Skiers delight, Mission Ridge opens for the season

Skiers and snowboarders in southern Saskatchewan can strap on their boots, Mission Ridge opens for the season Saturday.

Don Williams, the general manager for Mission Ridge, said the nice weather we’ve been experiencing will make for beautiful skiing but it does create a marketing challenge.

“When there’s no snow around anywhere else people just don’t understand that we can make as much snow as we do,” he explained.

It takes crews at the hill 10 days to make all the snow they need for the season. Williams said those 10 days will put about three feet of snow over the whole area.

“We’re facing north so we don’t get direct sunlight (on the hills), that’s usually what causes the main problem (of melting),” he said.

“Couple of weeks back we had a cold snap and then we have three crews that work 24 hours a day. We pump about 10 million gallons of water and shoot it up in the air.”

With all that preparation, Williams said they are ready for skiers as the slopes are in wonderful shape. They have two and a half feet deep snow everywhere, except for the Crow’s Foot run.

The nice weather also means tons of phone calls into Mission Ridge. Williams said people often think the hills are closed when the weather is nice, but he said that’s not the case.

“We got lots and lots of snow. We even have a live camera that shows it,” he said.

A few more days of cold weather would help them finish off the snow-making for the season.

The slopes will open at 10 a.m. Saturday with the rental shop open at 9:30 a.m.