Canadian Ski Area Improvements 2006/07

Western Canada

At Panorama, BC, additions made to the legendary Elkhorn Cabin last fall have almost doubled its size. Big timber and lots of glass highlight dramatic views over Panorama Mountain Village far below. A significant investment has also been made in Panorama’s snowmaking system. A $350,000 upgrade has seen the underground piping replaced. The extensive network covers 40% of the mountain.

Sun Peaks, BC is now in the second phase of a four-phase master plan that will ultimately encompass five mountains and a second village. This season introduces a brand new quad chair on Tod Mountain, the opening of the animated Kids Ranch learning centre at the top of the Platter Lift, the opening of the Umbrella Café at Mt. Morrisey, and the addition of a Piston ‘Terrain Park’ Bully groomer to their fleet of snow cats.

At Apex Mountain Resort, BC, the Orage Park is huge this year. The layout is designed for comps and has a line of large jumps on the right and a big rail line on the left. With new snowmaking pumps and additional guns the park should be open earlier than ever. The Super Pipe on the Okanagan Run is 40 meters longer and steeper than last year, and Apex is adding a dedicated tower-mounted snowgun specifically to make snow for the pipe.

Fernie Alpine Resort, BC has opened The Lost Boys Café. Located at the top of the Timber Bowl Express Quad Chair, the Lost Boys Café will give you the chance to warm up with a hot beverage or healthy hot soups and specialty items, and take in the views from a wraparound deck that features views of White Pass, the Elk Valley, down to the town of Fernie!

Whistler/Blackcomb, BC annually spends $12-15 million in maintenance and capital upgrades, and this year the resort is spending an additional $9 million on a new lift-the Symphony Express, a high-speed detachable quad. In addition, Whistler/Blackcomb will be investing in eight new grooming machines, summer grooming and trail widening in the Piccolo/Symphony zones, Burnt Stew Trail and Pony Trail, and a major power upgrade to the Roundhouse Lodge that will provide significant energy and cost savings and reduce greenhouse gases-a project that Whistler Blackcomb has recently been recognized for by local environmental watchdog AWARE.

Marmot Basin, AB will now be providing skiers with an even longer season thanks to a new $1.8 million full-force snowmaking system. This new system will guarantee loads of white fluffy goodness, a consistent high quality base for the lower half of the hill and the high traffic areas, as well as the earliest opening date Marmot’s ever seen. And visitors can now experience the most scenic views of the Canadian Rockies, the famous Icefields Parkway, and Jasper’s expansive Athabasca River Valley, from a new outdoor sun deck constructed adjacent to the Caribou Chalet Lounge.

At Kimberley Alpine Resort, BC, the Owl Learning Area will have a new 180-foot-long magic carpet with a corralled, low-angle learning slope. In addition, existing terrain will be recontoured to offer beginners a wider, lower angle slope to master the initial skills before heading up the North Star Express Quad. And now, guests will no longer have to travel to the base of the resort to make a pit stop-new toilets are now in place at the top of the Easter Chair.

With snow already dusting the mountaintops in anticipation of winter, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort announced $15 million in capital projects to make Mother Nature’s favourite playground even more enjoyable for everyone. Highlights include aggressive summer grooming, a new winch cat, a phased-in snowmaking program, and a brand new tube park that will open this winter.

Work on Big White’s new Snow Ghost Express, at the base of the Ridge, is nearing completion. Once the Snow Ghost Express is up and going, it will be able to handle up to 5,400 skiers per hour or 10 passengers every seven seconds. The lift will also be the longest six-passenger chair in Canada-nearly 6200 feet long and will have a ride time of less than six minutes.

Construction of the new Alpine Meadows fixed-grip quad is underway at Silver Star, BC. This new lift replaces the Mid T-Bar and will service all of the Attridge area.

At Red Mountain, BC, construction crews have been working excitedly on

Renovations to the much-loved, character-rich, century-old day lodge, giving the old girl the facelift she deserves. Renovations will include pristine washrooms, a totally redone Sourdough Alley kitchen, coffee bar, and cafeteria, and revamped locker room area and bathrooms.

There are exciting developments at Castle Mountain with the introduction of the new Mount Haig, and the new Huckleberry chair. Mount Haig is a completely new mountain that guests will get to experience this winter. The lift-accessed terrain is predominantly novice and intermediate. The nine main runs add approximately 27 hectares of new terrain with 1100 feet of vertical drop.

Lake Louise, AB continues their commitment to provide a high-quality and consistent snow surface each year by making enhancements to the overall snowmaking systems. Almost $2 million has been invested into new energy-efficient pumps. Over 7000 feet of replacement pipe has been installed, one new fan gun added, three fan gun towers added (which provide 30% more snow production on a per gun basis), and overall pumping system electrical improvements have been made.

Ongoing snowmaking enhancements help keep Nakiska’s corduroy runs in great condition from the beginning to the end of the season.
 

