Prince George, B.C. – Registration for a new ski program run by the Prince George Alpine Ski Club (PGSC) may be going through the roof, but it still won’t help bring much needed gaming dollars to the hill hosting all the fun.

That from Michael Gareau, president of the Hart Highlands Winter Club.

Photo courtesy Hart Ski Hill

“We’re two different clubs and we can’t incorporate somebody else’s club into our club and use that to help us get grants,” he says. “We have to have our own separate program which we don’t have, because we are a facility and we don’t provide any programs.”

Participation in the PGSC has soared 150%, which Gareau is still pleased to see.

“In the long run it helps us because we get a few more dollars. People are out longer, and more people are joining the alpine club because of the early start for them.”

However the loss of around $20,000 in gaming funding this year, has presented its challenges.

“Everything in 2013 changed in the way you can apply for grants and gaming did not have anything in their system to provide funding for facilities. So we tried for two years to work on that and it just didn’t work.”

He says the loss of funding has left quite a hole, noting that past gaming grants have paid for the full cost of insurance.

“So when we’ve had that gaming money we had that guaranteed $20,000. Now that that we don’t have it, we have to make sure we have it and that means we can’t spend dollars on improvements say for the lifts or lighting or the kitchen.

So what’s next?

“We’re in communication with gaming and they’re trying to look at ways that they could get us some grant money,” says Gareau. “And so everything is going in a positive direction but no guarantees.”