Abandoned Ski Resorts in Western Canada
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- When people think of skiing in Western Canada, they think of resorts with hotels, high-speed lifts, and a massive footprint. However, many people don't realize that the number of ski resorts has shrunk dramatically in the past few decades from what it was. This video will take you through most abandoned ski resorts in Western Canada, starting in the province of Manitoba and ending in British Columbia.
Please remember that I did this project on weekends and evenings. There may be a few mistakes in the video, and I apologize for them.
Music by Lake Inspired: / lakeyinspired
0:00 Introduction
0:38 Mt. Agassiz, MB
2:05 Mt. Glenorkey, MB
2:27 Mt. Blackstrap, SK
3:11 Ochapowace, SK
3:51 Prarie West Terminal, SK
4:18 White Tracks, SK
4:37 Shaganappi, AB
5:09 Fortress Mountain, AB
6:36 Happy Valley, AB
7:36 Eden Lake, AB
8:11 Mistahiya, AB
9:16 Pigeon Mountain, AB
10:05 Drumheller Valley, AB
10:48 Turner Valley, AB
11:40 Wintergreen, AB
12:36 Morning Mountain, BC
13:00 Crystal Mountain, BC
13:52 Forbidden Plateau, BC
14:28 Green Mountain, BC
14:52 Kelowna Mountain, BC
16:06 Kitsumkalum, BC
16:44 Lac Le Jeune, BC
17:12 Mt. Arrowsmith, BC
17:59 Mt. Hays, BC
18:58 Silvertip, BC
19:27 Snowpatch, BC
20:01 Sparwood, BC
20:29 Tabor Mountain, BC
21:02 The Hills, BC
21:27 Tillicum Valley, BC
21:54 Azu Ski Village, BC
22:24 Lytton Ski Club, BC
I've had many people comment wishing that I'd talk slower in this video. And I'm sorry that I talked so fast - in future videos, I will be sure to talk much slower, even if it means more content to edit. In the meantime, if it's too fast for you, an option would be to lower the video speed down to either 0.75% or 0.50% (push the settings button in the bottom right then playback speed). Again, sorry for my talking speed, it'll be better in future videos.
I do agree that you were difficult to follow due to how fast you spoke but the content more than made up for your lightning delivery. I think you would be easier to understand if you can improve the sound quality by using a better microphone and be reducing the volume of your background music. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and am looking forward to more from you. Thank you.
@@lapoint7603 just get rid of the background music. i do not know why unsophisticated filmmaker use it, it comes across having to listen to your neighbour mowing the lawn at lunch time while you are entertaining guests in your garden.
@@alexwyler4570 Maybe a sophisticated filmaker, such as yourself, should consider doing a historical 20+ minute video next time if it bothers you that much.
Snoasis SK.... 3 year run and waste of two triple chairs. I skied there.
@@kevinwaldal9817 I talked to the guy who developed Snoasis! Sad story, but he went on to develop Mt. Sima ski resort in Yukon after Snoasis went bankrupt. One of the triples went to Blackstrap.
Would love to see Fortress re-open. I used to do volunteer ski patrol there in the 90’s, and it was a fantastic place to ski. Not huge vertical, but a ton of variety and access to powder.
Reopening Dec 2023. They have officially passed stage 1 of Reno’s .
Nice work! It is cool seeing images of lost ski areas that aren't photographed as often, especially Ochapowace, Mt Agassiz, etc.
Thanks!
Thanks for your contributions. Demographics and technology have changed the skiing landscape for good. Your presentation was a nice slalom down memory lane. P.S I won a free seasons pass to Kitsumkalum Mtn for naming two of their ski runs when they opened. A. O Tea Kettle and Mums Choice, I will let the reader decide their respective difficulty.
Thanks for your comment! Super cool that you won a seasons pass there! I was very lucky to be able to find a few black and white photos of Kitsumkalum, but I can only imagine what it looked like in it's heyday.
Whistler [called Alta Lake in the 1970's] had a little night ski operation called Rainbow with a rope tow, just north of Alpine Meadows subdivision. and it had an old wooden ski jump as well. It's a bunch of condos now.
That’s where I learned to ski
great production! i remember skiing Crystal Mountain until they closed after the accident
Great video! I’ve skied at 7 of these hills in years gone by. A blast from the past! Thanks!
