Record-breaking heat still bringing skiers to the slopes as spring approaches
With winter feeling like it’s all but over, spring-like conditions are still bringing skiers to the slopes.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The temperatures hit 11.6 C in Ottawa on Monday, the hottest March 4 in the city's history, and skiers like Jimmy Cousaert are taking full advantage for the first time this season.
"I just want to enjoy it before the end of the season," said Cousaert.
Having recently moved to Canada from Belgium just four months ago, Cousaert wanted to experience Canadian skiing while there’s still snow on the ground.
"It's not the same thing in Belgium," he explains. "You have maybe one or two ski parks and it’s indoor. its artificial snow and the feeling is not the same."
Despite the unusually warm temperatures, Mont Cascades Ski Resort, just north of Ottawa, says that 75 per cent of their runs remain open.
"There's not much snow in the city. But our snowmaking teams have been working very hard all winter long," said Jeremy Flynn, Mont Cascades' director of customer service.
The ski industry relies heavily on March Break crowds for business. Mont Cascades is also planning ski camps as Ontario schools take their break next week.
"It's been great for sure," Flynn said. "Of course, we would love to have a bit more snow, but from what we can control, we're proud of the product we’ve put forward."
"I'm expecting to skin my hoodie this afternoon," shares one skier, while another adds, "I love to just fly and let go."
Thomas Ouellet, another skier, says, "The snow is more sticky, so it's harder. If snow gets on your skis you can fall. But I like it when it’s hotter."
For Cousaert, he says he picked the right day to hit his first Canadian ski hill.
"It’s good. Not so cold," he said.
"Yeah, I enjoy it."
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.