Big White celebrates Hwy 3 opening, adds new COVID-19 measures

Big White Ski Resort is welcoming news that Highway 3 from the Lower Mainland is expected to open Tuesday. The resort said it has seen a near immediate response from would-be visitors.

Wednesday’s media briefing by the provincial government officially announced the Coquihalla highway will re-open by Monday to commercial traffic, with non-essential travel on Highway 3 allowed 24 hours after that.

“Were certainly thrilled for anyone of the travelling public that needs to get back and forth for the obvious reason of meeting and being with family and friends,” Senior Vice President Michael J. Ballingall. “It’s that time of year that families ache to be together and when there weren’t any options we heard it not only through our reservations lines, but in the community.”

He commended the efforts of the hundreds of people who have made this happen.

“We know the disaster that has taken place in British Columbia, we certainly applaud all the frontline workers and all those people working on the highways,” Ballingall said.

Ballingall said phone lines were lighting up after the announcement.

“It’s just people confirming, there were a lot of people that were sitting on the fence, there were a lot of people planning to drive through the United States, or holding out that this may happen,” he said. “If we’re just the litmus of that, and we deal with hundreds of calls a day, well just imagine the thousands and thousands of people that will be going back and forth for family and friends.”

Transport Minister Rob Fleming said while there will be no restrictions on Highway 3, he expects people will be prudent around travel to big gatherings due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Extra COVID-19 measures

In the wake of rising case counts and spread of the Omicron variant, Big White has announced new health protocols starting Dec. 18. These include outdoor ticket offices, proof of vaccination at the Clocktower Coffee Co. and one-way in and one-way out traffic flow.

Ballingall said these new rules are to ensure the safety of guests and staff and help mitigate the amount of time people spend inside.

“When we saw the crowds over the last three weekends gathering for no reason inside, the Village Centre is not that place to hang out,” he said. “We want you to hang out, come up to the mountain, enjoy the day and get back in your car and leave the mountain. There’s just not a place for you to sit for hours on end inside.”