For two years, the hill overlooking the Passion Play site has stood silent. The former ski hill and its equipment, like the badlands surrounding, has been slowly eroding away.
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society hopes to change that.
“There is a whole lot of discussions and research happening about the lift. We’re looking at it and asking ourselves what can we use this space for. We’re trying to get answers,” said Passion Play executive director Vance Neudorf.
Earlier this year, the Passion Play celebrated as it successfully purchased the old ski hill’s share of the land, which consisted of the area below the first chair lift tower. The purchase also included the entirety of the lodge, a large quonset, parking, and the lift station sitting at the base of the hill.
The Passion Play has renovated and utilized everything from the purchase, save the lift station. However, ideas have been floating around for awhile regarding what to do with it.
“We’ve been looking at this ever since we started looking into buying the property. Going into something like those, you have to have an idea of what needs to be done. We’ve put out feelers with various research companies to see what is possible,” said Neudorf.
In regards to leasing the remainder of the hill and bringing back skiing to the valley, there are some obstacles to overcome.
“One of the problems is it hasn’t moved in two years. We got to look at how to protect it or make it usable. The bigger issues with the ski hill are changing weather patterns and the infrastructure. From what I understand, the pipes are in desperate need of repair and renovation. Some parts couldn’t even pump water,” said Neudorf.
Water is needed in the creation of artificial snow. Considering the lack of winter weather this past year, a lot of man-made snow would have been needed. With the pumping system as it is now, it would’ve been an obstacle.
The Passion Play is considering other recreational uses for the old ski hill. All ideas are being researched, including the possibility of mountain biking courses.
“There has been an idea to use the area for mountain biking. I think there’s research that needs to be done. You put a traill on the rocks of the Rocky Mountains and you’re probably good for 15 years. You carve a trail in bentonite you might be good for two months. The first good rain and the trail is gone,” said Neudorf.
“Bentonite is a different kettle of fish when thinking of how to utilize the site. We put up our own trails every year and as we do that, we create different erosion patterns that are going to change the shape of the hills. We’re going to have to look carefully at how work with the environment so things aren’t just short term.”
For now, the Passion Play continues its research. They have contacted regulatory bodies to determine what has to be done to bring everything up to code.
The Passion Play also welcomes ideas from residents as to what they would like to see.
“There are a lot of ideas floating around. It’s going to take some time research the possibilities,” said Neudorf. “Anybody who has thoughts on what could happen should step and let us know.”