Ontario

This winter Blue Mountain is excited to announce some new improvements in the Badlands Terrain Park. The half pipe has grown substantially in size, extending down at the base of the hill and hollowing out at the bottom. Summer grading at the bottom of the park smoothed out the ground of the park allowing for more efficient snow coverage and a smoother experience. The park will also see approximately 16 new box rails ranging in size from small to large, allowing the range of less-to-more experienced skiers and snowboarders to hit a variety of rails.

Chicopee, ON has constructed a new open-concept combined Guest Services & Snow School customer service area that is more user-friendly, featuring one-stop shopping. The Chicopee Tube Park will open this winter with the accompanying 8000 square foot satellite chalet. With over $4 million invested it promises to be another fantastic opportunity for family fun at Chicopee. And Chicopee has added all-new Head Snowboards and snowboard boots (featuring the new Boa tying system) to their rental inventory.

Don’t miss Skyloft’s new Sky’s Sick and Twisted Park! Sick and Twisted will be the park of choice in the area; bigger and better than ever before, filled with new rails, obstacles and boxes, as well as all kinds of kickers and table tops.
 

Atlantic Canada

Marble Mountain, NFLD now offers complimentary wireless high-speed Internet. Wireless hot spots are available throughout the Base Lodge and in all rooms at Marble Villa. The free service is available to all Marble Mountain guests and is a significant enhancement to the meeting and conference services offered at the resort. Additionally, Marble Mountain has restructured its lift pass rates and is now offering mid-week and weekend rates.

Martock, NS has almost completed a snowmaking upgrade which consisted of replacing over 2000 feet of pipeline on the mountain, and the purchase of a moisture separator that will make a much better, dryer snow surface. These improvements, along with our purchase of additional snow guns and being the Whittier Canada snowgun demo depot for the upcoming winter, will be a big boost to our already "serious about snow" notoriety.

Poley Mountain, NB recently had the official ribbon cutting for the new "Wonder Carpet" lift on their beginner hill-it’s the only one on the east coast, and it should keep the beginners moving this year!
 

Quebec

Gray Rocks, QC now has wireless Internet access in several locations including the Sunset Room and also many of the Center Wing bedrooms. They also have the new Oceano Spa, with five massage rooms featuring therapeutic massage, hot stone massage, and other relaxation treatments.

Mont-Sainte-Anne features 20 acres of new black-diamond and double-black-diamond glades. The new zone will comprise three runs spread over a width of 250 m, at the top of the south-western edge of the mountain, between the beginning of La Crête and the Bellevue curve. This area will be serviced by a triple chair "La Trip" and the "Etoile Filante" gondola.

After having studied many possibilities, Ski Bromont has proudly announced the purchase of a brand new Doppelmayr fixed Quad chairlift for the 2006-2007 season. It is the 5th brand new chairlift in five years to be installed at Ski Bromont. Named Number 7, this new quadruple lift will become the 7th ski lift at the station, and will allow the opening of three new hillsides, for a total of seven hillsides for a minimum of 17 new trails of all calibers.

Over $50M has been invested at Le Massif since 2001, financing the integration of the National Alpine Downhill Training Center, a new access road at the summit, two panoramic chalets, a mid-mountain hut, 23 trails and glades (for a total of 43), two high-speed quads and close to one-hundred snowguns. Groupe Le Massif is currently working on a $230M four-season recreational tourism project, which would include unique accommodation units near the mountain, and increase Le Massif’s ski area by more than 30%.

Mont Saint-Sauveur has added a new BR 350 to its fleet of grooming vehicles. This last acquisition brings the number of vehicles to 20 that will prepare the slopes of the MSSI ski area, making it one of the biggest fleets of snowcats in Quebec. The Skibidou magic carpet will be replaced by a new and more modern infrastructure. The beginner’s slope will also have a new snowmaking line in order be available earlier in the season. Other major improvements have been made to the lighting and snowmaking systems throughout the mountain.

At Ski Morin Heights, the Morin Heights Nature Camping and Cabins recently introduced six new log cabins. Available year-long, these mini-cottages have direct access to the cross-country and snowshoe trails in addition to being near the downhill ski slopes. Made with real logs, the cabins are very well insulated from the cold-cozy, practical and comfortable, talk about deluxe camping!

Mont Avila has already started on the plans for the future mini Mont Avila Solo Mobile SNOPRK. The station’s new "baby" will offer limited size and skill modules, a perfect environment for beginners, or to perfect your moves. The new park should be ready for action at the start of the snow season.

Ski Mont Gabriel, confirmed host for the Freestyle Grand Prix, will be the site of numerous construction and renovation projects over the next few months.
 

Future competition sites will undergo substantial changes in order to meet the standards of the International Ski Federation. Intensive work will be done to renovate the aerial site which Mont Gabriel hopes will become a permanent training center once the event has wrapped-up.

Edelweiss has increased the area of the beginner’s slope over the summer. Almost $105,000 has also been invested in renovating different service areas including the rental and main buildings.

Mont Cascade is proud to announce ongoing capital improvements. After installing two new lifts last winter, what will you discover this season? An increased snowmaking capacity, redesigned runs, new snowpark features, and a redesigned Customer Service area and ticket office are just some examples of how Mont Cascade continues to build quality now and for the future.