Sunridge Ski Area Information

Sunridge Ski Area is located in the Strathcona Science Park, a provincial park on the eastern edge of the City of Edmonton. While we overlook the City, we are actually located in Strathcona County on the eastern slopes of the North Saskatchewan river valley. 1880 - 1980 : Prior to 1900, the lands were used mostly for farming and then coal mining, with over 3 million tons of coal extracted from the river banks by both the Black Diamond Coal Mine and then by the Great West Coal Company. In 1952, the area was used by the Glacier Sand and Gravel Ltd., to supply sand and gravel to companies in the Edmonton area. In the 60's and 70's, parts of the site were even used for landfill by both the City of Edmonton and Strathcona County. 1980 - 1988 : In 1980, as part of the 75th anniversary of the Province of Alberta, the Strathcona Science Provincial Park was created which included a small ski area on the northern portion of the park. The ski area originally consisted of three TBars and a rope tow. In the first few years, the area was operated by the Province, and then in 1983, it was contracted out to a local private firm and was called the Hidden Ridge Ski Area. 1988 - 1999 : In 1988, the contract for the ski area was awarded to Calido Recreation Management Inc. after the original operator went into receivership. The ski area was renamed the Sunridge Ski Area, and planning for the expansion of the ski area began.However, in 1993, as part of government budget constraints of the time, the Province considered closing the Park and with it the ski area. Strathcona County assumed temporary ownership of the ski area and continued to contract the operation of the ski area to Calido Recreation on a year-to-year basis. Finally, in 1999, the Province resumed full ownership of the area and entered into a long-term contract with Calido Recreation. With this long-term contract, the expansion and redevelopment of the ski area began. 2000 : A Bombardier BR400 groomer is purchased to ensure quality snow conditions on a daily basis. ...