Lack of snow means slower start to season for ski hills, businesses

It’s pretty rare that most of Saskatchewan has little to no snow on the ground on Nov. 23.

But that’s what the province is faced with right now, as Old Man Winter holds off a bit longer. The lack of snow isn’t ideal for Saskatchewan’s ski hills and those selling winter clothing.

“This is my first time where it’s this brown in the season, so I’m a little worried here,” laughed Maxine Tebbe, general manager of Saskatoon’s Optimist Hill.

According to Tebbe, the hill will open a little later than in the previous few years, but she noted that the hill doesn’t always open on schedule.

“Last year we were really lucky. We were able to open at the end of November, so we were making snow at the very beginning of November,” she explained.

“There was one year we didn’t open until right before Christmas, and another year where we didn’t open until January. It fluctuates, and (this year) we’re hoping for the same thing but aren’t quite there yet.”

The biggest thing Tebbe said her ski hill needs right now is cold weather so staff members can make snow.

“We use a product called Snomax, which allows us to make snow at a little bit warmer temperatures, but they still have to be below zero,” she explained.

“We still have to take a lot of things into consideration, like the ground temperature and the humidity. The next couple weeks we’re looking at milder temperatures and talking with the other ski hills in the province. They’re all in the same boat.”

Tebbe said she’s hopeful Optimist Hill can at least get the tube lanes opened up by December, to allow some options for people to get outside and have fun.

Mission Ridge, a ski hill east of Regina, typically waits until December to open, and a spokesperson noted that they’re also relying on cooler temperatures in order to make snow.

While ski hills have some time to prepare, the warm weather means a bit of a slow start to the season for Jonathan Storey and his business Escape Sports in Saskatoon.

“We usually do pretty well with rentals. It’s not a huge part of our business, so it’s not like it’s a massive sting, but it’s nice getting people in the door who are going to go out and do something for the day,” Storey said.

So far, there hasn’t been an opportunity to do that on the snow.

Storey said he’s also had a tougher time than usual getting winter clothing off his shelves.

“Until the temps drop or the snow hits – it could be November or December – people won’t really act until they get that real cue,” he explained.

“It’s really been slowing across the board when it comes to winter gear.”