Comox Valley (BC), Canada – With the sun shining and alpine temperatures rising over the last couple of weeks, it appears Old Man Winter is finally releasing his frozen grip on Vancouver Island’s Mount Washington. The B.C. ski and snowboard resort’s final day of winter operations will be this Saturday, celebrated by the Undie 500.nMt. Washington’s 2009-10 winter was the most memorable in recent years. Record November snowfall kicked off an early start to the season, athletes descended upon the resort for pre-Olympic training in January and by season’s end, Mount Washington received its second deepest snow accumulation on record.

“This was an unbelievable year,” says Mount Washington spokesperson Brent Curtain. “We received over four meters (13 feet) of snow before we started the lifts in late November. By the end of the season over 15 meters (590 inches) of snow fell on the mountain.”

The resort held on to the title of “world’s deepest snowpack” for the majority of the season — not an easy feat considering there are literally hundreds of snowy ski resorts scattered across the globe.

“The snow is a great economic driver for our region,” comments Don Sharpe, Director of Business Operations for the resort. “When we have great snow, the mountain always sees an increase in our skier and snowboarder visits. The entire Comox Valley region benefits from a good snow year at Mount Washington.”

On its last day of the season, Mount Washington’s lifts will operate from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a wide range of special events scheduled throughout the day.

“We’ll have the Natural Pastures Cheese Roll on snow for the first time, and last but certainly not least, the Undie 500 will entertain the crowd on Saturday as well,” Curtain adds.

At the Undie you get your race and a lift ticket for CAN $30 — not a bad deal if you’re brave enough to register in your skivvies! The race begins at 11:15 a.m. down the lower pitch underneath the Eagle Chair.

The Natural Pastures Cheese Roll will bring some summer flavor to the last day of winter. “We’ve never rolled the cheese in winter,” says Curtain, “but we’re sure it will work.” In heats of five to 10 people, the cheese wheel is tossed down the slope and the contestants give chase. The first to catch the cheese advances to the next round. The grand final winner takes home the cheese, literally.

Registration for the Undie 500 Part Duh and the Natural Pastures Cheese Roll starts at 9:30 a.m. at the ticket kiosk in front of the Alpine Lodge.