Winter enthusiasts recently described the new Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort at Cold Lake, Alberta, as the Lake Louise on the prairie.
The resort is owned and operated by the Municipality of Bonnyville, and the resort's general manager, Jurgen Grau, has been hard at work establishing partnerships and creating events that will appeal to winter sports participants and businesses.
This winter will see the first officially sanctioned, non-competitive freestyle event. It will include X Games competitors, a trade show, a winter wear fashion show, a cabaret, skiing and, of course, snowmobiles—lots and lots of snowmobiles.
The new lodge is helping to turn around the overall participation in winter sports after many years of very little or no snow in the area. The last few years have brought a return to consistent snowfalls and a renewed interest in snowmobiling.
“I’m trying to rekindle that relationship (between the resort and the snowmobile club),” said Grau.
The Snowmobile Freestyle Event is slated to run at the chalet Saturday, December 10, 2011, and includes world-renowned freestyle sledders Kourtney Hungerford, Sam Rogers and Brett Turcotte. These three young men—with their big combos and holding tricks until the very last second—will certainly have the crowds on the edges of their seats.
“The event is about bringing something really cool to the Lakeland,” said Grau. “It’s a way of developing another demographic and building relationships.”
