With sporting events in the province on hold due to the pandemic, some good news, as Optimist Hill in Saskatoon has opened to snowboarders, skiers, tubers and tobogganers.

Co-Chair of the Optimist Hill Campaign, Joe Van’t Hof, says the hill is open with regular hours Saturday. Van’t Hof says they will be limited to 150 patrons because of COVID restrictions.  He expects some high demand but says staff are fully prepared with COVID protocols that have been in place.  Van’t Hof says this includes limiting the amount of people that go into the chalet, along with the time spent inside, and recommends park goers prepare to use their cars as lockers or if they need to warm up.

The ski area, tubing runs are ready but the terrain park isn’t quite ready with construction still ongoing on the hill’s second lift.  Van’t Hof says the new conveyor lift will hopefully be open in the next week or two, depending on testing.  He suggests the second lift will allow them to truly envision the park as they had set forward, with more capacity on the hill.

Next up for the hill Van’t Hof says they are looking at a proper machine that can be used to groom the hill as best as possible, as well as further fundraising for an upgraded chalet.

Van’t Hoff recommends checking their website for the most up to date information on Optimist Hill.