Lack of cold and snow means empty ski hills, outdoor rinks in Sask.

It's not unheard of for Mission Ridge Winter Parklocated about 75 kilometres east of Reginato open in mid December.

But the park'sbusiness manager, Anders Svenson,says this has been one of the more challenging yearsto makesnow.

"It's less about getting snow and more about getting the temperatures," said Svenson.

Ideal snow making conditions, he says, usually require temperaturesbelow -10 C. It takes about 400 hours of those conditions to get the park fully covered.

So far, Svenson said, only about 100 hours have been completed.

That means Mission Ridge will only partially open Saturday. Other runs will be open once enough snow is made.

Svenson estimates between 10 and 15 million gallons of water have been used for the resort's 20 snow guns, which take pressurized water to create snow.

WATCH|Mission Ridge Winter Park scrambles to make snow when temperatures dip:

Mission Ridge Winter Park scrambles to make snow when temperatures dip

9 months ago

Duration 1:04

The Mission Ridge Winter Park at Fort Qu'Appelle describes the race to make snow when temperatures drop to about -10 C. It takes about 400 hours of those conditions to get the park fully covered.

Lawrence Blouin, general managerof Table Mountain Regional Park near North Battleford, said he's facing similar conditions.

The park hasn't been able to open yet.

"We usually try to open for the first Saturday in December," said Blouin. "We're hoping to open before Christmas."

He echoed thattemperatures below -10 C during the day are best for making snow. That has yet to happen this fall at the park.

It isn't the first time Blouin has dealt with a late start to the season. He recalls similar Decemberwarmth in 2008 and 2009.

Some getting by, despite the weather

Optimist Hill in Saskatoon has now fully opened, after a partial opening earlier this month.

General manager Maxine Tebbesaid she also recalls similar late startsin 2016 and 2018.

She said this year'sopening weekend was very busy, a good thingfor the hill,which relies ongrants and fundraising outside of ticket sales.

More than $30,000 has been spent on making snow for the hill this season so far.

"We're not a city-run facility, we are a non-profit organization," she said. "We pay for that water, we pay for the power."

Finances are top of mind for Svenson as well, whosaid making snow is a big part of Mission Ridge's budget.

"We rely on our season pass sales," said Svenson. "And virtually every cent of that gets used for snowmaking."

Blouin said that although making snow is expensive,December only accounts for between 10 and 15 per cent of his seasonal revenue, so he's hoping for better weather in the new year.

"February [and] March are our biggest months," he said.

"That's when we do our big school programs. Right now we're booking 300 school kids a day four days a week."

Outdoor rinks slowly opening across province

A few outdoor rinks are now open in Sakatoon, including sitesin Briarwood, Lakeridge and Willowgrove.

None of Regina's 60 outdoor rinks are open yet.

Ray Morgan, manager of parks, maintenance and cemeteries for the City of Regina, said he hopesthey'll be openby Christmas.

Morgan said warm temperatures aren't helping, but neither is the lack of snow.

"Itprevents the water from running off [the rink] when we pack it against the boards," he said. "It helps us build a white base underneath the ice and that really reduces the melting effect."

Even though the rinks aren't ready, Morgan said the weather has kept the city's pathways and sidewalks in good shape.

"You can still bike on them, you canrollerblade on them, you can even skateboard on them in some cases."