Fernie (BC), Canada – When we reported four weeks ago on what appeared to be a new ski lift installation to Polar Peak at Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia, Fernie’s owner — Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) — was tight-lipped about the developments. RCR finally confirmed this week that indeed, a new public chairlift to Polar Peak this season will increase Fernie’s vertical drop from 2,816 to 3,550 feet.

Once cleared of last season’s record 37 feet of snowfall, Fernie Alpine Resort workers began construction of the new Polar Peak Lift with the completion date set for the 2011-12 winter season. The Polar Peak lift is the only major new lift installation in the B.C. Rockies for this winter and one of a few new lift installations in North America. It is believed that it is the only new lift installation going to a mountain top for this upcoming winter.

“The Polar Peak Lift is an incredible addition to the legendary Fernie experience,” says RCR spokesperson Matt Mosteller. “This lift will provide spectacular views of peaks, valleys and lakes from Lake Koocanusa in the Southwest to the spine of the Canadian Rockies looking up the Elk Valley all the way into Kananaskis Country/Banff National Park. Polar Peak Lift is taking lift accessed skiing and riding to the next level, putting Fernie at the top of any skier’s and rider’s bucket list.”

The Polar Peak Lift adds above treeline bowl skiing with over 22 new named runs from the 7,000-foot summit of one of the highest peaks in the Lizard Range. It will also provide Fernie’s ski patrol with quick access to the various ridge lines above the resort’s alpine bowls, speeding efforts to open terrain following snowfalls.

While Mosteller did not announce technical details about the new Polar Peak lift, it is widely believed to be a fixed-grip triple chair first built in 1986 and removed from Nakiska Ski Area in Alberta, also owned by RCR, in 2009 when it was replaced by a high-speed detachable quad. It was known there as the Gold Chair. The lift’s bottom station will be situated at the flats at the top of the resort’s Currie Powder run, after the corner from the cat track that crosses Currie Bowl. The south-facing terrain to be accessed by the new lift is steep, estimated at 40 degrees or steeper, and will further enhance the resort’s well-deserved reputation for expert terrain.