North Battleford, Sask. — In a long-awaited turn of events, ski enthusiasts rejoiced as Table Mountain Ski Resort opened its lifts near the Battlefords for the first time this season on Saturday.
The weather at first too hot, then recently too cold, is now just right for the slopes.
Ryan Young, an avid snowboarder, took to the slopes for the first day of the season on Saturday.
“We're out here shredding some pow pow. Beautiful day, great weather, sweater weather. Great snow, a little rough in a few spots, but some great jumps. Just out here living my best life,” he said.
The winter season has been full of challenges for outdoor recreation.
Last week's frigid temperatures, dipping as low as -35 C, posed challenges for opening the lifts, explained Lawrence Blouin, the general manager of Table Mountain.
“We could have probably opened this Tuesday, but we were looking at those -30 to -35 temperatures at night and daytime wind chills of -30 to -40, so we decided to hold off and give us more time to get the grooming stuff done,” he said.
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Unlike smaller hills in the city, Table Mountain Ski Resort has to cover an entire valley in snow.
“We're running 24 hours a day with 48 or so snow guns. It takes us about 12 days, so there's lots of work that goes into getting this hill in order,” Blouin said.
“I've packed it a few times. Ate some snow,” Young said, following a wipeout that left him covered in snow.
With temperatures expected to continue to normalize, the community at Table Mountain is thrilled to kick off the season.
North Battleford is about 136 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.
