The cold weather has proved to be a "pretty big challenge” for the city's local ski hill, acting manager Jodie McCutcheon said today.

But that isn't stopping management at Mount Sima from doing everything in their power to get skiers and boarders on the hill.

In past years, the entire Mount Sima operation closed when the temperature had dropped to -25 C.

Last week, when the temperature turned even colder, management closed just the chairlift, while continuing to operate the T-bar and rope tow for those truly dedicated to their winter sports.

As McCutcheon pointed out though, skiing or boarding at -30 C may not be for everyone. It could also take some time for skiers and snowboarders to get used to the idea that the T-bar and rope tow will continue to operate in colder temperatures and start coming out.

Still, McCutcheon said staff at the hill were pleased to see a number of season pass holders take advantage of the cold weather opening.

When the chair lift started operating in the warmer temperatures again last Sunday, the numbers grew compared to the past week, though there were still only about 200 people on the hill.

"It's still not huge (numbers),” McCutcheon said.

With this being just his second year working at Sima, McCutcheon doesn't have a long history of how many skiers or boarders Sima would see in the days just after Christmas, but he did note it is down over last year, when temperatures were much warmer in the -15 C range.

This morning, the temperature at the bottom of the hill was listed at -26 C, though it was expected to warm up in the afternoon. The chair lift was set to be running today.

On opening weekend, Sima's chair lift was unexpectedly shut down for several days due to a circuit board failure that forced the first evacuation from the lift.

While a number of customers have since asked about it, McCutcheon said most people saw that the evacuation went well and seem confident in the repairs made to the lift.

"I think that's kind of behind us now,” he said.

As the year ends, Sima is hosting a number of kids' camps over the Christmas break. Staff are working with Snowboard Yukon for the Icebreaker Rail Jam starting at 5 p.m. Thursday.

It will mark the hill's first ever evening event, with the bunny hill to be lit up for it.

McCutcheon said it was an idea that was talked about last year, with the hill and Snowboard Yukon now ready to host it this year.

According to the Snowboard Yukon website (www.snowboardyukon.com), registration will run from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the hill.

Entrants are expected to have an advanced competitor licence, available for $25 online or $30 at the door, with entry into the rail jam costing $20 (which includes the pass for the rope tow).

Helmets are mandatory for the event and prizes will be awarded for the 16 and under as well as open categories with $500 for first, $200 for second and $100 for third place. The awards ceremony will begin at 8 p.m.

This being the first year of the event, McCutcheon said he was unsure how many to expect for the competition.

"We'll see,” he said, adding that if it proves successful, it could become a monthly event in the future.