Why some Alberta ski resorts faced their 'worst season ever' in 1982
Persistent low temperatures made skiing unpalatable for many, even though there was lots of snow
In theory, it was the best of times for skiers, but the worst of times for ski resorts.
That's because there was lots of snow on the ground in Alberta, but lots of bone-chilling temperatures to contend with at this time in 1982.
And that meant anybody who actually braved the cold temperatures to go skiing, got to make their way down the slopes without a lot of company.
Like at the Lake Eden ski resort, near Edmonton, where The National captured footage of empty chairlifts going up the hills while just a handful of skiers went the other way.
Too cold to ski?
"Eden is enjoying some of the best conditions and the worst season ever," reporter Eve Savory told viewers on The National on Jan. 24, 1982.
Savory said the ski resort's business had fallen 60 per cent amid a month in which temperatures settled around the -30 C mark.
Jim Petersen, the ski resort's general manager, said there had been a big drop in the people taking part in lessons as a result of the cold.
"We do a lot of lessons here — that's, during the week, our primary group of people that are coming out," he told The National.
"And schools have been cancelling out quite frequently in this sort of bitter cold."
Far fewer skiers than normal
Business had also been sliding downhill at Jasper's Marmot ski area, as well, where Savory said about 200 people were skiing on weekdays, when the hills could actually handle 3,500 such visitors.
Marshall Netherwood said he believed the skiing was good, as was the snow. The only thing was, there were "just no skiers" out on the slopes.
Savory said those that made the decision to ski in these conditions would actually find it was, in some cases, "warmer on the mountain than down below" due to temperature inversion effects.
