Revelstoked

Four-season resort set to open as the new kid on the block

You may have stopped in the town of Revelstoke B.C. along the Trans-Canada Highway before or after negotiating the often treacherous drive over Rogers Pass. You probably drooled as you stared at the ridiculous amounts of snow over the surrounding peaks as you bought a coffee and filled your tank. And then you most likely muttered something in distaste at those lucky enough to be filling snowmobiles destined for tits-deep powder — a common sight around town. Heck maybe you’ve never been through Revelstoke but you’ve undoubtedly heard the tales.

That’s because the mountains surrounding Revelstoke are of a fabled variety. The monumental peaks serve up a heavy abundance of dry snow in some places four to five storeys deep. Flanked by the snow-capped peaks of the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashees to the west Revelstoke was proclaimed “The Capital of Canada’s Alps” in the early 1900s for its seemingly limitless backcountry. One glance into the vast area of untouched couloirs and wide-open bowls and it’s obvious why this place has developed a culture of skiers snowboarders and snowmobilers looking for fresh lines off the regular hustle and bustle of the modern resort network.

Skiing in this region has a rich history and dates back to sometime before 1890 when Scandinavian immigrants built homemade skis to descend from mines to railway stations along the newly constructed Canadian Pacific Railway. The town got its name from Lord Revelstoke head of a London banking firm that saved the CPR from bankruptcy. Back then its economy was centred around mining but today like many other B.C. communities Revelstoke’s industries span into railroad forestry and more recently tourism which became viable after the completion of the Trans-Canada in 1962.

These days tourism combined with resort and real estate development throughout pristine areas of British Columbia is not unlike the gold rush in the region 150 years ago. Everyone is vying for a piece of the proverbial pie.

But the winter of 2007/08 will mark the true test for Revelstoke’s tourism market. Years of rumours — the ones which spoke of a major overhaul to Powder Springs the local one-lift hill in operation since 1969 — are about a month from reality as Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) is poised to open December 22 and virtually transform the once-sleepy railroad town into a ski and snowboard mecca.

Believe the hype —this place will be loaded with superlatives: the biggest vertical drop in North America at 1829 metres; annual snowfall that consistently piles 12 to 18 metres; and the backcountry offerings of Cat Powder Skiing and Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing — both acquired by RMR — that effectively bring the total area to 206000 hectares.

“This is the epicentre of world-class helicopter and snow cat skiing a one-of-a-kind ski resort” says resort developer Don Simpson chairman of Simpson Property Group Canada. “You can literally get up in the morning and have the world’s greatest adventure playground at your doorstep with helicopter snow cat and lift skiing all accessible from the village.”

The developers of RMR pulled through on their pledge to erect steel on Mount Mackenzie when they signed a $22-million deal with Leitner Poma to construct an eight-person gondola and high-speed quad for the opening season. This year the gondola will initially rise from the upper village to an elevation of 1700 metres while the high-speed quad will begin at 1595 metres and rise to 2245 metres. In 2008 the gondola will be extended. But this is just the beginning of a 15-year $1-billion plan that will ultimately see the one-stop hill cat and heli shop grow into a four-season resort with 21 lifts 115 runs and 16000 beds.

“Revelstoke Mountain Resort has been a dream for as long as most can remember” Simpson says. “It’s no longer a dream it is now a reality.”

Development hopes are nothing new to the locals who have seen numerous plans developers and investors come and go. The resort opening follows more than 20 years of frustration and failed attempts and is expected to be lucrative for a town with a history of boom and bust.

Being situated 413 kilometres from Calgary and 631 kilometres from Vancouver means that RMR will have to market itself heavily as a destination resort. Developers point out the ski hill is just two hours from Kamloops Airport which now welcomes international flights and a 45-minute drive from Sicamous and the tourism destination of Shuswap Lake.