Image Credit: Marmot Basin

Jasper, Alberta Last year was headline-worthy for Jasper National Park in the worst ways possible.

A major wildfire devastated the national park and the town of Jasper. The ski area located inside Jasper National Park, Marmot Basin, didn’t see any damage from the wildfire, but the fire got close to it. While businesses around Jasper begged for tourists to come through this past winter despite the damage, many stayed away.

Rocky Mountain Outlook reports that visitation at Marmot Basin was down 30% compared to the average ski season. Factors that resulted in this downtick included the reduction of available lodging units in Jasper, a delayed opening, and a lack of natural snow to start the season.

The first factor was the loss of lodging units in Jasper, which came from the wildfire. Marmot relies on overnight guests, as it’s situated in a remote location. Marmot Basin doesn’t have any lodging units on the property, meaning that it relies on Jasper.

“Losing the rooms that we did in Jasper, we knew that would have the impact on our skier visits, and what we sort of expected in terms of business levels is exactly as it turned out,” said Brian Rode, who’s the vice president of Marmot Basin, to Rocky Mountain Outlook.

The second factor was their late opening. Firefighters used water from Marmot’s snowmaking pond to fight the wildfires. When snowmaking efforts began in late October, the pond was depleted. Power also didn’t return to Marmot Basin until near the end of October. These factors, along with a lack of natural snow to start, led to a delayed opening by ten days.

While they did open on November 18th, Marmot Basin didn’t receive a lot of natural snowfall until February. Unlike other Alberta ski resorts, they don’t see a lot of daytrippers. The overnight tourists who do visit are looking for quality conditions, leading to below-average visitation during the first couple of months of the ski season. They did see some positives, though, like a record number of group trips.

“We were happy that a lot of skiers did come to Jasper, and we were happy that when they got up to the ski area, they were very pleased with their experience, so I think that we’ll see a little added momentum next year,” said Rode to Rocky Mountain Outlook. “Next year will be a stronger year, notwithstanding the fact that we will still have a lot less rooms than we did prior to the fire.”

Marmot Basin remains confident in its future due to the commitment from ownership and its long-time patrons. This offseason, Marmot Basin plans to spend lots of money on marketing to get people back. If you’re already thinking of your 2025-26 ski trip and want to go to a remote destination, Marmot Basin is worth a look.

Image Credits: Marmot Basin

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Born and raised in New Hampshire, Ian Wood became passionate about the ski industry while learning to ski at Mt. Sunapee. In high school, he became a ski patroller at Proctor Ski Area. He travelled out...