THUNDER BAY — Kamview Nordic Centre is holding onto winter a little longer this year, with most of its cross-country skiing trails still open. As temperatures rise, centre staff are encouraging skiers to take advantage of the final stretch of the season — especially in the mornings.
“The conditions over the past week have been fantastic,” said Dave Suttie, general manager of Kamview Nordic Centre. “We had a great stretch of spring skiing after a big snowfall the week before.”
However, Suttie noted that with sunnier weather and warmer temperatures reaching the double digits, the trails are starting to deteriorate quickly.
“Your best bet now is to ski in the morning before it warms up,” he advised. “Once it gets hot, the snow turns soft and slushy, which makes skiing more difficult.”
Suttie explained that grooming is still underway but at a reduced scale. He’s currently grooming about 75 per cent of the trails but no longer maintains every trail daily.
“We usually groom six or seven trails each day,” he said. “Starting today, we’ll likely cut back even more.”
Uncertain End Date for Ski Season
The final day of the season remains uncertain and depends largely on daily conditions. Suttie said decisions about operations are being made one day at a time.
“The chalet will be open tomorrow, but Sunday’s forecast calls for rain,” he said. “We’re not sure yet if the chalet will be open that day. I’ll reassess on Sunday. There’s still snow on the ground, but grooming gets harder, and icy or bare patches can become safety concerns.”
Suttie added that Kamview closed around the same time last year and expects a similar schedule this season.
“I don’t think we’re far off. We’ll probably make it into next week,” he said. In a previous year, he was able to groom trails up to May 5, though that’s unusual.