Frost Fire Park to be closed for winter due to damaged snowmaking infrastructure

Nov. 16—WALHALLA, N.D. — Frost Fire Park, a ski resort and mountain bike park near Walhalla, North Dakota, will be closed for skiing and snowboarding during the 2022-23 winter season due to malfunctions with the park's snowmaking system.

The Board of the Pembina Gorge Foundation, which owns and operates Frost Fire Park, announced the temporary, single season closure in a press release on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

In the announcement, Jeff Mostad, president of the board, said the current snowmaking system is outdated and in need of extensive repair.

"Snow making is expensive and labor intensive and despite recent attempts to repair electrical, pump and water lines, we ultimately had to make the decision to discontinue this winter season," said Mostad.

The decision to close for the season came after trying, unsuccessfully, to operate the current snowmaking infrastructure, Patty Gorder, Frost Fire interim general manager, told the Herald. Most ski hills, including Frost Fire, do not have enough snow to operate without making snow, she said.

"It was a really tough call," said Gorder.

In spring 2022, Frost Fire Park suffered major damage due to flooding, which

washed out parts of the park's ski and mountain biking trails.

Gorder said with proper snowmaking infrastructure, which the park does not have, the damage could likely be filled in with artificial snow.

Frost Fire Park will be installing new snowmaking infrastructure in spring of 2023 using state and federal grants. In March, the

Pembina Gorge Foundation received a $2.2 million federal grant

from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration for replacing snowmaking infrastructure, matched by $542,622 in local funds.

Bids are being reviewed for the project to install new snowmaking infrastructure, and Gorder expects construction to begin as soon as the ground thaws in the spring. That way, the park will reopen for skiing and snowboarding for the 2023-24 winter season.

"This is only a temporary thing — it's not permanent," said Gorder.

Mostad said the pause this year will allow for more ski and snowboard seasons in the future.

"As sad as it is to see the ski hill not open for the season, we know Frost Fire Park needs this time to implement a new snowmaking system," Mostad said. "Due to delays with supply chain issues and labor shortages, the new system was not able to be installed in time for the upcoming ski season."

Gorder became interim general manager of the park in 2020, and between COVID-19 and the Canadian border closure, is unsure what normal traffic looks like for Frost Fire Park and how much the closure will impact the park financially. Usually, the park averages 31 ski days per year.

"It's going to definitely have an effect on us, for sure," said Gorder. "I won't know until it's done."

Even though slopes are closed, the ski lodge will be available for groups to rent over the winter. Gorder says she is already working on hiring for next summer's mountain bike season. Over the winter, Frost Fire Park is also updating its amphitheater, where it hosts Frost Fire Summer Theatre productions. Upgrades include the construction of a new stage and dressing rooms.

Maxum Mostad, a young skier with

a history of donating

to the park, recently raised $31,500 for Frost Fire Park with a haunted house in Langdon. These funds, along with funds raised during a recent fundraising banquet, will cover overhead expenses and improvements over the winter.

While Frost Fire is closed, Gorder encourages skiers and snowboarders to support other ski resorts in North Dakota and Minnesota, like Bottineau Winter Park, Huff Hills, Thrills Hills Ski Area, Detroit Mountain, Andes Tower Hills and Buena Vista Ski Area.