Don’t forget to grab your season pass to Eastlink Park

 

By Laura Bohnert

Eastlink Park is already gearing up for its second year with season passes going on sale on August 15.

Eastlink Park, a winter recreation park made possible by the Town of Whitecourt, Woodlands County, and the Whitecourt Woodlands Winter Recreation Park Society along with countless volunteers, sponsors, and community partners, made its big debut last year for the 2015/2016 winter season—and its first year was a huge success.

“The first year was great despite the unusual warm weather,” says Mike Morin, General Manager of Eastlink Park. “The interest was outstanding. It was surprising the amount of guests that mentioned they had never been skiing or snowboarding.”

Skiing, snowboarding, and other winter recreation activities played a big role in the past for both Whitecourt and Woodlands County. In fact, it was the tenacity of residents who started skiing wherever a decent slope could be found that the formation of the Whitecourt Ski Club first took place on Whitecourt Mountain, back in the 1970s. The 1980s, however, weren’t as advantageous for the venture. A loss of key volunteers, along with damage to the shelter that occurred as a result of a fire, caused the ski club to close and, while it managed to reform several years later, high costs of development, weather patterns, and inaccessibility caused the slopes to close once more.

It wasn’t until a group of volunteers came together with the ambition of re-establishing a fun, affordable, accessible, and family-friendly winter recreation park that Eastlink Park became a possibility—and with a lot of hard work, it became a reality once more.

“We are excited about the upcoming winter, for sure,” states Morin, who also described a number of the changes the park is undergoing: “We are building an awesome viewing deck for parents and grandparents, and we are planting trees to create more atmosphere on the slopes.”

“We are also working to create more terrain access,” Morin adds.

Park rates for this coming season will remain the same as last year and, weather permitting, the park will be ready to open the first weekend of December—however, as Morin reminds us, “Mother Nature has the final word.”

Anyone looking for season passes can purchase them online at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre, Timberstoke, or by phone. For more information contact Mike Morin at mikem@eastlinkpark.com.