Ski resorts in the Canadian Rockies wasted little time in the off-season making improvements, finishing projects and preparing for the day when conditions allow the glowing neon open sign to remain on.
In the Banff and Kananaskis, areas all of the hard work in spring and summer hours has paid off and some exciting upgrades including two brand new state-of-the-art ski lifts that are flying skiers and snowboarders up to the ski runs faster and reducing wait times.
At Banff’s Sunshine Village, the new six-person heated chairlift, the Super Angel LX, is what the resort calls a luxury lift that has the capability of flying passengers up a vertical gain of 1,244 feet – nearly the size of the Empire State Building – in just over five minutes.
Capable of taking up to 2,400 skiers and boarders per hour, the Angel Express has heated bucket seats and a bubble wind protector.
“They are great big beautiful sexy chairs but they’re more efficient, move more people with less energy, and these are all good things for us as ambassadors to the park,” said Jason Tamagi, Sunshine Village's vice president of sales and marketing.
The Super Angel, the resort’s second heated chairlift, replaces the old Angel Express.
Tamagi said when replacements at the resort are made, they go to what's on the cutting edge of technology. In this case, the latest EVO premium technology that helps for a smoother and faster ride.
“If we’re all providing the best guest experience, I think that just supports the destination as a whole,” he said.
Not to be outdone in the friendly ski resort rivalry, Lake Louise Ski Resort opens its new six-passenger Pipestone Express, a six-passenger high speed heated bubble lift, this weekend.
Another technical gem, it shoots up the mountain at 5.08 meters per second, and can carry 2,000 passengers per hour.
One thing that has powder junkies excited is the Pipestone Express provides improved and quicker access to West Bowl and black diamond areas.
“We want to make things as comfortable, as convenient and as accessible for guests as possible,” said Emmett McPartlin, Lake Louise Ski Resort’s director of marketing and sales.
“It gives us another pathway to back bowls and West Bowl, which we like to refer to as Canada’s most exciting terrain, so it’s another quicker, more comfortable pathway to get to that expert-only terrain that’s a big favourite for a lot of skiers.”
At Nakiska Ski Area in Kananaskis Country, the ski resort created new ski glades this winter, called Silver Glades, which is alpine skiing through trees off-trail.
According to Nakiska, building the new glades was done with sustainability and environmental stewardship with selective tree felling, natural mulch application and ecosystem monitoring.
“As we continue to refine our sustainable practices, our mulching practices are just one way we can develop our slopes for not only the recreational enjoyment and health benefits of Albertans but also support the diverse wildlife and ecosystems in our vicinity,” said Cali Burk, Nakiska spokesperson, in an email.
At Mt. Norquay Ski Resort, as part of it's 100-year anniversary in 2026, its working on replacing the North American Chair with a gondola (enclosed carrier) that would run from the base area to the Cliffhouse Bistro, at the top of the current North American Chair.