Snow Valley Ski Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snow Valley |
|
|---|---|
| Location | Edmonton River Valley |
| Nearest city | Edmonton |
| Coordinates | 53°29′03″N 113°33′20″W / 53.48417°N 113.55556°W |
| Vertical | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Top elevation | 665 m (2,182 ft) |
| Base elevation | 625 m (2,051 ft) |
| Skiable area | 20 acres (0.1 km2) |
| Runs | 8 40% - Easy 50% - Intermediate 10% - Difficult |
| Longest run | 549 m (1,801.2 ft) |
| Lift system | 4 (2 chairlift, 2 magic carpet) |
| Lift capacity | 3,500 skiers/hr |
| Terrain parks | 2 |
| Snowfall | 122 cm (48 in) |
| Snowmaking | 95% |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | Snow Valley |
Snow Valley Ski Club is a fun ski area located right inside Edmonton, Alberta. You can find it near the Whitemud Freeway in Rainbow Valley. It's special because it's a not-for-profit organization. This means it's run to help the community, not to make a lot of money.
Snow Valley is a great place for people who are just starting to ski or snowboard. Most of its slopes are perfect for beginners. Only a small part, about 15%, is for more advanced skiers.
The ski area has different ways to get up the hill:
- One pulse quad chairlift (this is a fast chairlift!)
- One triple chairlift
- Two magic carpets (these are like moving sidewalks for beginners)
Snow Valley also has two terrain parks. These parks have cool features and jumps built for skiers and snowboarders to practice tricks.
History of Snow Valley
Snow Valley first opened its doors in 1961. It was started by a group of people from the Eskimo Ski Club.
Early Days and Upgrades
The first main building, called the lodge, was built in 1972. Back then, they only had two rope tows to pull skiers up the hill.
In 1981, they made things better by replacing one rope tow with a T-bar lift. They also added some snowmaking equipment. This helped them make snow when it didn't snow naturally, so they could have a longer ski season.
More improvements came in 1988. A triple chairlift was installed, which could carry more people. They also made their snowmaking system even bigger. Around this time, a lot of extra dirt was brought in to build up the North Hill. This area is now where the terrain park is located.
Summer Fun and New Lodge
In the summer of 1995, the people who run Snow Valley also started managing the Rainbow Valley Campground next door. This campground is open during the summer when there's no skiing. In the winter, the campground area is used for extra parking and even for cross-country ski trails!
A brand new, much bigger lodge was built in 2001. It was about 1,780 square meters (17,800 square feet) and replaced the old lodge and other buildings. In the same year, the first magic carpet lift was added, making it even easier for beginners. A second magic carpet replaced an old handle tow lift in 2003.
In 2008, Snow Valley got a very modern high-speed 'pulse' quad chairlift. This was a big deal because it was one of the first of its kind! This new chairlift replaced the old T-bar and opened up more areas for skiing and snowboarding.
Images for kids
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The fast pulse quad chairlift, added in 2008, helps skiers get to all parts of Snow Valley.
