Skiing, snowboarding around Ottawa-Gatineau over the past 50 years

There may not be snow on the ground in Ottawa, but it's a different story on at least one west Quebec ski hill.

Camp Fortune decided earlier this week to open some of its runs to the public, meaning the first weekend of the 2015-16 ski and snowboard season is officially here.

To kick it off, we've assembled this collection of archival skiing and snowboarding footage spanning the past five decades. 

1965: A spring-like day at Ski Vorlage 

Skiers take to the slopes at Vorlage Ski in the 1960s

9 years ago

Duration 0:42

In this undated video from the mid-1960s, skiers make their way down the slopes at Vorlage Ski near Wakefield, Quebec.

For at least 50 years, skiers have been enjoying the pristine hills at Ski Vorlage in Wakefield, Que., about a half-hour drive from downtown Ottawa.

This winter day from 1965 appears to have been an unseasonably warm one, with skiers hydrating themselves from wineskins (at least, we assume that's not something a bit more potent) and taking a break with an impromptu game of snow volleyball.

1981: Cross-country, downhill skiers 

Cross-country, downhill skiers in the early 80s

9 years ago

Duration 1:06

Archival footage from January 1981 of people downhill and cross-country skiing in the Ottawa area.

Sometimes, archival footage can be missing a few key details. For instance, we're not exactly sure where in the Ottawa-Gatineau region this January 1981 footage was shot.

Do you recognize that 34-year-old ski lift? See some familiar faces clad in those unmistakable early 1980s fashions? Let us know.

1998: Snowboarders show off their skills at Edelweiss

Snowboarders at Edelweiss from 1993

9 years ago

Duration 1:19

Snowboarding really took off in the 1990s, and in this clip from 1993, snowboarders show off their tricks at Edelweiss.

Formely a niche sport, snowboarding took off in the 1990s, gaining widespread popularity and becoming an Olympic event for the first time in 1998.

In this segment from February 1998, snowboarders at Edelweiss show off their skills with a series of gravity-defying twists and spins. The era-appropriate parkas are nice and baggy, although there's a definite lack of teal on display.

Finally, if you doubt there's enough snow in west Quebec to built a single snowman, much less carve your way down a ski hill, behold:

2015: Camp Fortune's first weekend open

That's a shot of this morning's conditions at Camp Fortune, courtesy of their webcam. Happy skiing and snowboarding, everyone!