Canyon Ski Area has gone to the sheep.
The woolly wonders have been recruited for their grass-trimming expertise. There were 255 on the hill contentedly filling their bellies on Monday and 200 will add their munching skills later in the week.
“We were just looking for new ways of doing things,” said David Martel, one of five new owners who took possession of the popular ski area in June. “Our vision for Canyon has been to make it the greenest ski hill in Canada, and this is just one step.
“Traditionally, the hill has just been cut with a lawn mower. But that’s a lot of fuel wasted and a lot of emissions in the air.”
Sheep have a lot going for them, he said. They are small and light enough that they won’t damage the hill. “That and we found out that they do eat almost anything. They’ll eat right to the new saplings that are coming up.”
This isn’t the first time sheep have been put to work keeping ski hills nicely trimmed. The idea has been tried on U.S. hills as well. Sheep have also been used by Central Alberta farmers to improve pasture land by cleaning off less desirable plants so new grass can grow.
At first, the ski hill planned to start with 55 of their own sheep. But it wasn’t long before others noticed.
“Once you get everything set up for it other people get interested in it. And then the next thing you know you have 455 sheep.”
Most of the sheep came from a farmer in the Ponoka area, who welcomed the opportunity to find some pasture land. In October, the sheep will be trucked back to their home farm for the winter and will return next May. The ski hill-owned sheep will likely be fattened up for auction in the fall.
There are benefits beyond grass trimming to letting sheep hit the slopes.
“With having sheep out there what happens is they produce fertilizer, which in turn is going to make the grass grow better and make the root systems better. That’s going to help us with erosion control as well.”
To direct the grazing, pens have been set up and will be moved as the sheep clear an area.
“It’s been going really good. We’ve moved pastures and they are eating everything down that we need them to.”
Martel sees the sheep project as an exercise in rural co-operation.
“I guess what we’re doing is we’re mixing recreational with agriculture and we’re just working together.”
Meanwhile, the new owners are already gearing up for their first season. Season passes and ski school bookings are available and the office is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those dropping by to buy a pass are welcome to come check out the sheep.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com
