Palmer Kohlruss rockets down the hill at Mount Joy Snow Resort on Sunday to win her heat in cardboard box races. She also got the prize for best design. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Mother Nature will allow Mount Joy Snow Resort to run into April for the first time in recent memory.
There was plenty of snow and sunshine on hand for a kids’ cardboard box race on Sunday to keep the fun rolling as long as possible.
“It should be a good time,” said resort president, Chris Bogue before the heats on the bunny hill.
“It looks like tape and cardboard is going to be the sure winner out here today.”
The resort is poised to set a record for the most skiable days in a season with more to come.
“We’ve already surpassed day 26. On average, we used to do about 17 days a year. We’ll definitely be open next week and who knows thereafter,” said Bogue.
The news skiers and snowboarders are waiting to hear is that the resort will re-open next season following an uncertain financial future due to soaring insurance costs.
“We set out this year asking the community if they wanted to have Mount Joy out here and it turns out we do,” said Bogue, speaking collectively.
Ironically, the scheduled box race was also the very day of the resort’s insurance inspection.
“We have an insurance inspector out here today and it’s going very well. He’s a great guy and he’s giving us some great pointers for the future of our hill,” said Bogue.
Looking ahead, he noted the board expects to have a summer budget in place in time for their upcoming AGM to fund further upgrades and repairs —if the snow ever melts.
Board member and ski patroller, Dean Peters was joking about skiing in May this year.
“We’ve got all the runs with lots of snow on them right now. It comes down to Mother Nature and how long she wants it to ski,” said Peters.
He noted conditions were ideal for the cardboard race that used to be a media challenge and has been brought back for the kids.
“We’re quite excited about that now,” said Peters.
Tom Mulinowski, drove all the way from Hudson Bay to watch his three grandkids Mason Adams and Brielle and Jase Crittenden race and celebrate Mason’s birthday.
“Everybody used some duct tape and the cardboard and a little bit of paint and big ideas,” said Mulinoski.
Mason who turns 12 said he used “boxes, toilet paper rolls and sharpies” to build his snow jalopy.
Asked if it would hold up for more than one run he said, “Probably not; when I hit the hay, it’s probably just going to explode.”
Brielle was ready to roll in her pink racer she made using paint and cardboard.
Race director and board member, Tyler Wilson assembled the racers and yelled out something about “the need for speed” to kick off the event.
“We’re going to do five racers at a time.”
Sheldon Gallagher, another board member on hand said, “You couldn’t ask for a better day. There’s lots of sunshine and it’s good to see all the community out.”
“Today, I am just here as a spectator and a board member. I’m too old and brittle to be racing cardboard boxes,” he said.
Gallagher is the principal at Rendell Park Elementary School and he invited a former student of his, Jake Tremmel to bring his drone.
“That will be fun having Jake taking pictures of the event,” he said.