These videos you make are too entertaining, can't wait for the next one!
Wow - great photos! You did so much research on all these areas. Strong work.
There used to be a fun little ski hill in Fruitvale BC. It had a rope tow and a small lodge at the base.
Cool and interesting video! Crazy how many of the lodges burned down.
Another awesome vid my friend. Stoked to hear you came across our Nar video of our day spent at The Hills in 2014!
Glad you were able to make it when you did! There's nothing else available on the status of that place.
@@Skier72 They used to have a tub hill there too. Reminder hitting that a up a few times when we were younger!
Great video! Really enjoyed it!
Man, it seems like if you can just keep your lodge from catching on fire, you're most of the way to a successful ski area!
One thing i love about making content yourself is that the algorythm recommends you smaller channels more often, and so far, all of them, such as this one, where a hit for me! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the kind words!
@@Skier72 You're welcome!
Wow! Thanks to "Skier 72" I wouldn't have known about the ski areas in my own backyard! Many thanks to ya!
That was very interesting! Great work 👍
awesome video dude!
Happy to see this.
Thanks for this it was very interesting. As a child, I skied at Forbidden Plateau from 1970 to 1977. At time it was already known by that name. I have many fond memories of skiing there. I think that part of its downfall was inconsistent snow and a newer, higher, larger resort with better conditions at Mt. Washington.
You can add Riverside, which was 20 miles north of Maidstone SK on the bank of the north sk river and Mount Joy, which was located just west of Lloydminster AB to your list.
Thanks for the info about Riverside. Mt. Joy is actually still operating! They still have an old 1960s t-bar and an old rope tow, but they're still going strong from what I can gather.
Great video. Would love to see Fortress eventually reopen. The plans they have are awesome and I guarantee a lot of people would go there. I know I would.
Thanks, I would love to see Fortress reopen one day also. Alberta desperately needs another ski resort, and if Fortress could reopen, it would be amazing.
too expensive to reopen that hill...not enough skier visits to go around to make money
@@cleigh113 Really? Calgary is 1.4 million people only an hour drive away. I think that Fortress would really help take the pressure off of ski areas like Nakiska and Sunshine on the weekends. If they can sell real estate (which they have the permits to do), then I could forsee that Fortress could be very feasable. Especially since the master plan includes doubling the size of the resort.
I've cat-boarded a couple of times at Fortress in recent years and the Pow was probably the best I've ever ridden. Would love to see Fortress reopen as a resort.
@@Skier72 @C Leigh winter would also be just on aspect. It will make a great mountain bike park in the summer as well as hiking and fishing. If they can have people visit 9 months a year then I definitely see it working.
Missed a few
Silver summit, edson
Whitecourt mountian.
Sure theres a bunch more little privately owned ones all over too.
Used to ski fortress and eden lake. Cool seeing all that old history
Wow, great job. I was lucky enough to ski at a few of these back in the day when downhill skiing was probably at it's peak out west. I have another one for your list: 100 Steps Ski Hill in Prince George, BC. I did find an article in the Prince George Citizen about a contractor that found the old base of the old T-bar in 2020.
Thanks for your comment! I found the article - such a cool piece of history! I'm thinking I'm going to need to do an abandoned ski resorts 2.0 video that dives into all these new places I'm discovering!
www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/contractor-unearths-remains-of-prince-georges-100-steps-ski-hill-2560833
My dad and Grandpa ran a ski hill located near Bellevue Saskatchewan. Closed in 1989. It was called Minatinas. 1 t bar 1 rope tow. The runs are almost all grown in now. Great video.
Thanks! Are the lifts still on the mountain? I'd love to hear more about Minatinas.
@@Skier72 The t bar was pulled down in the last 5 years.
i wanna go to fortress when it re-opens. they have a new trail map and are cooking up an amazing experience. they expanded ALOT!! so happy to see one come back
Excellent video, did you look at silver summit in Edson AB at all? Every single year since 2012 they said they would open but haven’t yet :/ I used to ski there every weekend as a child. It hosted a winter games(canada/Alberta?) of some sort in the 80s and there’s still a huge abandoned ski jump there. And the old luge track was a great cruiser!
Wintergreen was such a great place to learn to ski. Wish it was still open for my kids, close to town, perfect terrain.
