Want a world-class ski race? Make your mountain taller

If Thunder Bay wants to attract world-class ski races, it's going to have to make its mountains taller.

Race organizers would need to add 10 to 15 meters to Loch Lomond in order to meet International Ski Federation height requirements, according to Brad Lashley, the technical director for Alpine Ontario.

"There's a lot of opportunities with building platforms and moving dirt piles and everything else just to make the mountain bigger," he said. "If there's any roadwork projects, I can recommend where we'd put some dirt."

Lashley said the practice is not uncommon.

"Places like Mont Sainte-Anne in the province of Quebec, as part of the Olympic bid from Quebec City a number of years ago, actually put a large pile of dirt at the top of Le Massif," he said.

Regaining the right to host international races

Lashley was in Thunder Bay for several days checking out the facilities for next year's Ontario U-16 Alpine Championships.

Representatives of Tourism Thunder Bay and Lake Superior Ski Division - Alpine also asked him for advice on how to attract bigger races to the region. 

"Over the next five to 10 years we want to become a central, key event-hosting site bringing athletes up from the U.S. and across Canada," said Dave Bradley, Lake Superior Ski Division - Alpine's event chair.

Thunder Bay used to host some North American ski events but lost its license with the Federation International de Ski (FIS) two years ago, because the federation would no longer exempt Thunder Bay from its vertical drop requirements. 

"Now what we have to do is get up to 200 meters of vertical drop," Bradley said.  We're currently at about 185 meters.  We need another 15 meters of vertical drop." 

Thunder Bay needs to attract bigger competitions

Race organizers can raise the height of mountains by packing dirt on top of shipping containers, Lashley said.

The process can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000.

Bradley said it's worth the investment.

"It trickles down through our entire development system.  It raises the level of our coaching.  It raises the level of our athletes.  It's critical for our whole development to be able to host these signature events," he said.

"If you look at the economic impact year after year, each year for a bunch of years, it will pay back."