This week's snowfall has been a late-winter gift to skiers and snowboarders in the National Capital Region after a frigid and soggy season.
Five-year-old Zoe Muldrum was taking advantage of the snow to ski with her family at Camp Fortune on Thursday afternoon.
"It's really slippy and I was going really fast," Muldrum said, which has been all the better to work on her techniques. "I've been doing my snowplows really good."
Her mother Maya Scharke said the Chelsea, Que., family made it out three times over the week and conditions have been very good.
"We sort of went through February and it was cold and terrible and we didn't get to go out as often, so we're really taking advantage of how much snow there is and we're happy the season's extended," she said.
Sagar Soni says the current ski conditions are the best you can expect with fresh snow that's not too sticky for carving. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)
Sagar Soni said he tries to make it up to Camp Fortune from Ottawa to take advantage of skiing.
"It's not too sticky, it's not too loose. It's the best condition you can have for skiing, especially carving and all those things," Soni said.
Chairlift still under repair
Camp Fortune had a rough start to the Ontario March break when a chairlift broke down, though Frank Bernie, director of sports services for the ski hill, said that hasn't hindered operations.
"I don't think it had a negative impact. The lift is still down because we want to make sure it's fixed just right before we even turn it on again, but we have another lift beside it," he said.
Camp Fortune's Frank Bernier said he has only had to evacuate chairlifts twice in his 30-year career and Saturday's rope rescues went well. (Chris Carter/CBC)
Bernier said Camp Fortune has been busy all March break with ski school and other programs. He said the early start to this season balanced out some of the adverse weather in February.
He also said this weekend looks promising.
"We have lots of new snow that we just got. All the hills were open before, they are still open. So it's looking very good actually," he said.
"We're getting freezing nights so snow is going to last quite a while on the hill."
'Gift of winter' for SJAM Winter Trail
Dave Adams, groomer of the Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail, said the recent snowfall has breathed new life into the SJAM Winter Trail, which was on the point of being closed for the season after the warm, wet weather.
"Our grooming equipment was bashing away and chipping at ice trying to fluff it up and you can only go so far with that," Adams said.
"Then old man winter came along and gave us a gift of winter"
Adams said for city-dwellers in Ottawa this may be the "last chance to get a piece of winter before it goes."
However, he said there should still be weeks left to take advantage of the trails and slopes in the Gatineau hills.
Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail groomer Dave Adams encourages people to take advantage of what might be the last weekend for the trail. (Hallie Cotnam/CBC)