Good job. No, great job. You are to be commended for this work. I am certain it took lots of effort. A flash to the past. I've skiied a few, like Glenorkey and Agassiz, and knew of many of the ones you mentioned. Fact is, most are just too small to compete against the larger hills that can offer all that and more.
Thanks for your kind words!
I like your video reminded me of many ski areas I visited in the 60's , Pigeon, Happy Valley and Forbidden Plateau. One you missed closed in the mid 60's Paskapu, just outside Calagary
I'm pretty sure Paskapoo eventually became COP. But I could be wrong on that.
You left out Burke Mountain in Coquitlam. It closed for the same reason as Arrowsmith. You had to take a rough road up to the snowline and a bombardier snow bus would take you to the top of the mountain. The best run of the day was after the runs had closed and you had a couple of drinks in the lodge and then you skied down to your vehicle, sometimes by a full moon lighting your way. Also on the plus side it was a 10 minute ride to the bottom of the mountain from my house.
I just found a link to another video, ruclips.net/video/lj118WgAszQ/видео.html, that includes a short segment on Burke. Thanks.
And I love your videos.
Used to love going to Last Mountain/Crystal Mountain in Westbank as a kid. Closed due to a chairlift accident and it never reopened
Very great historial information, Mt Seymour History Project .
I learned to ski at Snow Patch in Princeton BC, there was also another ski hill in Princeton by the Princeton golf course, bet you never heard of that one.
Awesome video! Any chance you are going to make, or already have made, a video on abandoned ski resorts in Eastern Canada?
I don't know much about skiing in Eastern Canada, so probably no. But who knows what the future holds
I recently found out about agassiz and ochapowache. Qc and On don’t have as many closed ski hills due to our large population and not enough “destination resort” mountains killing the small competition i guess.
Best school ski day ever happened at Fortress. Heavy snow closed the road just after the school bus made it through. We had the place to ourselves - powder day! 1987
Nice to see the history of these resorts. 👍 I wonder what happened to Swiss Valley ski hill just east of Lake Eden (as I remember, it was Lake Eden when I skied there and they later changed the name to Eden Lake).
And I’ve always wondered about Pigeon Mountain. Drove past there for years looking at the runs from the Transcanada.
Hey! Check out my new (improved) lost Alberta ski resorts video. I talk in detail about Swiss Valley. Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/3rbREM0Ys78/видео.html
Hey, great video! Impressive production and effort, I watched and enjoyed every second of it. Lately I have been doing lost ski area research as well. Would you mind if I used your idea and made a video about some lost ski areas around the US? Again, great video and I appreciate the effort.
Sure, go for it. I'm in the process (with the help of newspapers.com) of making a second, more in-depth video on Albertan lost ski resorts.
@@Skier72 Sweet. I’ve used them a little for research as well, they have some good info.
Fortress Mountain, Kananaskis in Alberta... sure loved that one in the 80s!
Thanks!
Please add these areas to your list. Grandview Ski Acres in Knutsford BC.. Just south of Kamloops. Used to night ski there in the late 60s. Was started by Gus Johnson who was originally at Lac Le Jeune. There was also a ski hill by highway #1 just west of Malakwa. It had a rope tow and is now a gravel pit. Lastly, Kamloops Ski Hill near highway #1 where Costco is now. There was a rope tow and all the kids that skied there had rope tow dirt of their ski jackets under their right arm!
Thanks for your info! I read about Kamloops Ski Hill, but I couldn't really find much information about it. Never heard of Grandview Ski Acres before though. It's sad to hear of all these rope tow places that are now gone.
Comment from Georgia in the US. There used to be skiing here! The place was called Sky Mountain. It’s much too warm to ski here now but I skied there several times. I don’t think the Winter Olympics will last beyond ? 2030. Maybe only on artificial snow in Kuwait !!
Great work on this Skier 72. FYI Morning mountain had been closed for couple of years before the lodge burnt down. Inconsistent snow due to low elevation, especially compared to nearby Whitewater, made it financially marginal at best.
One more suggestion: it would have been great to show each location on a map of it's province, if only for 2 seconds. BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan cover a HUGE area, don't you know?
Great video, just the one thing that annoys me is that tabor mountain is still open just has a lot less visitors because of Purden mountain ski village (which is up for sale btw 2.35M and its all yours). Great video, just wanted to point that out. 👍
Thanks! This is a fairly old video of mine, I haven't really checked on Tabor recently. Glad to hear that they've opened again
Nice! I’m checking out Whistler for a few days. Man, it is cold up there! 🥶
Yeah no joke. That's the reason I haven't been out to the mountains yet.
