FILE. Big White resort.

(KATHY MICHAELS - EDITOR / iNFOnews.ca)

It will be a concerning time for Interior ski resorts if the Coquihalla remains closed during one of their busiest times of the year.

Big White Ski Resort senior vice president Michael Ballingall said at this time, the resort is still full for bookings around Christmas and New Years, the resort’s busiest time of the year.

Reservations from the Lower Mainland have stopped, however, and people are inquiring about January, February and Spring Break. The resort is advising people to wait and see, he said, following the closure of the Coquihalla due to flooding and landslides.

There is no estimated time of reopening for Highway 5 and currently only Highway 3 and Highway 99 are open to essential travel from the Lower Mainland due to flooding.

READ MORE: Second highway route reopens between Lower Mainland and Interior of B.C.

If the Coquihalla is still closed by Christmas time, “that makes us very nervous because the resort is normally full of people from the Lower Mainland,” Ballingall said.

The price of plane tickets from the Lower Mainland is also “disappointing,” he said. “Air between Kelowna and Vancouver, I personally don’t think it should be over $300 return… I don’t think it’s economically affordable for a family to get on a plane.”

Typically, Interior ski resorts' biggest market is from the Lower Mainland. There’s also interest from Ontario, Montreal and the Prairies, Ballingall said.

“We have people in the resort now that have relocated from their homes that have flooded from the Fraser Valley because they own property at Big White,” he said.

Sun Peaks Ski Resort near Kamloops celebrated its opening day yesterday, making it the first in the Thompson Okanagan to open for the winter season.

The resort is currently reporting an alpine base of 99 centimetres and 25 cm mid mountain, according to its website.

It could not be immediately reached for comment regarding how opening day went.

Big White Ski Resort is opening Nov. 27 for its regular ski season, according to its website.

At Apex Mountain Resort near Penticton, opening day is Dec. 11. SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon will open for its regular alpine season Dec. 3.

Baldy Mountain Ski Resort near Oliver will open in December but does not have a definitive date, according to its website.

Harper Mountain near Kamloops also has a tentative opening date set for Dec. 11, according to its website.

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