Edmonton Ski Club to reopen this season

After a lengthy hiatus spanning two seasons, the Edmonton Ski Club is reopening its slopes for this coming winter.

The 108-year-old organization made the announcement on its website in August that the slopes would be open for the 2019-20 season. The website says the club has purchased a new carpet lift for the bunny hill, and a number of repairs and upgrades have been completed.

The reopening was welcome news to ESC Alpine’s past-president Greg Milne.

The alpine club, as well as Edmonton Freestyle Ski, both offer programs at the hill but were forced to relocate while the situation was being worked out.

“We’re thrilled to have it opening again and to be able to go back and train,” Milne said. “A lot of our members come from that area. It is very much a community hill. We have people from afar, for sure, but a lot of the kids who train with our club live in those areas; Bonnie Doon, Capilano, Cloverdale, downtown.”

He said he suspects the alpine club lost about 25 per cent of its members since the ski hill closed. Normally, the club has about 40 to 45 members. Milne said he suspects with their home hill reopened, membership will increase.

In 2018, the facility on Connors Hill beside the Muttart Conservatory received $1.1 million in municipal and provincial funding.

The money was to purchase the magic carpet, to refurbish the T-bar and to redevelop the clubhouse. The City of Edmonton committed $459,000 to rebuild the facility over two years. Alberta Culture is spending $600,000 over three years.