Nakiska resort to open - earliest ever in Canada?

Hot off the wire, Nakiska Ski Resort will open for business this weekend. News story below, but we just heard via facebook Norquay opens the 25th!

Here's the info on Nakiska:

While all this snow in the Calgary area is wreaking havoc on local roads and highways, it is good news for skiers and snowboarders.

The Nakiska Mountain located in Kananaskis just west of Calgary announced it will be open for business this weekend.

A spokesperson for the company says it's quite unusual to open this early.

"In fact it's never happened before in Canada," said Matt Mosteler. "It's the earliest opening of a ski resort in Canada ever."

He says the combination of early season natural snow and their own snow making means the hill is ready to go.

"I was standing up on the mountain just a little bit ago and it's mid-winter like," said Mosteler.

"It's incredibly amazing because it feels like January. You look around and the surrounding mountains are all white, the trees are loaded with snow — it's just really cool."

A heavy snowfall warning was issued for most of southern Alberta on Monday and lasted until Tuesday afternoon, with an estimated 20 centimetres expected in Calgary.