Smithers’ population will be up 300 people until Sunday for the U14 Provincial Ski Championships.
About 200 of those will be participating in the tournament which is usually held at resorts like Whistler and Sun Peaks.
Manager Lex Rei-Jones said this is Hudson Bay Mountain’s first time hosting the event.
“I know we hosted some sort of provincials about 15 years ago, but this is the first and the biggest one in a really long time,” she added.
The Smithers Ski & Snowboard Club is helping to host the event with about 50 participants being from Smithers.
Rei-Jones added being able to host an event like this helps make the resort better known for hosting more events like it.
“We’ve put a lot of time, effort, and money into infrastructure and racing equipment and it’s paying off by us even being considered to host a race of this size and caliber.”
With the extra people in town, she adds the road up to the mountain, parking lots, and lodge will be busier but will remain open to the public through the tournament.
“It’s going to be busy, but we’re really excited about it and thank everyone for their understanding,” said Rei-Jones.
Training days for participants are today (Tuesday) and tomorrow, with the tournament running Thursday to Saturday.
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