Sun, snow and no school: skiers enjoy ideal conditions

With school out, warm weather and a fresh layer of snow topping off their three-foot base, Mission Ridge Winter Park has hit the trifecta of perfect skiing conditions.

Anders Svenson is the director of the snow school at the local ski hill by Fort Qu’Appelle and said it’s been a couple of years since they have had a Christmas season like this one.

“It doesn’t get much better than skiing in 0 C in Saskatchewan,” he told 980 CJME.

While many families are flocking out to hit the slopes in the warm weather, Svenson said it’s steady but the lineups are not long and you can still find a seat in the lodge.

The snow school, in particular, is booking up fast for people looking for private or semi-private group lessons and he encourages families to call ahead. Mission Ridge also offers public group lessons four times a day through the Christmas holiday season.

When it comes to the age range for ski and snowboard lessons, Svenson said they accommodate all ages from toddlers to seniors. He said many parents are choosing to start their kids out very early in the sport and that’s what makes it an activity the whole family can truly enjoy.

“We have tons of those two, three and four-year-olds and then lots of times we’ve got people in their 60s, 70s and 80s in our group lessons, so it’s really all over the map and it’s kind of the unique part about skiing and snowboarding is that there’s really no age limit on it,” Svenson commented.

The most common reaction he hears from visitors is a sense of surprise at how much snow is on the hill. He pointed out that even when your backyard is brown and surrounding, Mission Ridge has the equipment to make enough snow to maintain a solid base for skiers and snowboarders.