A new ski resort in Valemount, B.C., intends to be open for business as early as December 2017 after the provincial government approved the resort’s master plan, Aug. 17.
The $175 million project envisions year-round skiing on glaciers and the longest vertical drop in North America at more than 2,000 metres. By comparison Marmot Basin has just over 900 metres of vertical drop.
According to Valemount Glaciers Destination’s master plan, the company intends to build 18 ski lifts in three phases over the next 20 years, including five gondolas.
The company also intends to build a ski-in ski-out village at the base of the resort with nearly 2,000 beds. Valemount is a village of roughly 1,000 people.
“It’s a huge milestone,” said Tom Oberti, vice president of the Pheidias Group, the lead consultants on the project.
“It’s really difficult to get approval for these kinds of projects,” he said, citing the controversy surrounding the Jumbo Glacier project in British Columbia, which his company helped plan and manage.
“We did our best to engage the community throughout the process," said Oberti, about the Valemount ski resort. "Technically you only need to have three open houses in a master plan review process so we tried to reciprocate that trust they had in us as designers and I think it worked out really well,”
“I think we have a project that responds to the village’s aspirations and that works for investors.”
While skiing is a major component of the project, the driving force behind the project is creating a new sightseeing destination.
“The skiing and sightseeing were designed in tandem from the outset, but the bottom line is the sightseeing market is much bigger than the skiing market,” said Oberti.
The proposed resort would be built in the Premier Mountain Range just west of Valemount, which is in traditional Simpcw First Nation territory. The Simpcw, along with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) and the village council, have been supportive of the project since the idea was first proposed.
"This is very exciting news," said Jeannette Townsend, the mayor of Valemount.
"It's a culmination of many hours of hard work by a multitude of people and it's going to have a wonderful impact on our economy in Valemount."
She said it's too soon to say how it will impact the village, but acknowledged it will likely lead to a population boast by a couple of hundred people.
"I do not see for the next few years any radical changes. The changes will be slow."
Nathan Matthew, the chief of Simpcw First Nation, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Once the 20-year project is complete skiers will have access to the summits of Mount Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Twilight Glacier, Glacier Ridge, Mount Arthur Meighen and McLennan Glacier.
If all goes according to plan, on opening day next year Oberti said the resort will have five lifts up and running, including a gondola to the top of Mount Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Skiers will also be able to access a small glacier using a T-bar during the summer months.
By the end of the first phase, which will take three years to complete, skiers will be able to reach Twilight Glacier, which is about twice the size of the glacier in Whistler, allowing for year round skiing .
In terms of vertical drop, the resort will be smaller than Whistler and Revelstoke through the first phase, but by the end of phase-three, the resort will boast the largest vertical drop in North America.
Oberti shot down suggestions the resort wouldn’t be ready to open by December 2017.
“The opening phase is rather modest compared to the project as a whole and we’ve done a lot of legwork to be prepared for an accelerated construction schedule; from surveying lift lines and construction roads, to working with the Valemount Community Forest Company to build roads aligned with the project plans, to working with consultants, contractors and suppliers to be ready for construction,” said Oberti, in a follow up email.
“We have a proven project management system as well as experience in this kind of construction work in mountain resort environments. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort was ready for opening after only six months of construction.”
He said the company predicts 130,000 skiers will visit the resort on the opening year and gradually increase as word gets out and the resort expands. In comparison, about 260,000 people visit Marmot Basin every season.
Despite being competitors Oberti predicted Marmot Basin and Jasper as a whole would see a jump in visitors.
“We honestly believe we will see a lot more skiers in Jasper in the winter than we’ve seen in the past,” said Oberti, explaining when Kicking Horse opened in 2000 Panorama and Kimberly experienced record years.
“We think tourism is ultimately the most sustainable economy for B.C. because it’s a perpetually renewable and growing industry and we believe it positions Jasper to continue thriving.”
Brian Rode, vice-president of marketing and sales for Marmot Basin, also welcomed the news.
“All of us in the ski industry are first and foremost interested in attracting more skiers and snowboarders to the sport and creating a larger ski and snowboarding community because that serves to benefit all ski areas,” said Rode.
“What impact a ski area in Valemount might have on our business remains to be seen, but we do not see it as a threat, rather we see it as a way to attract more people to this region”
Oberti said one of the reasons they picked Valemount was because of the area’s climate describing it as a “major snow dump zone.”
“It has an incredibly favourable climate in that it’s not exposed to the artic outflows that Jasper and Lake Louise are exposed to and it’s also not exposed to the Chinooks that Fernie and southern British Columbia resorts are exposed to, and it’s not exposed to Pacific storms,” explained Oberti.
One of the most interesting proposals in the master plan also includes a ski lift from the regional airport.
“It’s pretty neat,” said Oberti, adding the ski out will be about a kilometer from the airport’s runway.
Besides down hill skiing the master plan also includes a variety of other winter activities, such as snow tubing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and dog sledding, among other activities.
In the summer months, the master plan includes mountain biking, tree-top walking and climbing.
The resort also intends to build a five-star hotel among other amenities in the resort village, but has no intention to overshadow Valemount.
“The village itself is very small compared to say Sun Peaks or just about any other resort that has an approved master plan in B.C.,” said Oberti, adding he predicts property prices in the area will increase because of the scarcity of housing and commercial property.
Curtis Pawliuk, general manager for the Valemount and Area Recreational Development Association, applauded the news.
“We’re excited about the potential increase in services; more restaurants, businesses, and more entrepreneurial activity, as well as more people moving in to the community,” said Pawliuk.
“It’s going to make living here easier and more permanent.”
Before the shovel can officially hit the ground, a master development agreement, which is different than the master plan, must be finalized and approved.
“Basically [the development agreement is] a contract between the province and the developer that says the developer can build what’s in the master plan,” explained Oberti, adding he expects it to be approved within the next 60 to 90 days.
Amendments will also have to be made to the offical community plan for the region, which according to Oberti will likely be approved within the next month.
“Bottom line we’re hoping to start construction in the spring.”
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
