WATCH: Many on Mount Washington are continuing to dig out today after the mountain received more than a metre of snow on Sunday. The resort did reopen on Monday, but it was unable to open all of its chairs. Some said they were disappointed while others say they were just glad to be enjoying the optimal snow. Kendall Hanson reports.
The start of a new week saw some trying to dig out from beneath a weekend of heavy snow.
With some vehicles all but buried, it proved a monumental task for some.
“I’m back to shred some pow[der] but I thought I might as well get this while I’m up here,” said Joe Hemp while digging out his truck.
One car had to be marked so a machine operator wouldn’t hit it while clearing the snow.
The snow began falling on Saturday afternoon, reaching a whopping 78 centimetres of accumulation by Sunday morning.
Many motorists got stuck and were bussed down the hill or stayed in a lodge or with people.
Lisa Swartz was travelling with five kids when she was forced to abandon her vehicle.
“I think they did an awesome job considering there were cars everywhere,” said Swartz. “There was a bus that was taking people down that ended up in the ditch. Yeah, it was pretty brutal.”
But not everyone was pleased with the response.
One Australian tourist was packing up and heading to Whistler on Monday after being stuck on the hill Saturday night
“Stuck in a pub too until one in the morning then kicked down to a lower room,” said Warren Nederpelt. “There were lots of families in there. No blankets, no food, no water, didn’t get out until the next day. Cost me a couple hundred dollars in tow trucks to get me out.”
And some were disappointed today when they returned to enjoy the new snow only to find the resort only had two of its five chairlifts open.
“They opened late. Only a third of the mountain is open and apparently, it’s going to remain like that for the full day,” said a season pass holder who didn’t want to give his name.
But a resort spokesperson says its all hands on deck as they try to clear away all that snow.
“They were doing their best to clear out vehicles and to clear out snow and we were here literally digging out the lodge and the lifts,” said Sheila Rivers.
But some who hit the slopes say they had nothing to complain about.
“It’s deep, it’s endless,” said snowboarder Kole Harle about the conditions. “You can’t hit the bottom. It’s perfect.”
The resort says avalanche concern kept much of the mountain closed but they’re hoping to have the entire hill open for Tuesday.
With more snow forecast this week, they say already ideal conditions will only get better.
Kendall Hanson
