Optimist Hill reopens with more snow after extreme cold

A couple of months ago the lack of snow and warm temperatures were the two biggest issues for Optimist Hill — now that is the last thing the hill has to worry about.

Instead, extreme cold temperatures have become a main focal point of concern.

Maxine Tebbe said the lack of protection and shelter from wind has begun to be an issue.

“People standing on top of the hill, as well as people standing on the lift that are moving, there’s not really a safe environment for anyone,” said Tebbe, the general manager of Optimist Hill.

Over the past week, while it’s been extremely cold, Optimist Hill has been closed to allow more time for them to produce more snow and start work on one staple of the hill.

“(We’re) starting to rebuild our terrain park and all our other features,” said Tebbe. “Hopefully we’ll have enough snow to last us until the end of the season.”

This year will also see a beginner’s terrain park at Optimist as well.

“People can practice without feeling too much pressure from being on the big hill,” said Tebbe. “I know we got a lot of professional or up-and-coming professional athletes in Saskatoon and they don’t want to risk getting hurt but they still want to partake in the winter activities.”

The hill is set to re-open Wednesday at 4 p.m.