The Mt. Sima ski hill is on track for a November 25 official opening, said Sima general manager Cindy Chandler.

The planned early opening is thanks to a fleet of new snowmaking jets and a new snow cat groomer.

The new snow equipment will lead to marked improvements for Whitehorse skiers this year, says Chandler.

“There’s no question skiers will notice a difference. We’re able to produce more snow, on more runs, earlier in the season,” she said. “And we now have double the grooming capacity to create a high quality ski experience.”

The snowmaking effort began about five days ago with better conditions and some natural snow helping the process along.

The snowmaking crew is working around the clock to get the hill ready for national team para-athletes, who will arrive for pre-season training at the beginning of November.

Today they were focusing their efforts on the terrain park section and Sam Oettli, Sima’s operations manager, said they would soon turn their attention to the alpine runs.

About 190 athletes from Outside are expected for pre-season training at Sima this year with a Canada Cup freestyle event happening on the Nov. 25-26 opening weekend.

“Nowhere else in Canada can a community ski hill look to open for skiing in November,” said Chandler.