For its second year in a row, the Summit Lake Ski Hill is offering Canada Ski Council grade’s 4 and 5 passes which allow all pass holders a free ride at any participating ski areas across Western Canada.

Board director of the Summit Lakes Ski Club, Frances Swan, says such local mountains as Red Mountain, Revelstoke were participants last year, and the pass is only $15 for a whole season of hitting the slopes.

“It just gets kids out skiing,” says Swan. “I think it’s a benefit to the hills because those kids usually bring a parent or somebody else. It’s one of the new things we’re doing.”

The Summit Lake hill will be open this year from Christmas time until the end of March. Activities this year are the usual annual events, such as participation in the Summit Lake Racers combined with the Nancy Greene children. Swan says the Club Races will be happening in February and the Carnival at the end of the season. The hill will also be lighting up the hill from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays for three hours of night-skiing.

While the ski hill is fully operational with help from a group of volunteers, Swan says the hill is always looking for funding, and is currently in the process of applying for a grant to replace some of their older rental gear.

The hill will also be running its zone race with the Nancy Greene racers, which Swan says is a large annual event for the ski hill. “We always get positive feedback because it’s quite a big undertaking putting on a zone race, and we try and run the race following the B.C. Alpine Race Regulations,” says Swan. “(There’s) usually over 100 racers.”

She says the Summit Lake Racers, which encompass the Nancy Greene children, the NSS ski and snowboard team and other ski and snowboard enthusiasts, have already began their dry-land training with strength, agility and flexibility training.

At the small Summit Lake hill, Swan says the club is always looking for volunteers to help run day-to-day operations and those willing to do so, or those who have a coaching or instructing background and are interested in teaching, can contact Dave Bone at david.bone@live.com.

The club is also running their annual Ski-Swap on Nov. 21 at NSS and along with the swap the cross-country ski club and Nancy Greene registrations will be taking place.