The Knox Mountain Hill Climb, shut down byCOVID-19 for two years, is set to return on the May long weekend.

The two-year absence has been difficult, says Garrett Mealing, one of the race organizers.

“It’s been tough for sure, we still put in quite a bit of time over the last few years to get it off the ground and we kind of got shut down at the last minute. It’s been hard.”

Mealing is optimistic the event will proceed as scheduled this year. His volunteers have been looking forward to it.

“We are really excited. We have a lot of interest this year. I think drivers and spectators are excited to come back, so we are all pretty hopeful that it will happen.”

2:11
Shuttle service possible on Knox Mountain as the City of Kelowna considers closing the road to the top permanently

The City of Kelowna has been considering closing Knox Mountain to vehicle use permanently, but Mealing says that will not affect the race as they have a special events permit.

Registration has not opened to drivers yet. It will likely take place at the end of January, but Mealing is hopeful that there will be a large turnout.

“I think everyone has been kind of cooped up so they are anxious to get their cars out.”