Ontario Snowboarding
Snowboarding Under the Lights
I realize there is some serious overheard in keeping ski hills open at night (lights, staff, grooming, facilities and what have you), but I can’t help but wonder why more resorts don’t do it. After all, the ski season is not particularly long in most areas (especially here in Ontario); so why aren’t hills like Mt. St. Louis Moonstone lit up at night, in order to squeeze as much revenue as possible out of the winter?
Here’s a nice overview of what hills are open at night in the western United States. The article infers that night skiing is “taking off” at Amerian ski resorts but I don’t see anything in the article that references specific trends.
I’ve only been riding at night twice - once at Kissing Bridge and once at Blue Mountain - but I loved it both times. There tends to be less crowds, and riding at night gives you a different look at the same old hills. The only downside? It’s a hell of a lot harder to see bumps and dips in the terrain; especially if you don’t have clear goggle lenses for night riding.
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Only twice! Wow!
During the 05/06 Season I rode at Blue seventeen times and only rode four or five times during the day.
Then again I had a 5×7 pass and we would always go up on Sunday evenings from 4:30 right through until 10. It makes for a tired Monday but it’s worth it!
Obviously riding on a sunny day is better than riding at night. But you wouldn’t believe how short the lift lines get after 8pm on Sundays. Doing circuits on Southern Comfort and Century Express, you almost don’t need to unstrap.
Yeah, a couple of my friends have those night passes. I would love to do it some more. I think the daytime lineups on weekends are incredibly brutal.
I like night riding at Snow Summit (at Bear Mtn) here in Southern California. It’s only 2 hrs away from Los Angeles, and as you mentioned, night crowds are virtually nonexistent! You can ride Snow Summit from 6-9pm on weekends for like $30, it’s a pretty good deal.
Likewise here in Southern Ohio, our tiny local hill (400′ of vertical) is fully lit at night and the midweek crowds are non-existent at night. It really is the only way to really enjoy the place.