There are not many ski areas that have existed in the Badlands of the U.S. and Canada, so it’s cool to learn about one of the abandoned ones.
Yesterday, YouTuber Skier72 released the latest episode of his The Lost Resorts series, with this one covering Drumheller Valley in the Canadian Badlands. The ski area first opened in 1993 and was run as a non-profit. They had seven trails two lifts there, including a Riblet fixed-grip quad chairlift.
Around the time that the ski area opened, they got a $60,000 loan, which had to be paid back eight years afterward. When the tourists didn’t come in as much as the ownership expected, the ski area faced significant financial difficulty. Eventually, Drumheller Valley defaulted on its loans and had an outstanding water bill of $30,000 CAD. They last operated during the 2009-10 season.
With the quad chairlift removed back in 2014, a reopening seems unlikely. It’s a bummer because it has such a cool natural backdrop, and it clearly mattered to the local community. I feel that if someone would give this place another go, adding the t-bar to the summit would be the right move, kinda like what we’ve seen at Ascutney Outdoors.
The video from Skier72 that covers the history and topography of the ski area is below.
Image/Video Credits: Skier72
