Drought causes Manitoba ski hill to cancel upcoming season

The Holiday Mountain ski area is shown on March 12, 2015.

WINNIPEG -

One of Manitoba’s most popular ski hills will not open for the season due to the ongoing drought in the province.

Holiday Mountain, located in La Rivière, announced on its Facebook page on Monday it will be suspending operations for the 2021-22 season.

“The unprecedented drought conditions have significantly impacted the resort’s snowmaking water source,” the post reads. “Without the ability to make snow, the Resort cannot open.”

Bernice Later, general manager of Holiday Mountain, said the resort gets its snowmaking water from the Pembina River, which is feeling the impact of the drought.

“Normally in the summer, the resort starts preparing for ski season, and in August on the 17, we have our pre-season ticket sale,” she said. “At this point, we don’t feel comfortable selling tickets. It seems irresponsible to sell memberships for a service you might not be able to provide, and the way the river is now, we wouldn’t be able to operate our snowmaking system.”

Holiday Mountain has been making snow since 1960, and it is an integral part of its operation. Later said the resort has a permit for 17 million gallons, and said there would be an enormous environmental impact if they drained that amount from the river.

“If we can’t make snow in a responsible manner, then we shouldn’t be opening,” she said.

Later said she has never seen water levels in the Pembina River this low before

"Last night, we watched a deer walk across it, which I’ve certainly never seen in my lifetime,” she said. “It’s a massive drought.”

Parts of Manitoba have been experiencing extreme drought during the summer, leading to rivers, creeks and other bodies of water drying up.

Multiple communities, including Morden, have implemented orders to conserve water due to the drought conditions.

The resort said it plans to reopen in December 2022.

-with files from CTV's Josh Crabb