Alberta — Preliminary work on reviving a famous Alberta ski resort is underway.
Late last year, Alberta announced the first ski resorts that are a part of their All-Season Resorts plan. This new law fast-tracks developments at ski resorts. The first ski resorts that were greenlit for this program include Castle Mountain, Nakiska, and the currently defunct Fortress Mountain Resort. While there is an active cat-skiing operation at Fortress, much of the property is abandoned. However, work is well underway on changing that.
Public comments are now open on a proposal to revive Fortress and make it a four-season destination. The master plan, prepared by Ecosign, envisions the resort’s first phase focused on summer visitation, with various activities and a resort village.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects is a gondola to Whiskey Ridge. However, it’s not for skiing; it’s for sightseeing. Some potential activities in phase one include mountain biking, ziplining, a mountain coaster, a canyon swing, and hiking and biking trails.
Interestingly, the first phase wouldn’t feature lift-served skiing. Initial phase one winter activities would include cat-skiing, fat biking, snowshoeing, snow tubing, and sledding.
In terms of skiing, there would eventually be new lifts to serve the old terrain pod. After that, future phases would add more terrain and lifts. As mentioned in the master plan, one challenge the ski operations face is snow retention due to heavy winds. Wind fencing could be one potential remedy.
You can read the master plan here, and the environmental assessment here.
The public notice comment period is happening from now until February 27th. You can submit a comment here.
Image/Video Credits: Fortress Mountain Resort (Ecosign), Skier72
