A chairlift at Nitehawk Adventure Park, a community ski area located in Grande Prairie, Alberta, was hit by a landslide on Tuesday around 3:00pm. The slide impacted multiple lift towers.
Photo credit: Johnathan Clarkson
“We’re thankful this event occurred when no one was on location,” said Board Vice President Whitney Wild in a statement. “Our Board of Directors and management are working with geotechnical professionals to determine next steps and possible solutions,” she continued. “Nitehawk is no stranger to facing and overcoming adversity.. Operating a successful community ski hill in Northern Alberta is no easy feat. Our resiliency, along with the incredibly supportive community, will help us deal with this new challenge head on.”
Official Press Release:
Landslide Impact Being Reviewed
Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park officials continue to assess damage caused by a landslide on the ski hill early Tuesday morning. The incident occurred in the area of the Temptation run around tower 4 of the lift and it spread onto lower Showoff across the luge track. The public is urged to avoid the area to ensure their own safety and that of staff and slope experts examining the site.
“We’re thankful this event occurred when no one was on location,” says Board Vice President Whitney Wild. “Our Board of Directors and Management are working with geotechnical professionals to determine next steps and possible solutions.”
Slope movement on the hill is constantly monitored. As a precaution, steps to mitigate potential damage were taken this spring with the removal of chairs, tower assemblies and the haul rope was de-tentioned.
“We are thankful our management and maintenance staff had completed preventive measures so damage to chairlift infrastructure appears to have been avoided,” Wild says. “All other lift, snowmaking and guest experience infrastructure was not affected.”
Management is exploring modifying summer camps by moving them offsite.
“A landslide of this size was not anticipated,” says Wild. “Nitehawk is no stranger to facing and overcoming adversity. Operating a successful community ski hill in Northern Alberta is no easy feat. Our resiliency, along with the incredibly supportive community, will help us deal with this new challenge head on.”
