The Spuzzum First Nation has become the latest group to try to open a new ski resort in Canada. This week, the tribe announced their plans to develop a ski resort near Hope, British Columbia. Called South Anderson Resort, they intend to make a four-season destination.
In terms of the skiing, the full buildout would have 11 lifts on around 815 acres of skiable terrain and a 2,300-foot vertical drop. Phase one would consist of the terrain pod on the far right, and will have five lifts. The ski resort would consist mostly of intermediate and advanced terrain.
For summer activities, they want to have mountain biking trails, hiking, golf, and Indigenous events and festivals.
There will also be a base village, which will feature hotels, condominiums, homes, restaurants, an RV Park, and a golf course. They plan on building around 12,000 beds, which will include hotel rooms, townhouses, apartments, and more. For employees, they’ll have 1,200 housing units. Day guests would be able to park in the 1,100 spaces.
Location-wise, while it’s not the most convenient ski resort from Vancouver, it’s not far away either. It would likely be easier to access this place compared to Big White, Silver Star, and Sun Peaks. The two-and-a-half-hour drive could be made more convenient by a planned project of widening Highway 1 up to Chilliwack. Because of this location, the expected visitation is 150,000 for the first year and 400,000 by year ten.
As someone who’s written here for a couple of years, it feels like there are quite a few British Columbia ski resort proposals that never come to fruition. For example, the long-anticipated Garibaldi At Squamish project just went through a loan default and has now been sold to a new company. It’s unclear what the future of that development holds. This was the only unfinished ski resort project in British Columbia that has received approval, as the other proposals still need the official green light from the government. Building a ski resort is hard as fuck, and then you have to run it successfully after opening it for business.
The other thing that makes me a little critical about the project is how the various terrain pods are spread out. While they plan to have lifts that connect the different terrain zones, it’s a wonky layout.
I can see it being a successful ski resort, as it’s less than two and a half hours drive away from Vanouncer. However, the aim to make it a destination ski resort like Whistler or Sun Peaks seems ambitious. Click here to read the full proposal.
Image Credits: Spuzzum First Nation/Ecosign
