekend for what we are calling our ‘sneak peek’. We will often pull that out of our hat if Mother Nature has allowed us to a week prior to our published opening day,” said Cole Fawcett, sales and marketing manager for Castle. “We will be open this Saturday and Sunday with limited terrain and lifts in operation.”

The Huckleberry Chairlift, Green Chairlift, and Buckaroo carpet will be in operation before closing again in anticipation of the re-opening with additional lifts and terrain on the official opening day. While the exact number of runs to be opened and pricing are still to be determined, Castle asks guests to check in at skicastle.ca for updates to come.

With the combination of recent weather and the newly-upgraded snowmaking infrastructure, Castle’s snowmaking team has been producing high volumes for skiers and boards to enjoy the trails.

“We have made two big rounds of investments in snowmaking over the past five years,” said Fawcett. “The first was in 2019 and the second round in 2021. We are in to snowmaking here, north of $2 million in recent investments. That is the reason we will be open this weekend. We had some natural snowfall, but that alone is not enough to produce the conditions that our guests would expect and feel comfortable enjoying. The mixture of natural snowfall and cool temperatures over the past few weeks have allowed us to be where we are today.”

With the season just beginning, Castle does ask its guests to be cautious of natural terrain and be vigilant of obstacles that would normally be buried in the middle of the season.

“For the first few weeks of the season, take it easy. Coverage, while it is good for this time of year, pales in comparison to mid-season snow coverage. There are natural and human made hazards that exist that may be more apparent than they would be when they are buried under two metres of snow in March,” said Fawcett. “We want our guests and our staff to enjoy every possible day that they can, and that means dialing it down a notch here in the first few weeks of the season.”

Castle is the second largest mountain resort in Alberta, nestled in the south Canadian Rockies adjacent to the town of Pincher Creek and the municipality of Crowsnest Pass. The 3592 acres of terrain will be ready for the winter season with the sneak peek is offering guests a taste of what is to come.

“Historically we will see 400 to 500 people out on an early open,” said Fawcett. “The star of the show will be skiing and snowboarding this weekend out here on the mountains.”

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