As P.E.I.'s only ski hill opens, some wonder how climate change will affect the pastime they love

As P.E.I.'s provincial ski park begins another season, those hitting the slopes say they're not taking snow on the slopes for granted, especially with wintry days becoming more rare. 

Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park in Brookvale opened Friday, a week earlier than expected thanks in part to last weekend's influx of fresh snow. 

"Normally we don't get out before Christmas, so this is a bonus that we're open in December," said Boyd MacQuarrie of Bonshaw, who's been downhill skiing for about 40 years. 

"Just glad to be here on a bright, sunny day." 

But at the back of some skiers' minds as they head down the slopes is the reality that wintry days like this are in shorter supply than they used to be.

A study recently released by the U.S.-based climate science organization Climate Central found that P.E.I. has, on average, seen seven more days of above-freezing temperatures each winter due to climate change over the past 10 years. 

The study compared observed temperatures in winter months (December to February) to a theoretical world where carbon dioxide pollution had not been released into the atmosphere and caused climate change.

Erin Curley, the operations manager at Mark Arendz park, said the staff at Brookvale are adapting to the conditions they face. 

She said the hill has managed to stay open somewhere between 55 and 77 days every season for the past six years. 

"We're just going to do everything we can to ensure that we do get open each year and maintain as long a season as we can," Curley said. "As much as we might be thinking about the future a little bit, at the same time we're just trying right now to be open when we can."

Still, some folks on the slopes Friday said it's hard not to worry about the future. 

James Ennis of Wheatley River has studied climate change's effects on agriculture. He's also an avid skier, and is concerned about what Brookvale — and the planet as a whole — might look like for the generations to come. 

"Everything's coming out earlier in the spring and the falls are getting longer and the winters shorter. It's impacting wildlife, vegetation, agriculture," Ennis said. 

"I'm hoping [to ski] for a lot more years. But it may not [start] Dec. 27, it might be Jan. 27."