The TeePee Town LX heated high speed chairlift at Sunshine Village
© Postmedia ArchivesThe TeePee Town LX heated high speed chairlift at Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is opening for the season to skiers and snowboarders on Thursday, Nov. 3, the first to do so in Canada and the earliest its opened in more than 30 years.

The Wawa, Strawberry, Jackrabbit and Wolverine chairlifts, along with one magic carpet and one 8-passenger gondola will be operational beginning Thursday.

Families and kids can be part of the action as well, as the ski school will be running along with the Tiny Tiger and Kids Kampus programs as well as select on-mountain dining and retail venues.

Exceptional amounts of snow for this time of year has fallen in the alpine. Currently, Sunshine Village has a base of over 69 centimetres of natural snow.

The early opening is a welcome arrival after last year's lack of snowfall towards the end of the 2015-16 ski season.

"A large amount of precipitation starting in early October means the champagne powder snow has piled up fast," said Dave Riley, Chief Operating Officer at Sunshine Village, in a press release. "The Sunshine Village team has been working incredibly hard and we are thrilled to be the first resort in Canada to open its doors to our guests."

The Sunshine Mountain Lodge will open on Nov. 11.