A new ski hill is under construction in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan lies on the Eastern side of Alberta but lacks the big mountains of its neighbour and although there are a dozen ski areas here, most are small ski hills with less than 100 metres of vertical served by a few drag lifts and built to serve local communities. Winter temperatures are normally double-digits below freezing so snow cover is rarely a problem.
The Optimist Hill, located within Diefenbaker Park in the largest city in the province, Saskatoon, has similar physical limitations but big ambitions with its backers, The Optimist Ski Club, aiming to raise $5m not just for a lift and other infrastructure at the hill, but also to add about 10 metres of ground depth to the top of the hill, taking its skiable vertical up to around 21 metres, and slope length to around 140 metres.
https://www.facebook.com/optimisthillcampaign/videos/1153622064725485/
Plans for the hill include floodlighting for night skiing, a terrain park, cross country loop and facilities for tubing as well as ski and boarding runs for all ability levels. The centre will also feature an impressive 4,000 square foot base lodge.
Funding for the hill was boosted this week by a $150,000 donation from the local Co-op and its hoped some facilities will be ready to go at the ski hill this coming winter.
The Optimist Club said in a statement that the funds will “support the creation of an affordable, family-oriented recreation site encouraging healthy lifestyles.”