Skiers and snowboarders visiting the Bow Valley this season won’t be able to hit the slopes as early as they used to. All four ski hills confirm they are pushing back their operating hours because of Alberta’s move to permanent daylight time. Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay and Nakiska will all start their ski lifts at 9:30 a.m. Last season, the hills started their lifts at 9 a.m. “We have to adjust as morning light is important for our mountain operations team,” said Kendra Scurfield with Sunshine Village. “They do work each morning to ready the mountain for guests. This work needs light for them to see.” It’s the same story for Lake Louise, according to director of marketing and sales Emmett McPartlin.“With Alberta moving to permanent daylight saving time, winter mornings will be darker than in previous years,” he said. “Our priority is ensuring our mountain operations teams have sufficient daylight to safely complete their morning preparations, including inspections and other essential safety work, before welcoming guests.” Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay will remain open until 4:30 p.m. “Guests will still enjoy the same seven-hour ski day, just shifted 30 minutes later,” McPartlin said. He added that Lake Louise will also be “adjusting supporting services as needed” to accommodate the new hours. “Our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible for our guests while ensuring our mountain operations teams have the daylight they need to prepare the mountain safely each morning.” Jasper Johnson, marketing manager at Mount Norquay, says resort facilities will open at the same time as previous seasons. “This will be the first time adjustment we’ve dealt with, so we’ll see how skiers, riders and tube park guests adjust by mid-season,” he said. Nakiska will close earlier than the rest, at 4 p.m. “These hours have been chosen as it’s best suited to our location and the best operation plan for our team and guest experience,” officials said in an email. Alberta’s plan to move to permanent daylight saving time has drawn concerns from officials with Sunshine Village in the past, something Scurfield reiterated to CTV News on Thursday. “We are not in favour of the government decision to move to permanent day like time,” she said. “Our concerns are in regard to safety. Darker roads and mornings increase risk.” Scurfield said Canadian ski hills already battle a reputation of being dark and cold. “Darker mornings wills perpetuate this (belief),” she said. “We are worried about our ability to remain competitive as a tourist destination amongst our American competitive set who will be staying on standard time. “The government says winter tourism is a priority for Alberta’s tourism sector; however, we feel this decision negatively impacts tourism in the winter. At Sunshine, we’ve worked hard to be a leading resort internationally in the ski business. It’s frustrating to have the government impede our guest experience.” Lake Louise and Sunshine are both planning to open to the public on Friday, Nov. 6, weather permitting, while Norquay is planning to open the following day — though that’s also weather dependent. Nakiska will host its first preview weekend on Nov. 7 to 11, with preview weekends following throughout the month and full daily operations set to begin Nov. 28.
