Fortress Mountain, AB Redevelopment?

Patrick

Patrick

Well-known member
Read this in the latest issue of Ski Canada.

This is a great powder spot, i will be happy if it's happens.

Ski Fortress's Motto: "No Good Powder Should Be Left To Waste"

To summarize, RCR (Louise, Fernie, Ste.Anne, etc) has accepted a offer by BRC (Banff Rail Company). The company need to have the transaction accepted, snow permits, Lift need to be ceertfied, etc. Good luck to them. :D

The website:

http://www.skifortress.ca

Press release from their website:
http://www.skifortress.ca/news.shtml

Lift need to be certify before they open (anticipated opening for each lift):
http://www.skifortress.ca/sequence.shtml :D
 
Admin":886x8q7b said:
Wow, thanks...I didn't see that one coming.
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Same here, however I made sure that I didn't simply miss it from your Ski News section before posting this. :D
 
Tony Crocker":34yriifc said:
How does Fortress compare to say, Castle Mt.? Or any other areas around there?
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Based on what I read on Castle (never been), Fortress is much smaller and more local oriented. I only skiied there once that the tail end of a Jasper-Banff trip.

The ski area is located within the Kananaskis Provincial Park south of the Trans-Canada highway between Calgary and Banff. A beauty area. One of the reason given why they closed (I might be wrong here) was that the province wasn't doing to plow the access road anymore. The Base is at over 2000m, which made it the highest of any ski area in Canada. Did this road in a snowstorm with the rented Malibu with 4-season tires on. I wouldn't made it if I would've stop or slowed down during the climb.

The layout is not common for a small area. There is a front side and a backside leading into tiny valley. The farside is facing the backside on the other side. Limited trees. There was some backcountry skiing that went further past the ridge at the top of the farside.

The beauty of this place, it was only known by the local. Mind you, a ski area with only 350m(?) vertical doesn't attract many skier when Banff is next door. It was the Canadian Ski Aerial training site.

The only other area that I know of is Nakiska, which is not to far south from the TransCan (another ski area owned by RCR), site of the 1988 Calgary Olympic. This is a total different mountain, low snowfall, snowmaking, big vertical. Looks much like big eastern area like Whiteface or Sugarloaf in topographical sense and feel. No, I haven't ski it.
 
Patrick":vo665xpk said:
Read this in the latest issue of Ski Canada.
This is a great powder spot, i will be happy if it's happens.
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It's a bit surprising really. They don't really have the location of Nakiska going for them, nor the skiing of, well, pretty much anywhere. And hell, T-bars? Seriously...

Maury
 
Maury Markowitz":3tnk11s3 said:
It's a bit surprising really. They don't really have the location of Nakiska going for them, nor the skiing of, well, pretty much anywhere. And hell, T-bars? Seriously...
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It's a great place. Location of Nakiska might be great access, but it's pretty bad for snow.

Fortress doesn't only have t-bars, hell Lake Louise has a poma to access the summit that doesn't necessarly make it bad.

Besides great snow, Fortress has probably one of the most spectacular scenary in Canada. True, it's a not a destination resort, and it's not trying to be. BUT it's definately a cheaper and nice alternative for Alberta skiers. I definately enjoyed my one powder day I had during my trip in Alberta, wish I can go back some day and take some pictures (long story, don't want to get into it :x ).
 
I wonder if Castle doubling its vertical and tripling its terrain in 1999 gave the Calgary locals a more exciting cheap daytrip spot and cut into Fortress' business. Not sure of distance from Calgary. Castle is 2 1/2 hours. And by 2004 the Calgary weekenders had defintely discovered it.
 
FWIW, Castle and Fortress are on opposite ends of the city in terms of access, so one would not steal customers from the other. Castle is about a 2 1/2 hour ride from the deep south of Calgary (my location) while Fortress is 1 1/2 hours from the northern sector. Both hills have great snow and very reasonable day lift prices.

Nakiska (site of the '88 Olympics) is only 45 minutes from north/west Calgary so it tends to get lots of attention from beginners and the ski teams. It has enormous snow-making capabilities and is a good bet for early season activity. Fortress has only natural snow making, but it did get wonderful dumps. Getting to Fortress takes another 30 minutes after passing Nakiska

Downsides to Castle: add another 45 minutes to the drive and Calgarians come to Fernie. Great weekend spot which combines snow dumps and modern lifts.

Fortress' 90% natural snow mixture competes with Sunshine's 100% natural snow. The latter is on a divided highway and has modern lifts as well as having tons of terrain.

In both cases, I think the 2 smaller hills bank on the traditional family atmosphere, while their competitors are a typical conglomerate enterprise.
 
I'm bumping this almost 20-year-old thread after watching the Season 2 premiere of the series The Last Of Us. In the pic below is a scene that was shot at the bottom of Fortress Mountain, which closed after the 2004 season, showing an infected human (conveniently wearing a ski coat during winter) who's about to get, uh, euthanized. Given that the action is set in post-apocalyptic Jackson WY, Fortress is standing in for Snow King.

1745142657850.png


Anyway, I checked out the website, which mentions the following ambitious plans. I didn't see a proposed timetable so who knows where things stand.
Currently closed for lift accessed services, Fortress Mountain is undergoing the single largest redevelopment and revision program in its legendary 55-year history. (...) Fortress version 2.0 will include a new/modern lift network, new in-ground utilities, new day lodge, expanded terrain, year round service & activities, and a modern base area accommodating a broad market with hotel, spa, hostel, brewery, retail, and interpretive facilities. ​

Here's the "brochure quote" -- perhaps @Tony Crocker can reality-check it.
With 750cm (300 inches) of average annual snowfall, wind-protected slopes, incredible tree skiing, and up to 2000+ acres of stunning terrain, Fortress is a bastion of the authentic Canadian mountain experience.​

Back then, Patrick pointed out this interesting factoid (to no surprise, nine of the ten highest U.S. ski areas are in Colorado):
Patrick said:
The base is at over 2000m, which makes it the highest of any ski area in Canada.
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That said; the vert is on the low side: 1,082 feet. Here's the location:
1745144283749.png
 
jamesdeluxe said:
(to no surprise, nine of the ten highest U.S. ski areas are in Colorado)
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Both ABasin and Loveland should be behind Breck in the list in the real world at least. Neither will let you hike up to the claimed elevations.

They still easily make the list, but Loveland is more like 12,900 feet (hiking after taking snowcat) and Abasin is a bit under 12,800 feet (snorkle door/snorkle nose area after hiking Willy's Wide).
 
jamesdeluxe said:
Anyway, I checked out the website, which mentions the following ambitious plans. I didn't see a proposed timetable so who knows where things stand.
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I thought I'd heard that Alberta had just changed rules to incentivize more resort construction. I would think Fortress would be on someone's radar to invest after that change...
 
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