Blackstrap Ski Hill

For other uses, see Blackstrap (disambiguation).

Blackstrap Ski Hill, (also known as "Mount Blackstrap") is a man-made skiing and snowboarding hill located approximately 51 km (32 mi) south of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada east of Highway 11, the Louis Riel Trail. It is one of only a few man-made mountains in the world. It is a unique feature on Saskatchewan's prairie landscape.[1] It is now a feature of the Blackstrap Provincial Park along with Blackstrap Lake. It rises 45 metres above the surrounding land.[2]

History

The hill was built in 1970 by the Canadian government for the 1971 Canada Winter Games at a height of 2,045 feet above sea level.[3] The mountain is built with soil excavated from the escarpment behind the "mountain". The theme for the Saskatoon bid for the 1971 Canada Games was "Going to build a mountain" in honor of the construction of the hill.

After the Canada Winter Games, the ski hill was turned over to a private operator. However, the hill was closed permanently in 2008 due to declining ridership.[4] The ski lodge was destroyed by a suspicious fire in September 2009.[5] A month later, the provincial government announced that the remaining ski equipment at the hill would be dismantled and sold.[6]

By the end of 2012, three developers had approached the government with proposals to develop a recreation area. Requests for proposals were accepted until the spring of 2013.[7] One developer withdrew his proposal,[8] while the other two submissions did not include redevelopment of the ski hill.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Downhill Skiing". Virtual Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  2. ↑ "Blackstrap Provincial Park". Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
  3. ↑ "Mount Blackstrap settles into its new home Saskatoon Star Phoenix". The StarPhoenix. CanWest. October 20, 1970. p. 4. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  4. ↑ "No takers on Mount Blackstrap ski hill". CBC News. February 6, 2008. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  5. ↑ "RCMP investigating Saskatoon fires". CBC News. September 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  6. ↑ "Blackstrap ski facility to be dismantled". CBC News. October 16, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  7. ↑ French, Janet (January 3, 2013). "New life for Blackstrap?". The StarPhoenix (Postmedia Network). Retrieved 01-03-2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  8. ↑ "Blackstrap proposal dropped". The StarPhoenix (Postmedia Network). 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  9. ↑ "Gov. accepts two proposals for Blackstrap Park". CTV Saskatoon. 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2013-04-10.

External links

Coordinates: 51°46′30″N 106°26′46″W / 51.77500°N 106.44611°W / 51.77500; -106.44611


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