N.B.'s Poley Mountain ski resort set to begin reconstruction after fire

The ski season at Poley Mountain in Sussex, N.B. didn’t start out so well.  The Lodge was destroyed by fire back in December, and the resort had to operate out of a couple dozen trailers.

“If anybody didn’t come because of the trailers,” says ski patrol member Stan Sample, “they missed out on one of the best seasons.”

Not surprising this has turned out to be one of the longest ski seasons on record.  Spring time snowboarding is a bonus that enthusiasts don’t get to experience every year.

“This year is probably the best I’ve had in a long time, great conditions,” says snowboarder Steve Jones. “Even now, end of March, it’s awesome.”

Poley Mountain GM Bill Anderson said this year’s record snowfall gave the resort conditions that were unmatched.

But on Sunday, the hill will shut down for the season, to allow Poley to rise from the ashes.

“The job starts next week,” says Anderson. “First thing Monday morning, all these temporary trailers have to be removed from the property because in the days to follow, Poley Mountain will become a construction site.”

A new $4.5 million lodge is going to be built, on a very tight timeline, and employees are already looking ahead.

“We’re getting our new lodge, planning is all complete for that,” says Sample. “Next year we’ll be up and running like nothing ever happened.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron