News
Bottineau Winter Park opens
Scott Wagar
12/23/2013
The Bottineau Winter Park opened for the season over the weekend with a good base of snow, a new chalet and an eagerness to get people on the slopes for another season of winter park fun.
SLOPES
According to Brad Knudson, manager of the Bottineau Winter Park, the slopes for the most part are in good skiing condition.
“Three hills don’t have a lot of snow on them, but there is no grass showing on them either,” Knudson said. “But, the other slopes all have an average of 18 inches of snow on them with some hills with a deeper base of snow on them.”
TUBING & SNOWBOARDING
The tubing hills are also open and ready for tubers to take on, while the slopes for snowboarders are a go, too. However, Knudson said the park’s halfpipe is not yet completed, but will be in the near future.
ANNIE’S HOUSE
This will be the first season that Annie’s House will be in operation.
Annie’s House is an 11,500 square foot chalet which assists individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities, along with military personal who have been wounded while fighting in combat zones.
“Approximately 50 percent of the public space in the new facility will support the adaptive ski program and needs of disabled skiers and their families,” stated the winter park’s website.
“This will be the first facility in North Dakota focused on empowering disabled skiers and their families to enjoy outdoor sports during winter, while also providing a year-round facility to accommodate other adaptive sports.”
Annie’s House in named in honor of Ann Nicole Nelson, the only resident from North Dakota who lost her life during 9/11.
Nelson had made a bucket list of items she desired to accomplished in her life, which was discovered on Ann’s computer by her parents after Nelson’s personal items were returned to them.
One item on the list was for Nelson to build a house in North Dakota. With that wish, the New York Says Thank You organization made Nelson’s dream come true when the non-profit group came to North Dakota and assisted in the construction of the chalet.
New York Says Thank You is an organization that utilizes volunteers to assist them in its projects. When the group came to Bottineau, individuals from around the world came to the winter park to build the new chalet.
With the interior of the chalet nearing completion the ski lodge is now open for business and grants skiers, snow boarders, tubers and guests to the building a pleasurable experience to enjoy while they are off the slopes.
HOURS
The ski lodge is open everyday during the holiday season from now until Jan. 5. The hours over the holiday are 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
The only day the ski lodge will be closed during the holidays is Christmas Day.
Regular hours for the remainder of the year will be as follows: Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from noon to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.