The lack of winter weather is a cause for concern for many in the local tourism industry, which is warming up to the idea of colder temperatures this week.
Orillia & Lake Country Tourism’s Kris Puhvel says the lack of snow and ice is keeping a lot of tourists at home.
"We are known as a four-season destination here in Orillia and Lake Country," he said. "Winter activities such as ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, and outdoor recreation in general are a key component to winter tourism."
The lack of snow and an absence of wintry temperatures have had a wide range of effects on the local tourism industry, Puhvel says.
"Some businesses depend entirely on there being snow and ice," he said. "There is a ripple effect when activities like skiing and ice fishing aren't available. Our accommodation businesses, restaurants and retail businesses suffer, too."
While the winter season is off to a tepid start, Puhvel says it's not time to panic.
"It's still early January," he said. "We've seen years like this before. We remain optimistic and hope that the winter weather will happen and the visitors will come."
He says some industries have done a great job of adapting to the warmer-than-normal weather.
"Mount St. Louis Moonstone has had some skiers," he said. "The die-hard enthusiasts are still coming out and the resorts have had to get a little more creative with offering other activities to their guests."
At Hardwood Ski and Bike in Oro-Medonte, the Nordic ski trails have been open for 17 days this season, but they have been closed since Dec. 27 due to the lack of snow.
Gareth Houben, the facility's president and general manager, says the success of the Hardwood's ski season depends on the winter weather because of its inability to make snow, unlike resorts that offer downhill skiing.
"We tend to be able to open with very little snow," he said. "If we can get five centimetres or so, we can open the trails."
If the temperatures consistently stay below zero, Hardwood can preserve a large snowfall and make it last throughout the season, he says.
"Once we get a normal amount of winter snow, we can harvest it in different places and relocate it to ski trails," he said.
Hardwood has seen more snow this year than in years past. However, the mild temperatures have been damaging.
"We seem to have these milder weeks or weekends where the snow melts here and there," Houben said. "We are seeing a lot more inconsistent weather."
He is confident the winter weather will arrive, and Hardwood is preparing to get skiers back on the trails as soon as possible.
Daily trail conditions for Hardwood can be found here.
Avid local ice fisher John Whyte, publisher of Time on the Water Canada, says this might be the latest year ever for Lake Couchiching to be without at least four inches of "walking ice." He says the late start "crushes" the ice fishing retail industry.
"People start to think they will just make do with what they have because it's going to be a short season," he said. "For the deep-water anglers who are fishing for ling, whitefish, and lake trout, the middle ground probably won't freeze until February now, and March 15 is the close."
Local ice fishing retailers will rely heavily on perch anglers, Whyte says.
"Perch fishing accounts for 75 per cent of the overall economic impact of Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching," he said. "Typically, those anglers are on the ice by now."
Once the lakes freeze over, Whyte suspects people will rush to their huts to enjoy the season while they can.
"People are calling me just about every day to get an estimate," he said. "It looks like it will just be around Jan. 6 that we will have ice to fish on, maybe even a little later."
Rob Love, president of the Orillia District Snowmobile Club, is not optimistic about snowmobile trails opening anytime soon.
"We've had years like this before that have been a little slow to start," he said. "It's disappointing, to say the least, but we will open them when we can."
He estimates trails may open in mid- to late January. The latest the trails have opened is during the final few days of January, he said.
"We mostly need the cold weather," he said. "Then, when we do get some snow, it makes a big difference because it will stay around."
With mild conditions and damp ground, having a snowfall is no good, Love says.
"Without the freezing in the ground, it's hard to get the trails open," he said. "If we get a big dumping of snow on top of a soft underground, it insulates things and makes the wet areas worse."
The lack of winter weather has been felt across the province.
"It's not just this one area that people can be disappointed about," Love said. "It's all over."
Just ask Tourism Barrie executive director Kathleen Trainor. She says the local economy has been "significantly impacted" due to the absence of snow and visitors coming to the area for outdoor winter activities.
That impact was especially felt during the Christmas break.
"During the holiday season, ski resorts and outdoor outfitters generate most of their revenue and depend on natural snowfall," she said. "Despite their efforts to make artificial snow, the ski resorts still require sub-zero temperatures to maintain the snow on the ground."
The impact is significant, financially, she stressed.
"During the holiday season, overnight visitors to the region's estimated economic impact is around $3 million," she said. "However, due to the lack of snow, the economic impact losses to the regional visitor economy, which includes the ski resorts and outdoor recreation enthusiasts, would be over $10 million."
— With files from Nikki Cole
