An iconic winter destination in eastern Canada that has been around since the 19th century needs a six-figure upgrade to stay open in light of changing weather patterns.
What's happening?
For the past 140 years, thrill-seeking locals and tourists have raced down the historic toboggan slide in Québec City's Dufferin Terrace. The three-lane hill stands 270 feet above the nearby St. Lawrence River, allowing riders to reach speeds over 40 mph on their wooden boards.
However, warmer conditions in recent years have left the slope without snow, forcing its closure for 32 of its 95 target days in 2023.
To combat this issue, Au 1884, the company that has managed the slide for the last decade, is investing 400,000 Canadian dollars ($270,000) with help from Tourisme Québec to refrigerate it.
The system should allow the slide to extend its season through March and reopen as early as the final weekend of November. It typically runs from the end of December to mid-March.
"Technically, now, we'll be able to slide even if there's no snow," Au 1884 co-owner Marc Duchesne told the CBC.
Why is new refrigeration important?
The toboggan slide is a vital part of the local economy, as the CBC noted that 84% of its visitors are from outside the city.
According to Duchesne, most patrons are from the United States or Australia, and expanding its dates into November would coincide with the busiest weekend for the Château Frontenac, a luxury hotel just outside the attraction.
"We get calls from people saying, 'We want to make sure the slide is going to be open before booking our plane tickets,'" he said, noting that one customer even offered to pay CA$1,000 to enjoy the ride when it wasn't open.
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While the slide will benefit from the artificial cold, many winter sports activities have struggled amid Earth's overheating, with some ski resorts rebranding or closing altogether as a result of hotter temperatures.
What's Québec doing about the warming conditions?
The new refrigeration infrastructure will help keep the slide open for business, but Québec City's investment in clean transportation will undoubtedly be more impactful in our quest for a cooler planet.
For example, the city already has the continent's first hydrogen-powered passenger train that connects it to Baie-Saint-Paul, and there are plans for high-speed rail to link it to Toronto in under three-and-a-half hours.
Canada also mandated that all light-duty automobiles sold by 2035 produce zero pollution, reducing reliance on dirty fuels while improving air quality.
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