Southern Alberta ski resorts get snow, with Nakiska expecting up to 5 cm

Nakiska Ski Resort doesn't open for several weeks, but clearly Mother Nature didn't get the memo.

The Kananaskisfacilityreceived a dusting of snow Sunday morning, with five centimetres in the forecast for the day.

The area is looking for a high of 7 C and a low of zero.

Don't put the skis on the rack just yet. The resort has a staggered opening with full operations beginning in early December.

The snow may not stick around for long, though.Next Saturday, the resort is forecast to hit 22 C.

Nakiska is not alone.

Further west, Sunshine Village in Banff also received some snow, reporting the white stuff in aFacebookpost.

"Are you like us and SNOW happy to see the white stuff back on our webcams?" the post reads.

Sunshine VillagespokesmanDave Riley says he's optimistic that even with the poor economy, the resort will be busy.

"In 2008, when we had a real dip in the economy, a lot of ski areas had a really great year that yearbecause they had good snow. So a lot of different factors converge and snow pretty much cures everything in our business."

Riley says the resort's expected to open its hills in mid-November, but they could open sooner, depending on the conditions.

• MORE ALBERTA NEWS |Town of Crossfield aims to double its population
• MORE ALBERTA NEWS |Inmate in 'profoundly serious' condition after Calgary Remand Centre incident