4th Annual Blackwall Bash Race Results

Well done in your quest to conquer the fourth annual Blackwall Bash!  We definitely could not have asked for a more beautiful day for the event!  A big shout out to you – and the volunteers, staff and sponsors (Bula, Salomon, Fat Dog 150/Brigade Race) that helped make the magic happen!
Please find attached the official results.  Impressive work and well done by all!
Don’t forget about our next event, the Cascade Cup, happening on Saturday, February 2.  Registration is open now at www.zone4.ca

Happy New Year – 2018 Year in Review & New for 2019

Happy New Year!
As we look back on 2018, we had a pretty exciting year! Here’s some of our highlights of 2018:

January: The beginning of the year saw the opening of our five new premium cabins. 

February: Hallmark Channel’s “Winter’s Dream,” filmed entirely on location at Manning Park Resort and Hope, is released.

April: After a total of 34 years at Manning Park Resort, general manager, Mike Barker retires! He is still a frequent moustache on the mountain now, as he enjoys retirement by volunteering with the CSP.

Summer: Cell service comes to Highway #3 at Sunshine Valley, Manning Park Resort & East Gate.

August: Forest Fire Extinguished in Manning Park through Coordinated Community Effort on BC Day Long Weekend.

October: We held our first Dark Sky – Astronomy Weekend, which was a great success. Read all about it from one of our attendees, Miss604. We are already looking ahead to next year with plans to expand to two weekends! Save the weekend date(s) of October 18-20th & 25-27th and sign up for our Dark Sky Mailing list to learn more.

November: Manning Park Resort Unveils Plans for New Quad Chairlift coming Winter 2019/20.

What an awesome year! And we have got even more exciting times ahead this year for Manning Park Resort.
Here’s what we’re looking forward to in the coming year.

New for 2019

  • We’re giving a new meaning to the Monday Blues! The Blue Chair will be open every Monday starting January 6th.
  • To get you skiing on Mondays, we have a brand new package called the B&B – and Ski! Package. If you stay at any of our Resort accommodations on Sunday or Monday night, get your breakfast and lift ticket for $35 per person!
  • We have ongoing updates planned for the accommodations throughout the year, as well as more work on the ski hill runs, so stay tuned.
  • New Rockstar Terrain Park rails: We are stoked to introduce our new Firecracker rail and a new beginner box, along with some newly refurbished rails from last year! We will be building the Terrain Park this January so keep an eye on our updates.
  • Our new Pisten Bully grooming machine has arrived!
  • And our biggest news yet – a brand new quad chairlift will be replacing the Orange Chair this spring!

 

We are grateful for you, our guests and friends, for all your support over this past year. We hope that 2019 brings you and your family great joy and prosperity!

Ski hill opening December 14th!

Calling all skiers and boarders! We are on for a Friday, Dec 14 opening for the ski hill! Woohoo!

Operations for Friday will be:
Orange Chair
Handle Tow
T-Bar


Special Opening Day Rates – Friday Only
Adult – $39
Youth – $29
Junior – $19

Saturday & Sunday – all lifts operational
Regular lift ticket rates apply

Early season conditions – terrain availability will be based on snow accumulation
this week – we will open as much as we safely can.

See you on Friday!

(December 11, 2018)

Nordic Opening – December 8th!

We are looking good to open Nordic for this weekend – December 8th!

The Nordic Centre will be open on Saturday & Sunday from 9am-4pm for cross-country ski, snowshoe and skate rentals!

With cold and clear conditions this week, we have been able to skidoo groom our Nordic trails around Strawberry Flats and South Gibson area. This is for classic cross-country skiing; there is no skate lane at this time. Watch for early season conditions, have fun and dress warmly! The conditions are cold and crisp. Trail tickets are at a discounted rate of $10/adult, $5/junior. 

Please note that snowshoeing is not permitted on the cross-country trails, but check out the other great snowshoe trails around Lightning Lake and beyond.

Ice skating rink: We are flooding the rink nightly and it is setting up beautifully with these subzero temperatures. We are expecting it to have a portion of it ready for this weekend.

The ski hill will not be open this weekend. We are looking for one more big snowstorm before we’re able to open it, but the forecast is looking pretty good for next week.

Stretch out those cross-country ski quads and see you on the trails this weekend!

(Dec 4, 2018)

Dark Sky Discount Extended!

Although this is the not the weather we’re hoping for at this time of year, the skies look like they may be clearing this weekend, so you may get a chance to do some stargazing!

We are extending our Dark Sky Discount until December 6th for any stargazers interested in some dark sky viewing! 

Join our Dark Sky Mailing List, to learn how you can receive 25% off your accommodation when you book your accommodation until December 6th! Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/dqKVlr 

What’s in the Sky this Weekend?

  • The moon is in it’s last quarter.
  • You can spot Uranus (m=5.7) unaided this weekend.
  • Venus is at greatest illuminated extent (m=-4.9) on December 2nd morning.
  • To see what else is up from our key note speaker from RASC last Astronomy Weekend, check out Robert Conrad’s Astronomy Facebook Group. 

Ski Hill Opening Postponed – Opening date TBD

Looks like the snow gods are not quite ready to unleash winter fully on us yet – we will not be opening the ski hill this December 1 & 2nd as planned, but will postpone until we get some more snow. Darn!

We did receive some snow in the recent snowstorm, however, we are still needing some more in order to open the ski hill safely.

Nordic: While there is some snow on our higher elevation cross-country trails, there is not sufficient amounts to groom for skate or classic. Snowshoe rentals are available at the Front Desk to snowshoe around the Lodge snowshoe trails.

Thank you for your understanding and please pray for more snow this week!

Although this is the not the weather we’re hoping for at this time of year, the skies look like they may be clearing this weekend, so you may get a chance to do some stargazing! We are extending our Dark Sky Discount until December 7th for any stargazers interested in some dark sky viewing! Click here to see more info. 

(Nov 30, 2018)

Brand New Quad Chairlift – Coming next Winter 2019/20!

Coming next winter, a brand-new quadruple chairlift will be installed at Manning Park Resort ski hill to replace the existing Orange Chair.

At a large gathering on Sunday morning, General Manager, Vern Schram, made this major announcement at the ski hill location where the new lift will be installed. Schram stated that “work will commence at the end of the current winter season and the new Doppelmayr four-person chairlift will be ready to take skiers and snowboarders up the mountain at the beginning of Winter 2019/20.”

Schram’s enthusiasm was evident as he talked about the work that is in progress for the mountain already this winter, as well as referencing the many improvements in the past five years at Manning Park Resort, which include the addition of the Alpine Room for weddings and group functions, the completion of five new premium cabins, new pavement around the Resort and other significant infrastructure upgrades.

The new quad chairlift represents the largest investment since owners, Kevin and Donna Demers, purchased the company in 2013. The new chairlift will replace the iconic Orange Chair, which has been in place since 1970.

In attendance for the announcement were representatives of local user groups, season passholders, staff and local residents, who were thrilled to learn the news. Many had no idea of the plans for the chairlift. The mayor of Princeton, Spencer Coyne, was also in attendance to hear about it firsthand.

“We are looking forward to a great year at the ski hill to celebrate the Orange’s last year,” says ski area manager, Andy Boulé. “We can’t wait to show you the areas on the mountain where we have completed brush cutting, entrance widening and run reclaiming this year, as well as showcase our new Rockstar sponsored terrain park.”

The ski hill is tentatively scheduled to open weekends from December 1st, then seven days a week from December 14th onwards. Some more snowfall is required before the opening dates are confirmed, although snowshoe trails are now available.

 

See some of the announcement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GnNAFG8wEg 

Nordic Opening Postponed – Snowshoes Available from the Front Desk

We’re gearing up for the season and are fast approaching our scheduled opening dates, but we need some more snow in order to open! Start doing your snow dances, burning your old skis or whatever will get the snow to start falling in the mountains!

At the moment, we will not be able to groom for cross-country skiing this coming weekend for Nordic opening (Nov 24-25), however, snowshoe trails may be available on the higher elevation trails. Snowshoe rentals will be available from the Front Desk.

Stay tuned for any updates to the Alpine opening; we are still hoping for December 1st & 2nd, however we will update our website & Facebook if any changes.

Astronomy Weekend at Manning Park Resort Draws Enthusiastic Crowds

The stars aligned for Manning Park Resort’s first Astronomy Weekend from October 12- 14th. With clear, cloudless skies and a full weekend itinerary of events, the first Manning Park Dark Sky Astronomy Weekend drew over 250 people to gaze upwards towards the stars.

Star experts from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) in Vancouver shared their knowledge with eager astronomers of all levels at multiple stargazing locations on Friday and Saturday nights. The weekend highlight included a shuttle bus trip to the Cascade Lookout which offers impressive mountain views during the day, and endless skies at night.

Combining educational and cultural events, indoor sessions throughout the weekend covered astrophotography, observational astronomy and how to locate and chart asteroids. Families were kept active with kid-friendly astronomy themed crafts, solar viewing, a walking tour of stories of constellations and yoga under the stars.

Catherine Laird, a participant in the Cascade Stargazer package said, “It was a fascinating and inspirational weekend!”

The Fraser Valley Regional Library provided telescopes for the event, to promote their new Telescope Loan Program, which allows you to borrow a telescope using just your library card.

“The enthusiasm and energy were palpable throughout the whole Resort this weekend,”says Manning Park Resort’s general manager, Vern Schram.

By virtue of being 65 km away from any major city, avid astronomy buffs have long known that Manning Park has some of the darkest skies around, which makes it an excellent location for stargazing.

“Judging by the interest and success of this event, this is something we definitely want to build on,” says Schram. “We also intend to pursue Dark Sky designation through RASC to preserve this pristine alpine environment for stargazing.”

 

Keep looking up to the stars this fall with our Dark Sky Discount!

(Oct 18, 2018)