Ski Grouse till Canada Day

The ski season seems to never end at Grouse Mountain.

Operators of the North Vancouver resort have decided to keep the ski hills open through June and into the Canada Day long weekend.

The mountain still has 600cm of snow and there has been a light amount of snow in the last few days, and there is more in the forecast.

"Our mountain operations team has a bit of a split personality this year," said Grouse Mountain general manager Michael Cameron. "All of our summer attractions are getting ready and will be on schedule to fully open May 20, while at the same time we are keeping the skiers and boarders ecstatic. We have the snow this year so we are thrilled we can continue to let everyone enjoy it."

Grouse Mountain will be temporarily shutting down alpine snow sports from May 17 to May 27 for some previously scheduled annual maintenance.

Beginning May 28, skiing and boarding will resume on Saturdays and Sundays. Hours of operation for skiing and boarding will be from 9: 30 a.m. until 5: 30 p.m.

Snow enthusiasts will have access to the Screaming Eagle Chair allowing them to enjoy the exceptional spring conditions on The Cut, the Quicksilver Terrain Park and Paper Trail.

The Snowshoe Grind will also remain open indefinitely. The Grouse Mountain Skyride remains in regular operation seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The latest conditions atop Grouse Mountain can be found at www.grousemountain.com or by phoning the resort's snowphone at 604-986-6262.

With the warmer weather, the Canadian Avalanche Centre is warning backcountry skiers to watch for dangerous snow conditions.

The centre issued the warning because there remains an avalanche hazard in many parts of B.C. due to a "delayed spring snowpack."

With temperatures colder than normal this spring there has been a delay in the natural process of the spring snowpack. Avalanches are being reported in many regions of the province, with some having fracture lines of 300 metres wide.

Backcountry users are being advised to travel through slide-prone areas in the early part of the day when it's cool and the snow is frozen. Users are also being advised to carry full avalanche rescue gear.