Ski racing is coming back to life in Thunder Bay, even in the midst of COVID-19

If you are waiting in a lift lineup at one of the two ski areas in Thunder Bay, Ont., there's a good chance you will see lots of young people, many of them wearing racing bibs.

While the pandemic has caused many organized sports to cancel their seasons, one sport is flourishing — despite being shuttered by the province for most of the 2021 season.

The uptick in kids taking up skiing is welcomed by Dave Bradley, the program director at the Port Arthur Ski Club, which trains at Mount Baldy.

This year, the program has double the kids enrolled as it did last year, which bodes well for the future of alpine racing in the area. 

"Some of them are families that are established, others are brand new families that really are trying this for the first time. Kids are smiling and loving it, and I think it's going to bring the whole family out and create more skiers for Thunder Bay," Bradley said.

Most of the growth has occurred in kids around seven to 10 years old, he said, which allows the club to develop its athletes for a longer period, and keep them interested in the sport.

The growth is also seen in ski lessons and ticket sales, said Jason Kardas, a co-owner at Mount Baldy skill complex. 

"Everything's kind of up, lessons have been up. So, that tells me people are learning, and want to get taught, so that's a great thing," Kardas said.

"It means we're doing something right in my mind," he said. "People are having fun, and I think that's the key is, they're coming out, they're having a fun time when they're with their friends or family, and they're wanting to come back and do it again."

Kardas said last season was difficult, after being shuttered for six weeks because of provincial regulations. Plus, the hill is still working on installing its new chairlift, which has been delayed because of parts issues and pandemic delays.

Still, Kardas said it's encouraging to see more new people take up the sport.

"When you're a skier, you're kind of a skier for life, because it's great exercise, it's super fun, you get that opportunity to chat with your friends when you're going up the lifts."

Thunder Bay's other ski hill, Loch Lomond, is also busy with new skiers, and its racing program has also seen an uptick in participants.

"I think the biggest issue we see is we have kids who want to do it, maybe before they have the skill set to do it. They see, and they're like, 'hey I want to go do that,'" said Geoff Hall, the program director at the Nor'westers Alpine Club.

"It's exciting for us, because obviously the more people that are skiing in general, the more people we tend to attract to the programming that we're delivering."

But, it's more than just having kids involved in skiing for Hall, who was out at the hill on a Wednesday evening, after the lifts had closed to the public, to run a few training courses for the older kids in the program.

"It's not just about providing programming, it's absolutely about creating the community around it, and the culture around it, and making it a family experience," Hall said, referring to Camp NAC, or a number of trailers at the ski hill base that serve as an area for athletes to be together, do debriefings and build that sense of community.

Hall said ski racing has grown since a decline about 20 years ago. Now, more racers are donning bibs, along with new volunteers.

"One of the most exciting things is the fact that we have newer ownership at both of the ski areas. That level of engagement really pushing the overall offering forward, it obviously takes time. Both ski areas are putting huge efforts in."

Bradley agreed, saying that the hill operators play a huge role in the success of the sport — be it racing or recreational.

"This is something they have complete belief that we need skiing in Thunder Bay. We need two ski hills in Thunder Bay. We need to offer people that capacity to come and enjoy it. But, it has not been easy. All of us should applaud our ski hill owners for the effort they've made to keep the sport alive in Thunder Bay."

Kardas said this could be a sign the city could support another ski hill.

At one point, the city had five alpine operations. Candy Mountain was the last hill to close in 2002.

"Do I think even having another hill, even a Candy Mountain or a Big Thunder would be so cool to have back again. Is it sustainable? I really do think so," he said. "I would actually love to see another hill."