Camp Fortune - April 15, 2023 (Closing Weekend)

On Saturday May 15, 2023, my sister and so joined a group of friends for one last use of our night ski passes on Camp Fortune’s closing weekend. The weather was sunny, with the day’s warmest temp being a peachy 23C! Every run off the Skyline quad was open. To honour their passholders, the resort offered free skiing to all types of season passes, so we could not pass up another chance to use our night passes. 

We arrived at 9am, and planned to ski up until the 3pm closing time. For the first hour or so before my friends arrived, my sister and I enjoyed a few laps on Heggtveit, Bud Clark, and Sparks. The snow was still freshly groomed and barely mogulled, and despite being slushy, it was pretty fast!
 

Between 10-11am, my friends arrived, and we spent the rest of the day enjoying the slushy snow and gorgeous summer weather! I decided to ditch the hoodie and snowpants for a t-shirt and shorts, both a good and bad decision as my arms suffered a terrible burn!

Closing weekend wouldn't be complete without some fun and games:

The closing day vibes were top tier, with everyone visibly excited to be enjoying the slopes one last times, with such amazing snow and weatehr conditions! We enjoyed one last delicious Camp Fortune poutine on the outdoor patio, noticing that a waterfall had formed on the side of Heggtveit:

Ici Radio and CTV reporters were present, conducting interviews and filming skiiers. While I was in the background of some clips that made the evening news, the clips of my friends and I skiing Heggtveit unfortunately did not make the final cut

Due to Ottawa's record snowfall, coverage was amazing on most runs, save for the occasional marked dry patch or half-width section. However, the warm temperatures meant that the thick snowbase was melting fast, so even if the resort wanted to open for additional ski days, it would be impossible. 

 

By 2:30, my friends and I decided to do our version of a 'pond skim' , at a small channel that had formed at the base of the hill. We all went one after another, making for an exhilarating end to our final run. 

Not wanting to call it quits just yet, my sister and I decided to ski one last lap on Heggtveit. By that point, all open trails had begun to get mogulled, though the soft and slushy snow conditions meant that they were more enjoyable than challenging. Heggtveit, of all the open trails, had the thickest snowbase, as well as largest moguls, but it was probably my favourite trail of the day. I got my sister to film my last bump turns on our last run of the season, before doing the same to her. 

Every other time we had skiied this incredibly steep double-black run this season, it had been extremely icy, so the soft moguls made this our favourite of the open trails that day! Ending out season on Ottawa's steepest trail seemed fitting, as it highlited the many fears myself and my sister overcame this past season, in order to make us more confident and experience skiers! By the time we reached the bottom, the lift had stopped turning, and we packed our things and headed home.

Buying the Fortune night pass was easily my favourite purchase of the year, and I was extremely fortunate to have friends who also had the pass, making for some unforgetable evenings on the slopes. I was able to use this 170$ pass 16 times this season, meaning that every visit essentially cost me under 11$! For such a steal, it is clear why the pass sells out in early September! 

After 8 years of mediocre ski seasons averaging less than 3 visits per year, I built up from 7 ski days in 20-21 and 13 in 21-22, to a whopping 31 in 22-23 (finally buying new equipment definitely helped)! This involved my ski trip-of-a-lifetime to Banff, and multiple visits to Mont Tremblant through my university's ski club. With a more difficult upcoming school year and work, I may never be able to top this figure, though the affordable Fortune night pass should get me close;) 

Cheers to an amazing ski season spent with amazing people! I will see everybody next November!