Since the first snow fall this season, Conor Britton and his friend have been busy hauling and packing snow to build what he’s nicknamed “Big Child.”
Big Child is a do-it-yourself ski and snowboard hill in Saskatoon’s north industrial area equipped with riding features like grinding rails.
“It would be nice to have an area before Optimist Hill is developed. Optimist Hill will be fantastic, but it’s not finished until January and a lot of us feel the need to get out before then,” Britton said.
Two weeks ago, after building half of Big Child’s rideable features, he received notice from the City to stop all work, saying he needs to get a permit first if he wants to include temporary structures.
The space Britton is using for Big Child is part of the Silverwood Off Leash Area. He said while he understands the liability that is involved with snowboarding on City property where dogs are off leash, he said he has made the necessary adjustments.
“We just have to be really aware of the dogs that are around us and the people as well. I think if we were to go forward with this, it would be riders have to yield to the pedestrians and the dogs.”
Now Britton has started a petition to help get the City on board with Big Child. He said he has a meeting with the City’s Park and Recreation Department on Thursday to see if they’ll grant him his permit for the rideable features.
In a statement to CTV News, capital planning manager Andrew Roberts said, “at this time, we have no details of what he is proposing nor is there any indication of an organizational plan to construct an amenity on City owned land.”
