Warm weather and melting snow marked the end of the season for the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill as organizers closed the doors a day earlier than expected.
Tawatinaw manager Perry Prazak closed the facility on March 31 as warmer weather began melting the snow on the hill, making ski conditions less than ideal.
Although Prazak said he could have made snow to keep the hill going for one more day, it was not worth the extra cost and labour with the season already near the end.
Throughout the season, Prazak said conditions turned out to be great for skiers despite the warmer temperatures at times.
“The weather has not affected us too much in terms of ski conditions this year. In fact it was a lot nicer for skiers,” he said. “The flip side though is that people think that warmer weather means that it’s not a good time to go skiing.”
The facility was prepared for the warmer conditions this year and often utilized its snow maker to ensure the hills were in good shape.
“I usually make about the same amount of snow every year, but I might have made a bit more snow because of the weather this year,” he said.
The cross country, Family Day and slopestyle events are already set to run again next year, Prazak said, adding that they are also considering adding one more to the list.
“We may have a freestyle club competition, which is not set in stone yet but that would probably bring about 200 people out to the hill for that event,” he said.
As the new terrain features and moguls built for the Alberta Winter Games lured extra skiers, Prazak said he was pleased that he did not have to incur any extra expenses to pay for it.
“The builder did charge us to build the moguls but that was paid for by the Alberta Winter Games, so it didn’t cost us anything at all,” he said.
Being one of the last ski hills open in the area Prazak said he would have extended the ending date if the weather permitted.
“Quite often we are the only one that is still operating. Snow Valley might be open but I’m not sure. Last year we went to April 9 and the year before that April 13,” he said.
As the summer approaches, Prazak said Tawatinaw Valley is still a busy attraction for residents to visit.
“In the summertime people would come here and hike or mountain bike or ride horses,” he said.
The 2012/2013 season at Tawatinaw Valley is set to start again in December and carry through until the end of March.
“I hope people will come out again to our hill for next year,” Prazak said.
