Sunshine Village to open on Thursday for earliest start in over 30 years

The ski season is off to an early start, with Sunshine Village saying it will have its earliest opening in over 30 years. 

Skiiers can hit Sunshine's slopes starting Thursday, with four lifts — Wawa, Strawberry, Jackrabbit and Wolverine — one magic carpet and the gondola running. 

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The hill has a current base of over 69 centimetres, they said. Of course, it's still early in the season, so Sunshine is warning early birds to use caution and watch out for unmarked natural hazards. 

Sunshine Village said it will be the first resort in Canada to open its doors this year, although there's still one day for another hill to pull the rug out from under them. 

And they aren't the only ones with snow.

"Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Fernie Alpine Resort and Kimberley Alpine Resort in B.C have already been hit with major Thanksgiving snowstorms, while Nakiska Ski Area in Alberta has been getting consistent snowfall since the beginning of October," said the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in an October release.

Nakiska could open as soon as Nov. 11, with the other resorts also expecting to opening in the coming weeks.

Marmot Basin in Jasper, which is expected to open on Nov. 11, also had 54 centimetres of snow as of Oct. 26. Lake Louise has been posting of major snowfalls and increased sales this year before opening day on Nov. 10.

"We've certainly seen strong sales of our season passes, both in the spring when there was the early bird discount,  and our fall sale we just recently had, so our numbers are a bit stronger than the previous year," said Dan Markham, director of brand and communications.

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