Ski season begins at Camp Fortune

The slopes are ready and waiting Skiers hit the slopes for the first time this season at Camp Fortune in Chelsea, Que. on Friday. CTV's Josh Marano reports.

Thanks to this week's snowfall, Camp Fortune in Chelsea, Que. was able to open to the public on schedule.

Two hills (Allen's Alley and Pineault) and one lift were available Friday, which staff say is normal for opening day. Staff worked throughout the week and morning to ensure the snow was packed for riders.

Dozens of people, including children, came out for their first runs of the season.

Aaron Barbour is carrying on a tradition. He arrived at the ski hill early Friday morning, to make sure he was the first person on the ski lift, for the fifth year in a row.

"For the past five years, at least one person from my family has been there. And I was like, I just got to do it again. I've got to keep the tradition alive," said Barbour.

"I've been living in Chelsea my entire life, just down the road, about a 15-minute drive, and I was like, I've been skiing here my entire life why not make a tradition out of it?"

Camp Fortune opened its doors Friday at noon and operated until 4 p.m. It remains open through the weekend, opening at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Camp Fortune general manager Erin Boucher says she is grateful to see all the people who came out for opening day

"To have everything fully white on opening day, we haven't seen that for a while. So that's really exciting, gets everyone in the mood for skiing," Boucher said.

"The natural snow helps immensely because yes, we make snow; however, natural snow just cleans everything up, gets everyone thinking about ski season and it's making the conditions amazing."

Fortune is not the only hill benefiting from the snowfall. Sommet Edelweiss opens Saturday at 9 a.m., then Mont Cascades and Vorlage at noon.

Along with the beneficial snowfall, Camp Fortune implemented a TechnoAlpin fan gun, which can produce 35 gallons of snow per minute. Staff say more snowmaking will be taking place of the next couple of days to ensure skiers are able to have a smooth ride.

"What we do is we invest in equipment. Snowmaking is usually important, but also the grooming equipment so that we can groom up the snow and make the conditions acceptable," said Boucher. "Climate change. it's not ideal, but you know, we're ready to adapt and take on the challenge."