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Edmonton Ski Club reopens after years of struggle: ‘People are excited’

WATCH ABOVE: The Edmonton Ski Club reopened on Thursday after going through years of uncertainty. Chris Chacon was there for the grand opening. – Dec 26, 2019

The Edmonton Ski Club reopened on Boxing Day with a new plan, new funding and a familiar face for ski enthusiasts.

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Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Heil cut the ribbon for the club’s grand reopening on Thursday.

“I’m so connected to this place in my heart,” Heil said.

“This is where I started freestyle skiing and very few people around the world believe me that I got my start at Edmonton Ski Club, because we don’t have any mountains and this is farmland in the surrounding area.”

It was a special moment, not only for Heil but for many others hitting the slopes.

“It’s really cool to have an Olympic gold medalist here because she did it [and] it inspires us to do it,” said a young skier.

A year ago, the relaunch of the hill wasn’t certain. The ski club was struggling to operate due to a lack of funds and had experienced shortened seasons.

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In the 2016-2017 season, it struggled to operate due to a lack of funding.

In the 2017-2018 season, it was only opened for three weeks, and last season it was entirely closed.

The club now has an operating budget of $500,000, part of $1.1 million granted by the city and province in 2018.

“People are excited and they’re really pleased that the hill was reopened,” said Edmonton Ski Club president Caroline Sledz.

“I think people have felt a tie to this facility partly because of where it’s located and because of the family atmosphere that’s been developed over 108 years the ski club has been here.”

The club has added a carpet lift to the hill and plans to add school programs in the future.

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