Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous to spend thousands on snow

Organizers of the annual Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous winter festival say the snow sculpting event will go ahead despite the lack of snow in the Whitehorse area, but other plans have been cancelled.

Rachel Morgan, the festival's executive director, says Rendezvous is buying snow from the Mt. Sima ski hill in Whitehorse, which has a snow making machine.

Morgan says the snow sculptures are a popular attraction and a big draw for both locals and visitors from outside the territory.

The festival runs Feb. 18 to 22.

A planned snow castle has been called off because it would have needed a large amount of snow. Morgan says an ice slide at Shipyards Park has also been cancelled and Rendezvous is asking Lotteries Yukon to transfer its funding for the ice slide to the purchase of the snow from Mt. Sima.

She says the festival is also asking local snow removal companies to help bring in snow for a large snow pad that hosts events such as the axe throw, log toss and chainsaw chuck.

Morgan says, otherwise, Rendezvous will not be greatly affected by a lack of snow in the Whitehorse area. 

"It's always nice to have as much snow as possible in the (Shipyards) park, it kind of adds to the scenery and adds to the look of the festival, adds to that winter wonderland, but a lot of the events, they can kind of take place whether there's snow or not," Morgan says.

Morgan notes there's been fresh snow on Tuesday and Wednesday and hopes more comes down over the next few weeks.