THE TOWN OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, Ontario, Nov. 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Even if Mother Nature isn't quite ready for winter, Blue Mountain Resort certainly is. The Resort had initially been targeting November 27 as the start to their ski season but recently announced a delay to their opening date due to the warmer temperatures forecasted this week. "Our systems are ready to get running as soon as the weather and conditions are favourable," says Steve Spiessman, Director of Slope and Grounds Operations. "We are taking advantage of temperatures as warm as -2.2 Celsius and snowmaking windows as short as 4 hours to get the hills open as soon as possible."
As the official opening day gets closer, the Resort is still preparing for the busy season and looking for seasonal staff to help serve the thousands of guests Blue Mountain draws each season. To attract student talent, Blue has launched a new Tuition Assistance Program which provides eligible employees with an opportunity to receive $500 toward their post-secondary education for each consecutive season of employment. "This is a brand new program that is pretty unique to this area," says Janet Hammond, Manager, Human Resources. "We know we will need more team members once the season kicks off and we want to do what we can to make working at Blue as great an opportunity as possible."
Off-hill, the events in the Blue Mountain Village are also lined up and ready including Jingles and Joy, a festive welcome to winter that includes free activities for families from horse-drawn wagon rides and carolers, to fireworks and visits with Santa Claus. "The Blue Mountain Village has become a hub of activity every weekend of the season," notes Claire Woodhouse, Events Coordinator for the Blue Mountain Village Association. "People know that if they are looking for something to do on- or off-hill in the winter, they can always find something fun to do at Blue."
Blue Mountain Resort's earliest opening day was on November 25 in 1989 and a typical season starts around mid-December. The updated opening day for the season is yet to be confirmed but Blue Mountain will be providing updates on their social media accounts and on their website. Those anxiously waiting to find out when the lifts will be running can check www.bluemountain.ca or phone 1-877-445-0231 for updates.
About Blue Mountain Resort
Blue Mountain, Ontario's largest mountain resort is nestled on the shores of Georgian Bay, located 90 minutes north of Toronto. Blue Mountain has become the four-season destination of the North, visited by more than 1.5 million guests a year. Winter at the resort boasts 42 ski and snowboard trails enhanced by a world-class snowmaking system. Summer months offer the largest downhill mountain biking facility in Ontario, Monterra Golf course, Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster, Cascade Putting Course, Timber Challenge Ropes Course, Wind Rider Triple Zips and a private beach property among other seasonal attractions. Year-round the resort attracts visitors to more than 1,000 luxury accommodation units and 45 unique concept restaurants, bars and retail stores in our pedestrian Village. 53,000 square feet of state-of-the-art conference space caters year-round to corporate meeting groups. Blue Mountain is owned by Intrawest ULC. Visit www.bluemountain.ca for more information.
About Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc.
Intrawest is a North American mountain resort and adventure company, delivering distinctive vacation and travel experiences to its customers for over three decades. The Company wholly owns six four-season mountain resorts with approximately 8,000 skiable acres and over 1,130 acres of land available for real estate development. Intrawest's mountain resorts are geographically diversified across most of North America's major ski regions, including the Eastern United States, the Rocky Mountains, and Canada. The Company also operates an adventure travel business, the cornerstone of which is Canadian Mountain Holidays, a leading heli-skiing adventure company in North America. Additionally, the Company operates a comprehensive real estate business through which it manages, markets and sells vacation club properties; manages condominium hotel properties; and sells and markets residential real estate. Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: SNOW). For more information, visit www.intrawest.com.
About the Blue Mountain Village
Between the foot of the Niagara Escarpment's scenic Blue Mountains and the rugged shores and crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay, the picturesque Blue Mountain Village is Southern Ontario's premiere four-season destination. A cobblestoned pedestrian village framed by turn-of-the-century Ontario architecture, the Village offers a wide variety of family accommodations, activities, events and attractions including over 40 unique shops and restaurants, zip lines, ropes courses, hiking, biking, Segway tours and much more. An incredible natural retreat, the Village offers as much – or as little – as you'd like to do. Visit www.bluemountainvillage.ca for more information.
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