Sudbury, Ontario — Things were looking bleak for Lively Ski Hill last year. The Sudbury City Council wondered whether it was time to close the Lively Ski Hill for good due to warming winters and large expenses. However, this season went much better, providing hope for its future.
For context, the city of Sudbury operates two ski hills: Adanac and Lively. Adanac is bigger and tends to see more traffic, while Lively has struggled over the past few years. First opened in 1963, the Lively Ski Hill has been a great place to learn the fundamentals and for racers to train. However, in recent years, visitation to the ski hill has diminshed. Only 715 skiers visited during the 2022-23 season, a sharp decrease from over 1600 visits during the 2021-22 season. In 2023, Lively had a cost recovery (income divided by expenses) of 6.7% compared to Adanac’s 93% rate.
However, following strong local support, they decided to run it for one more season to see if locals would show up. The locals stepped up with more volunteers coming by to work this season. Unlike the last few winters, it was cold, leading to a long season with lots more visitation. Events like Friday Fun Night led people to rediscover this small ski hill.
Sudbury.com reports that the Sudbury City Council will decide what to do with the ski hill in the next few months.
A final decision is expected by the City Council in June 2025. However, indications point towards them keeping the ski area in operation. That could mean keeping it under city operation or leasing it to a private operator. The city has issued a request for expression of interest to see if any private operators want to run the ski hill. What could complicate things is that the city is working on adding a new park with water-based recreational activities, with one option being the Lively Ski Hill.
However, Ward 2 Councilor Eric Benoit saw what the Lively Ski Hill brought to the community this winter:
“With how the community’s been there, we’ve definitely seen a lot of value in it.”
If its saved, the other portion of this plan is to replace the currently aging lift with a lift that was used at the shuttered Capreol Ski Hill. The original plan was to replace it before the 2024-25 season, but the city deferred this plan. The Sudbury City Council planned to replace the Lively lift this past summer because, due to its age, they feared the lift might have a catastrophic breakdown. Instead, the city council decided to provide funding that focused on maintenance projects to make sure it was safe for this season. If they do continue to operate the ski hill, lodge renovations are also planned.
On Sunday, Lively Ski Hill closed for the season. While the warm and wet weather was a bitter end to the season, I’d say its future looks bright.
Image/Video Credits: Lively Ski Hill, CTV News, Ward 2 Councilor Eric Benoit
