The closure of Mt. Sima's ski hill has meant sleepless night and tears for board members, frustrations and boredom for hill users.

Great Northern Ski Society members hosted a public meeting Thursday evening at the Mt. McIntyre Recreation Centre to discuss the ski hill's woes with its users.

"There were many sleepless nights for many of us and many tears; I'm sorry, this is very emotional," said board member Lisa Vowk, who took a moment to regain composure.

"We were really sweating through Christmas, wondering what we'd do. Thank you for your patience."

Board members first explained to the approximately 60 attendees what problems the ski hill encountered, and what they plan to do with pass and punch card holders.

They then asked for the community's help in establishing a new ski society management team.

Tim Sellars said equipment failures went from bad to worse in a situation of staff neglect and bad luck.

He said staff remembered too late in the season that it was time for a chair lift inspection that is supposed to happen every three years.

When the inspection did occur, problems were found with the chair lift.

Over-running the T-bar saw it overheat, and investigations continue to probe exactly why a large piece of it fell off during one of the hill's five days of operation.

The snow maker, which costs the society $40,000 a week to operate, needed its frozen lines replaced, then the pump broke down, dirt got in the lines and weather did not co-operate.

Meanwhile, staff began tapering off in numbers as workers weren't getting enough hours.

"We know we'll have similar problems next year and we're still going to have to deal with them, and we invite your help in figuring out ways to do that," said Sellars.

The board's comments rang with a theme of apology, as they repeatedly thanked the public for their patience.

"We're just not in a position to give back a cash refund, and for that we're truly sorry," said board member Sue Carr. She said passes and punch cards will be honoured for the next season, and could be sold to someone else.

One attendee said he would be moving back to Korea, and was concerned he would lose the $435 he paid for his adult season pass.

Carr offered to meet with him afterward to help him find a local resident to whom he could sell his pass.

The exhausting winter season and the "heartbreaking" decision to cancel the season has taken its toll on board members.

"We're ready for other people to take over," said Carr. Indeed, many members expressed this may be their last sitting on the society's board.

"I don't know if I'll be back," said Dan Boyd, a former city councillor who has sat on the board for the better part of 20 years.

An April meeting will be called inviting community members to sit on a transitionary board until a more permanent structure can be established.

Carr hinted that the ski society itself may be scrapped to make room for a larger, possibly paid management contingent.

"This is getting too big to be run by a handful of volunteers," she said.

Tom Ullyet, president of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, made an open invitation to the society to collaborate and idea-share.

"The cross-country ski club has a huge amount of experience that I think we should turn to," said area skier Jeanne Burke.

The meeting saw residents pose questions and air concerns one by one, with Vowk listing them all on graph paper.

Then board members took turns addressing each question and concern, taking the meeting about 15 minutes past its scheduled end time of 8:30 p.m.

John Main, an F.H. Collins Secondary School teacher, told the audience he has seen his students suffer as a result of the hill's closure, noting the especially hard-hitting loss of the RCMP Young Riders' program.

The program sees police officers leading excursions with area kids to the hill to snowboard.

"The kids miss it a lot," he said.

Indeed, a youth who introduced himself as Robert said the hill's closure made he and his friends "pretty depressed" at the loss of their snowboarding activity.

"My son has bought a pass for seven years, I've never seen him so down," said one mother.

Marlynn Bourque told the board it is apt to receive more community support if it continues to communicate clearly and frequently.

"We create stories when we don't have clarity," she said.

Vowk acknowledged that regaining the public's trust will be difficult, but said communication would be the best start.

"That's why we're trying to be upfront with our issues," she said. "A community working together will help get us on our feet."

Attendees and board members tossed around ideas of holding summertime events at the hill, such as mountain biking, and better advertising the chalet as a rental space for weddings, meetings and parties.

With a full-time, year-round hill manager, Mt. Sima could benefit from continued usage and revenue, said Vowk.

As the books now stand, the ski socety has $37,000 in the bank, which will go toward next season's startup costs.

Vowk said usually season pass sales carry the hill through Christmas, but with last year's being re-used for the next season, the hill will be struggling financially to start up.

Residents asked the board to come up with a week-by-week timeline and checklist that would lead to the hill's successful opening this fall.

Board members responded that such a strategic plan was "definitely needed", and invited anyone willing to help to sign up with the society.

Wendy Taylei, an avid skier and treasurer for the Alpine Ski Society, told the Star she would "absolutely" be helping the hill's transition team get back on its feet, "along with other people in this room," she said.