The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t keep people away from Optimist Hill in Saskatoon, which saw numbers to the park increase this past season.

Co-chair of Optimist Hill, Joe Van’t Hof says it was one of the few venues where people could get out and enjoy the great outdoors and not have to worry about COVID exposure in a cramped space. With businesses struggling during the pandemic Van’t Hof says they were thankful the Saskatoon public came out in droves. Van’t Hof explains there were many safeguards and protocols in place to keep staff and patrons safe, and he is happy to report they had no COVID cases at the hill.

Van’t Hof says one of the things they weren’t able to do was offer things like school trips, and while that effected their revenue stream, overall they were grateful for a very good season.   Van’t Hof says the big project they completed this season was their second magic carpet hill lift, which he says really allowed their new Terrain Park to take shape.

He says next up they are looking to secure a new snowcat snow maintenance machine, which will allow them to properly and adequately build the runs and trails they want to do within the park. Van’t Hof says this summer they plan to build a garage for the snowcat, which would effectively complete phase 1 for Optimist Hill.

Van’t Hof says phase II for the park will include looking at options towards enhancing the chalet that Optimist Hill currently has. The hope there, he says, will be to make the building bigger and better so more people can enjoy the indoor aspects of the park, post pandemic.