Mount Joy Snow Resort visitors will be getting a better skiing and snowboarding experience this winter as the hills snow making system will be getting some new upgrades.
BPC Services is expected to start installing about 600 metres of waterline next week which will help in the snow making process. The company could also be trenching the areas near the snow cannons for a new power line.
President Ray Tatro says it’s an enhancement on the 830 metres of line installed four years ago.
“It’ll get us better snow cover on the hill earlier and it will allow us to offer a better product to the public.”
Tatro is confident they will be able to run safely this year.
“We feel we can operate under some of the new COVID regulations. The skiing industry is individual use and individuals can socially distance quite easily.”
He says they are also looking into making a larger space for their warm-up area by using an insulated tent on a temporary basis. The rental procedure will also change and Tatro says they are working on setting up online purchasing to avoid line-ups in the rental house.
Tatro mentioned the snow making equipment was running well last season and hopes with they will continue seeing that with the upgrades.
“It made the conditions as good as they were last year before the March 15th closure due to the pandemic. We had as good of snow out there as ever in mid-March and it would have been nice to get three more weekends out of it.”
The Board of Directors also held a meeting this summer looking at the long-term planning for the resort.
“We had a really good meeting with a facilitator that put together a good five-year plan. We want to make it as usable as possible for the people in the area. It’s a gem out there and the hill is a great asset to the area.”
The annual general meeting is scheduled for October 21st at the Legacy Centre and three positions on the board will be open.
Mount Joy is volunteer operated and would usually look for volunteers for the season at the annual Community Registration Night, but this year they will be focusing recruitment online and reaching out to past volunteers. Tatro says they also want to expand their certified instructor base for the upcoming season.
The group will be holding a steak night from September 28th to the 30th through Harvest to Home to fundraise for the upgrades and any future expenses.
