The warm weather and melting snow experienced last week has resulted in a reversal of fortune for the area’s two major winter outdoor activities, the Duck Mountain Loppet and the Duck Mountain ski hill.
The Loppet, which was to have been held February 25, has been postponed.
This year marks only the third time in 38 years that the Loppet would not held on its intended date, according to Bruno Lemire, the main organizer of the annual event held by the Kamsack Ski Club. “We’re experiencing big teardrops and we’re getting phone calls from disappointed people.”
In 1980, when there was water in the ditches, the Loppet had to be cancelled, and in 2000, warm weather forced the postponement of the Loppet from March to December 30 even though the 2001 Loppet was to be held about 10 weeks later, Lemire said.
There’s been almost no skiing in the province this winter, he said.
“We had 55 people pre-register for this year’s Loppet,” said Kev Sumner, Kamsack’s recreation director. “Most of the skiers usually register the last week prior to the event.”
Can the Loppet still be held this year?
If there was a big dump of snow and cold weather, organizers would need time to advertise the event, but many of the people who would attend are from Regina and Saskatoon and they often book buses in the fall to bring them to Duck Mountain for the Loppet.
They would need time to adjust their schedules, Sumner explained.
More likely, if there is an early winter, the 2017 Loppet could be held in late December as it was in 2000.
Meanwhile, the Duck Mountain ski hill closed operations last week.
“Two weekends ago, the conditions at the ski hill were fantastic,” said Craig Brock, the manager. “It was A-one. We were open with all 21 runs.
“But then after five days of plus temperatures, we watched the snow disappear,” he said, explaining that initially he had moved snow onto the more-useable runs, but then decided that it just was not worth it.
“It was too far gone,” Brock said, adding that he could see “grass and ground showing” on the slopes.
“We didn’t have much snow to begin with,” he said. There’s only about 10 inches of snow in the bush, and when packed on the hill, it measured to only about four inches.
“Although we started late, it was turning out to be a good season,” he said. “We had lots of compliments regarding the staff and service so people did not mind the not-perfect conditions. They were just happy to be able to ski.”
The Duck Mountain downhill skiing season usually lasts to only mid-March, but Brock said that if there was a very good snowfall, he could have the slopes groomed on part of the hill in about three or four hours.
