Whitewater Ski Resort has introduced a new area for visitors to ski ahead of the coming season.

The resort south of Nelson announced it is expanding by 60 acres with the addition of the new Goat Slide terrain, which is south facing, features all black runs, and opens up an adjacent area that was previously out of bounds.

Whitewater general manager Rebeckah Hornung said the new area offers a different type of experience for visitors.

"It's a really lovely piece of terrain. It's open alpine, which we don't have a lot of that. We have a lot of glade skiing, so it's a really exciting step in the product that we offer in the guest experience. More space to ski and ride, a new type of terrain, and more terrain.鈥�

The area is accessible by the Raven chairlift, then by taking Ymir Ski Way to the new Upper Goat's Ski Way.

Hornung said after the Raven chair was installed last year and opened up more than 160 new acres of terrain, the resort noticed an increased number of skiers accessing the previously out-of-bounds area in the Ymir bowl. 

That area is now part of Whitewater. Hornung said the resort has invested additional resources into patrol and avalanche staff to prepare for the terrain's usage. 

"This is one area of the backcountry that is more complex in terms of the structure of the slope. That being said, our team has multiple avalanche areas that they're managing."

Whitewater is tentatively set to open Dec. 6.