The Saskatchewan government lifted the 150 person limit on ski hills on Dec. 18. That means some of the province’s largest hills are getting ready to open.
Optimist Hill in Saskatoon opened to skiing and snowboarding on Dec. 18. Kinsmen Ski Hill in Prince Albert opened earlier this month and is operating seven days a week. Mission Ridge at Fort Qu’Appelle plans to open to skiing on Dec. 26.
However, Table Mountain near North Battleford has a tentative opening date of Jan. 8. Manager Laurence Blouin says they held off making snow because the opening was not feasible with a limit of 150 people.
Now, he says, they’ll get working on making snow, but it will take time and favourable weather.
He adds Table Mountain will be open Friday evenings and weekends, but opening on weekdays will not happen because there are no school tours.
Wapiti Ski Hill near Melfort is expected to make a decision on Dec. 23 whether to re-open.
While the province has done away with capacity restrictions, there are still many new rules regarding COVID-19. People riding lifts will have to stay two meters apart, or else wear masks if they are with a non-household member. People are not allowed to store food or other belongings in the chalet.
The rules around indoor masks remain the same. People will have to maintain distancing, and the hills will have to collect guest information for contact tracing purposes.