The ski season at Misty Ridge Ski Hill may only be a week old, but the hill’s newest acquisition is seeing a lot of action.
Earlier this fall, the Misty Ridge Ski Hill board purchased a new, at least to them, snowcat machine. The board purchased the machine used for $34,000.
Tracey Mueller, Misty Ridge Ski Hill director said the non-profit society bought the snow cat from the revenues the group received from hosting the Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games in 2013 along with a grant from Barrhead County.
“It was really a 50/50 partnership and a real godsend for us,” Mueller said. “As a non-profit group we could have never been able to afford something like this on our own.”
The snowcat is a specialized machine used to travel over snowy conditions.
Glen Smithson, Misty Ridge Ski Hill Operators Assistant, said the snowcat will allow the ski hill to open more runs to the public while making the operation more efficient.
In addition to the snowcat machine this year, Misty Ridge received a donation of a specialized grooming machine from B &B Wilson.
“I can’t even begin to think how much time it will save us,” Smithson said.
Before the addition of these two machines, Smithson said, ski hill staff would have to pull a homemade machine, they affectionately call the ‘Ripper’, behind a small snow machine called the Gator. The ‘Ripper’ would then dig up the snow and flatten it.
“The problem is the Ripper is very narrow and the snowmobile was not powerful enough to pull it up all the runs,” he said, adding that the combination of the snowmobile and the Ripper would often leave tracks which made it impossible to groom all the areas they wanted.
Smithson said the combination of the snowcat along with their groomer will allow staff to make much larger passes, not only saving a lot of time, but will eliminate those unwanted tracks, therefore allowing them to open up more of the ski hill.
“It is such an amazing place that has something for every level of skier or snowboarder,” Smithson said. “And the views are just wonderful, overlooking the river, it is just breathtaking.”
Smithson said he is especially proud of the facilities snowboarding park. Although he said people can snowboard on any of the runs, except the bunny hill, the ski hill has put in a lot of effort to install a snowboard terrain park.
“It is still to advanced for me,” Smithson, who has been snowboarding for four years, said. “But for the people who have more skill and experience than me can do a lot of tricks.”
Mueller shares Smithson’s fondness for the hill. “I grew up here,” she said. “ My parents started Misty Ridge and I started skiing here when I was four and all my kids learned how to ski here.”
For the holiday season Misty Ridge will be open from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The hill will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25 and on Jan. 1 Misty Ridge will open at noon.
Mueller said the ski hill has a wide variety of amenities, including equipment rentals, ski lessons and a chalet with a cafeteria where skiers can come in from the cold to warm up.
However, because it is a non-profit group, she said the ski hill is always looking for volunteers and on occasion, employees.
“I know right now we are looking for a ski instructor,” she said.
For more information about Misty Ridge Ski Hill call 780-674-4242
