Thunderhill Ski Area

Thunderhill Ski Area
The JB Construction Lift on the lower-mountain east portion of the hill.
Location	RM of Swan River,  Manitoba,  Canada
Nearest city	Swan River
Vertical	137 m (449 ft)
Top elevation	573 m (1,880 ft)
Base elevation	436 m (1,430 ft)
Skiable area	60 acres (0.2 km2)
Runs	22 45% - Easiest 32% - More Difficult 23% - Most Difficult
Longest run	1.2 km (1 mi)
Lift system	2 T-Bar Lifts
Terrain parks	1 Terrain Park
Snowfall	1.4m (4.6ft)/year
Website	Ski Thunderhill

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Thunderhill Ski Area is a ski area located in the Swan River Valley region of Manitoba. It is approximately 25 kilometers southwest of the town of Swan River. The summit lies exactly on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan boundary. It's 450 ft vertical drop is currently the largest in Manitoba.

Thunderhill, on which the ski area is located, is a feature of the Manitoba Escarpment. The ski area has two sections - upper mountain west and lower mountain east. Each section is served by a T-Bar lift. The ski area's longest runs are about one kilometre, and are also some of the longest in the province. Typically, the area operates each winter from mid-December to mid-March.

The ski area first opened in 1967 and was run by the Benito Elks club until 1972. The original lift used was a rope tow which also happened to be the longest lift of its kind in the province of Manitoba. In 1977, the Markowsky Lift replaced the original rope tow, greatly increasing the accessibility of the hill. In 1990, the ski area was expanded further down the hill, creating two distinct areas. Upper-mountain west is the original ski area, and lower-mountain east is the newer area. Lower-mountain east was served by a rope-tow at that time. The areas are distinct in that some runs in each area are not accessible from the other area. However, some runs are continuous from upper-mountain-west to lower-mountain east. In 2012, an expanded portion of lower-mountain east was opened to the public, which included the new JB Construction lift to replace the rope tow and service the longer runs.

The ski lodge was originally an old country schoolhouse, and has been renovated and expand many times throughout the years. The most recent renovations were completed in 2002, which included new washrooms and a new ski rental room, as well as improvements to the building's exterior.

Thunderhill's new T-Bar lifts are the focal points of an expansion project that has been taking place since 2011. They represent major improvements over the hill's former lift systems. The original Markowsky Lift was assembled at Thunderhill in 1977 and served the Upper-Mountain West area. Before that, it was in service at Mark Valley Ski Area (now closed). The aging lift was functional, but it was slow and mechanical problems often arose. The new lift, named the Brandson Express, was purchased from Vista Ridge All Seasons Park in Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was in storage in Roblin for several years, as wet conditions delayed its installation. In 2015, work began replacing the old T-bar, and the new lift was ready for use in the 2016-2017 season.