Lindsay Chung
Observer Contributor
With the calendar turning over to November and skis and gear now in our shops, your thoughts may be drifting tothe 2018-19 ski and snowboard season.
If you ski the Cariboo, there is a lot to get excited about at Troll Resort, located 44 kilometres east of Quesnel.
This season, Troll Resort will be able to offer accommodations and camping sites right across the highway.
“We have a trailer park we’ve opened up across the road from the hill, and we have electrified sites for campers and a no-frills campground,” says Leonard Sinclair, whose wife, Hidur Fossberg Sinclair, is Troll’s owner/manager and is part of the second generation of Fossbergs to operate the ski resort. “There are no services, but we have people who are set up there already from Williams Lake. They’re excited to be there.”
Troll is also putting in two tiny homes that will have electricity and water and will be available to rent. These will be available to book through accommodation rental website Airbnb in a few weeks, according to Scott and Holly Zacharias, the husband and wife team who own the sites.
Scott, who runs the resort’s Ski and Snowboard Shop, is also being brought on as the resort’s general manager this year.
On the other side of the highway, Troll owners and staff have been busy getting the mountain ready for the 2018-19 ski season.
“We’ve done some glading of a fairly extensive area for powder skiing,” says Sinclair. “It’s not a clear cut. We leave green islands of trees. It’s pretty extensive, and we’re pretty excited about it. It’s called the Silver Bowl.”
Sinclair encourages skiers to watch Troll’s website to see drone photos of the new Silver Bowl when the clouds clear.
Troll owners and staff have also brushed out and cleared all the existing runs.
“These runs should be free of any vegetation that could cause issues if there is a lower snowpack at the beginning of winter,” says Sinclair. “It’s all looking good. We’re excited for another good season.”
On the maintenance side, Sinclair says they are getting the lifts fine tuned, and getting their snowcats ready for service.
This will be the 48th winter the ski hill has been operated by the Fossberg family.
“We are progressing back into winter again, and we’re pretty excited,” says Sinclair. “If we get the snow, we should have a fun winter.”
Lars and Astrid Fossberg built Troll Resort in 1972. Troll has four surface lifts and 1,700 vertical feet of terrain. While most of the runs are for intermediate skiers, there is a teaching/beginner area and a few black diamond runs. The snow is 100 per cent natural.
Troll’s season is generally from mid-December to early April, and the mountain is open six days a week (closed Tuesdays).
Troll’s opening date is snow-dependent, and Sinclair says people can look for updates on the resort’s website as winter approaches.
“We would like to open around mid-December or somewhere around there, but it all depends on snow conditions,” he says. “What we have done in the past is when we open in mid-December, we have a free ski day for people who bring in a food donation for Good Cheer. The last couple of years, we haven’t been able to participate because there wasn’t enough snow, but we hope to do that.”
Discounted lift tickets for Troll Resort are currently available at Rocky Peak Adventure Gear in Quesnel or at Red Shreds Bike and Board Shed in Williams Lake.
For updates and information about Troll Resort, visit http://trollresort.com.
READ MORE: New programs offered by Quesnel’s Cariboo Ski Touring Club