Flagstaff County reviews feasibility study for Valley Ski Hill

Flagstaff County Council reviewed a new viability study of the Valley Ski Hill during their July 18 Council Meeting.

The study was prepared by RC Strategies, and included seven main areas: current operations analysis; public and stakeholder engagement; market analysis; trends and leading practices; key findings; and potential options, recommendations, and next steps.

Flagstaff County partnered with the County of Paintearth on the study, determining it to be a logical next step before committing large amounts of money towards the hill.

Reeve Don Kroetch said, “The report is very positive for the ski hill.”

Councillors noted that it was a pleasant surprise to see how widely used the ski hill is, with a lot of out-of-area usage, especially via school trips.

The report showed that in 2017-18, the majority of season’s pass holders were from Flagstaff County, at 45 per cent, with 40 per cent from Paintearth, and 15 per cent from outside either area.

“Schools are choosing to come to Alliance when Red Deer would be closer,” was one comment heard. That’s borne out by the numbers of day pass sales, where 45 per cent of day passes are purchased from individuals outside both Flagstaff and Paintearth.

The report offered a number of recommendations going forward if the two counties are to commit to funding necessary repairs to the hill.

These included securing a long-term land lease agreement, and reviewing what priorities are used to determine an appropriate level of investment in the hill.

In addition, the report made recommendations that other forms of support either county could provide would be extremely beneficial, including using staff resources to address promotions and marketing, strategic planning, etc. It also suggests a representative or liaison from each county serve on the board of the ski hill, and that both recommend that the ski hill be considered a regional facility.

The report also recommends the development of a Business Plan for the Ski Hill, to explore strategic priorities, roles and responsibilities, a pricing model, as well as promotions and marketing opportunities.