Chicopee Ski Hill eyes opening date before Christmas thanks to ‘best start in 75 years’

CTV’s Spencer Turcotte checks out Chicopee’s slopes to find out why it’s being called the best start to the ski season in 75 years.

It’s one of the best starts in decades for a Kitchener ski hill.

Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort has the snow flying from high above while, down below, ground crews are hard at work.

“We’ve got the best start in 75 years for winter. We’re making snow 24/7,” said Bill Creighton, Chicopee’s CEO.

Rows of boots and helmets, along with neatly stacked skis and snowboards, are ready to be rented out for the resort’s 91st season.

“The temperatures have been fantastic, and we’re hoping to [open] on December 20th,” Creighton explained, adding, “It’s been several years since we’ve seen pre-Christmas openings in this sort of weather.”

But there is one big item on Chicopee’s to-do list.

“We’re always praying for this sort of weather, and we finally got it. Yet this year, we’re still wrapping up some construction,” Creighton said.

A small mud hill at the bottom of the beautiful white hill is evidence of the renovations and repairs.

“The front stairs, drainage at the bottom of the hill. You’ll notice people still putting pipe in. We have to get excavators off the hill. Some of the rest of the repairs we’ve had to halt just because winter is here,” Creighton said.

Most of the pipes that help make snow for the slopes have been replaced. The hill also has some fancy new features.

“We’ll be really excited to show you once we’re up and running with a brand-new lift and two new runs on the backside of the hill,” Creighton teased.

By Friday afternoon, there was no shortage of snow.

“We probably put between 10 and 12 million gallons of water on the hill as snow,” said Creighton.

That makes staff much more confident about an early Christmas miracle at Chicopee.