Skiiers, snowboarders and tubers flocking to Timmins ski hill after snow hits

Tube park opens at Jamieson Resort in Timmins Lifted restrictions and clear skies made for a day like no other in Timmins as Mount Jamieson Resort opened its tube park.

While the mild winter weather this season is seeing the closure of several activities in northeastern Ontario, one attraction in the region is having a busy march break after a helpful weekend snowfall.

March break appears to be kicking off as planned for skiers and snowboarders at Timmins’ ski hill.

After several months of lackluster winter weather affecting some activities, 15 to 25 centimetres of snow fell in the area at just the right time.

"The weather has been a roller coaster, but we got it done. We got our snowmaking done, we haven’t lost any operational time," said Eric Philipow, of Mount Jamieson Resort.

"So, for now, we still have good coverage. The snow last weekend definitely helped."

The facility’s tube park had been temporarily closed due to the mild weather, but was able to reopen this week.

Elsewhere in the region, all ski hills in Sudbury and most ski trails in the northeast are closed.

Which staff in Timmins said has more people venturing out to give Mount Jamieson a try.

"I just fielded four calls, today, from Sudbury. Yesterday, from Espanola, people from North Bay," Andrew Lucking, of Mount Jamieson Resort, said.

"People want to ski, it’s a passion for lots of people. And so because we’re the, as far as we know, one of the few places still open, people are here to come out and ski, wherever they can."

And Lucking said more youth are looking to pick up the activity this season.

"Ski school program is bigger this year than last year. Over 1,000 kids coming out to the ski hill, eager to learn. And so a lot of those kids, we’ll retain them and they’ll become skiers," he said.

"They’re out here with family and friends and stuff like that. So, despite the very strange weather, it’s been a good year."

Philipow said they have a week full of activities with camps while students are out of school.

"We’ve got a 'Big Air and Slope Style' competition next Saturday. So, we’re still here to have a lot of fun over the next couple weeks," he said.

Philipow said he's confident the resort's snow activities can remain open until the end of the month at the least.

Once the weather dries up, he said he plans to make the facility a year-round destination starting with a mountain bike loop this summer and more to be completed over the coming years.