Mother Nature testing resolve of New Brunswick ski hills

Slippery start to ski season Hill operators are fighting to overcome the warm weather that is wreaking havoc on snow conditions. Laura Lyall reports.

WATERFORD, N.B. — It's been a slippery start to the season for ski resorts in New Brunswick with warm weather continuing to wreak havoc on the hills.

With some remaining closed, and others doing what they can to stay open, operators are hoping for much needed snow and cooler temperatures.

The snowmaking machines have been working overtime at Poley Mountain these past few days, pumping out the powder so skiers and snowboarders in southern New Brunswick can hit the slopes despite Mother Nature not exactly co-operating.

"This morning we had a little challenge, rain at four o'clock this morning, pretty close to not getting open today but we were able to cover up the spots and here we are, we're just about to fire up again with this cold snap we're having," said James Hare,

The general manager at Poley Mountain.

Hare says snowmaking started a little earlier than usual this year, which has paid off for Poley.

The ski resort is open despite the operators dealing with a stretch of unseasonably mild temperatures.

Poley Mountain kicked off the skiing season on Dec. 18, however they were forced to shut down for a few days over the holiday season because of the rainy, wet weather.

Further north in Atholville, N.B., there is a similar story at the Sugarloaf Ski Resort, which opened two weeks later than usual this year due to the weather.

Because of the snowmaking efforts, assistant manager Mark Ramsay says they were able to salvage some of hills after the holiday rainfall, but not all.

"The other hills, they had a good base also, they took an awful beating though," said Ramsay. "There are a lot of bare spots, and we have them closed right now, but we're getting five to 10 on New Year's Eve, so we're hoping to have them open by the weekend."

Ski operators in New Brunswick are hoping that Mother Nature will be on their side in the New Year.