No business like snow business
Hills at Martock are alive with the sounds of winter
It’s been a busy winter in the outdoor adventure industry.
With travel options outside the province limited, a growing number of Nova Scotians are discovering - and rediscovering - the joy of sports like skiing and snowboarding right in their own backyard.
“We’ve seen a big uptick in interest,” says Andy MacLean, operations manager at Martock. “People want to get outdoors. We’ve had an increase in season passes and in lessons, both for skiing and snowboarding.”
With seven trails, Martock is 600 ft. high, with a terrain park, riglet park, beginner bowl, quad chair lift, T-bar lift and a Magic Carpet.
Martock is offering introductory packages, tailored to both families and individuals, for those who are new to skiing and snowboarding. Packages include lesson, lift ticket, and equipment rentals.
“This year we’re offering a family bubble lesson,” MacLean says. “So entire families can learn to ski or snowboard together.”
Operating seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Martock offers night skiing on the downhill trails, including the terrain park, lit for after-dark skiing and snowboarding.
Opened in 1965, Martock has played host to many prestigious events, including the snowboard, biathlon and cross country competitions in the 2011 Canada Winter Games. Three Olympic snowboarders from Nova Scotia – Trevor Andrew, Sarah Conrad and Alex Duckworth – cut their teeth on the hills of Martock.
“To have three snowboarders from here go on to compete in five Olympic Games speaks to the value of having a local hill that can produce athletes at a high level,” MacLean points out. “That’s something we’re really proud of.”
Martock employs about 200 people during the season, including instructors, heavy equipment mechanics, short-order cooks, bartenders, equipment technicians, lift attendants, and cashiers.
The snowmaking process at Martock draws fresh water from the Avon River, where pumps send the water through underground pipes to a holding pond at the bottom of the mountain. The water is pumped up the hill and combined with compressed air to create snow for safe, reliable conditions throughout the winter season.
“We’ve continuously evolved our snowmaking technology,” MacLean points out. “That’s the key for us being able to operate consistently between mid-tolate-December to late March.”
The ski and snowboard industry, both nationally and within Nova Scotia, has put protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of participants during the pandemic.
“Masks are required from the parking lot to the peak of the hill, with two exceptions: When you are coming down the hill, and when you are seated in the food service area,” MacLean points out. “Capacity in our indoor spaces has also been limited.”
One of the great joys of skiing and snowboarding is they are accessible at virtually any stage of life. It’s never too late or too early in life to experience the sheer joy of careening down a hill on a crisp winter day.
“We have people who are still skiing into their late 80s and even early 90s,” MacLean says. “And then we have kids learning as young as two or three years old. It’s a lifetime activity.”
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