The volunteers and staff of the Misty Ridge Ski Hill are gearing up for what they hope will be another successful season.
Misty Ridge Ski Hill board chair Kerry McElroy said no matter what happens weather wise the local ski hill will open on Saturday, Dec. 13.
“Do or die, we will be open on Dec. 13,” he said, adding that so far this fall the weather has cooperated.
McElroy said the ski hill already had two inches of natural snow before Barrhead and the surrounding area experienced its first major snowfall of the season. On Nov. 27 and 28 the area received anywhere from 40 to 50 centimetres of fresh snow.
In addition to that, he said Misty Ridge staff have been busy adding to that total, saying that the ski hill has its own snow making equipment.
“We packed all the snow we received down and using it as a base to add our own snow, plus anything that falls before we open,” McElroy said.
Originally, the board of the Misty Ridge Ski Hill had hoped to open the weekend before, on Dec. 6, but opted for a later date to ensure everything was ready.
McElroy said the board always tries to open for the season as soon as possible, not only to serve the local skiers, but to increase their revenue.
“We are a non-profit ski hill, operating on a break-even basis,” he said. “Every extra day we are open helps us to do that, especially over the Christmas season.”
McElroy said the area has had a ski area for more than 45 years saying that the area’s first ski hill was located near Thunder Lake.
However, the local skiers wanted more of a challenge so they decided to look for another site.
“Jack Bozak along with his wife Jeanne were great supporters of the ski hill and they saw the potential of the area, especially the area around the Assiniboine river,” McElroy said.
He said the Bozaks owned a piece of property, north of Neerlandia, on the edge of the river, right next to what would become the Misty Ridge Ski Hill.
“It is a wonderful facility that we are really proud of,” Bozak said, adding that anyone who was around when the ski hill opened would hardly recognize it.
From a modest investment of 10 acres of land, bought by Barrhead County, in 1971 the ski hill has expanded to include a number of runs for the beginner, intermediate or expert skier.
“We have a number of blue runs for the intermediate skier, a bunny hill for the beginners and even a small black diamond run for the advanced skiers,” he said, adding that there is a T-bar for the intermediate and advance runs and a tow rope for the bunny hill.
The ski hill also hopes to install a chair lift in the near future.
Barrhead County, on behalf of the Misty Hill Ski Hill, has applied for an Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) for a new chair lift.
Ideally, McElroy said if the group is successful in getting the grant, the ski hill hopes to install the chair lift in addition to the T-bar and the tow rope, but depending on funding, it might just replace the T-bar.
The ski hill also boasts a small chalet where people can rent equipment or grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria.
In addition to the ski runs, the hill also has a terrain park for snowboarders and a number of cross-country skiing trails.
“We have just some wonderful cross country trails here and we want people to be able to take advantage of them, but we don’t have a lot of equipment,” McElroy said adding that’s why the ski hill is asking people to donate any of their extra cross country equipment that is no older than 10 years old.
“Anything older than that is the old style of equipment and it is really hard on the ankles,” he said.
Anyone interested in donating equipment can drop it off at the Barrhead County Public Works yard at 4406 62A Ave.
The ski hill is also hoping to increase the number of people who have season passes this season.
While McElroy said the ski hill has always been well supported in terms of skiers, he said people buying seasons passes helps Misty Ridge budget a little easier.
“Our fees are some of the lowest in the area. Our family pass is especially a good value,” McElroy said. “No matter what size of family you have, we have a value package available.”
This year a family pass for a family of four is $400, with any additional family members costing an extra $75 each. Misty Ridge Ski Hill is also offering an additional 10 per cent off on any family pass purchased by Dec. 15.
For more information about season passes contact Leona Baker at 780-674-4207.