@@Skier72 Finished my first day. Recorded with a GoPro, was afraid my camera would shut off. I may end up doing partial POVs of Whistler’s lifts unless the weather gets a bit warmer. Whistler’s a great ski resort. The same can’t be said for the weather.
@@TwinSkiingLiftsRides Yup, all I use is a phone and an extra battery in my pocket. It freezes your fingers off, but you get a good quality recording at least. Hopefully, the weather warms up. In January, I'm gonna try to hit Lake Louise and Castle, and possibly even Marmot Basin (though we'll see).
@@Skier72 We finished recording our Whistler videos, and plan to roll them out starting next week!
@@TwinSkiingLiftsRides Nice! I'm going skiing in 2 days, so expect some vids coming from my end!
There was a lift in the river valley in Saskatoon. One of the mountain bike trails there now goes past the old lift mechanism buried in the bush. East side of the river, just south of the weir.
Thanks! Was it a rope tow?
Another reason why Forbidden Plateau closed down was the adjacent, and much larger Mt. Washington ski resort. Mt. Washington has a paved road with bus service, many different condos and chalets, a snow tube run, cross-country trails galore and various different ski runs.
Yeah, I should've mentioned that in the video. It's sad that Forbidden didn't continue to modernize its facilities in the 80s and 90s, cause otherwise, it might still be around today.
It’s weird to see how all of the ski areas are so small
Nice but I've got some feedback for 5:16; are you trying to beat the Guinness world record of fastest reading/talking? You don't need to rush it, take it easy. The video is interesting enough to keep watching.
Haha thanks. I know I did talk fast, but you can always turn it down to 0.75% if that makes it easier to listen to. It would've also been 45 minutes long if I had slowed down, which might not have been a bad thing. Just lots more work.
@@Skier72 Great video, broght back some great memories. Nothing personal, I don't have the best hearing but much of the talking was too fast, I tried the .75 slowdown and it was not a good option. It ultimately took me more than 45 mins to watch because I kept having to rewind it to understand the dIalouge.
@@DougGrist Ok sorry about that, I'll be sure to talk slower in future videos.
Sorry, but I have to agree. I couldn't understand most of what you said. I pulled the pin partway through Alberta.
Great job on this and the other vid about the current resorts in B.C. Skied the Island in my youth, didn't make it to Arrowsmith but Green mountain , that road attracted the diehards. Funny how you mentioned all the volenteers that made all those hills viable , now with all this tech that is suppose to save us so much time and money has left us with neither.
Thanks for your comment. It's true, in an increasing world of big corporate ski resorts, the smaller, volunteer-powered hills are becoming few and far between. That's why it's important to support the few remaining community-centered ski hills we have, so they don't also become lost.
I didn't see any mention of the old ski hill just outside Salmon Arm, BC on the lower north slope of Mt. Ida. It wouldn't have enough reliable snowpack to operate today, I wouldn't think. You can see the outline of the runs on Google Earth at 50 40.3N 119 18.1W.
what I found really interesting is that you used photos of sunshine mountain out near bralorne B.C/ Gun lake for silvertip. My grandad was the bralorne mine manager back then so he skied there back in the 60s/70s, they only had a rope tow but then again it was in the middle of nowhere.
There was little to no information on the existence of that place, didn't realize it was two separate hills. I used openskimap.org, which (incorrectly) labels the T-Bar on Sunshine Mountain as "Silvertip"
@@Skier72 no worries, I thought it was just cool that you put photos out there that as no one knows that place even exists
@@Skier72 also you just got a news article about this video, so that's pretty cool 😎
@@B.C_Reloaded Just saw that, super cool!
Would also love some information on this ski hill
Hey dude sick video! Just a little information though cypress hills Sk is actually still open. It’s not much too look at but it’s still kicking around. It’s called Hidden Valley
Thanks for the info! Must be pretty small then, I can't find any info on it.
I think Skier72 will become the biggest ski resort/ski lift channel this year
Those places look like they have some fire pow! Damn shame
Awesome work Skier
72. Watching this reminded me of how badly I wanted to ski at Arrowsmith when I was younger but remember the year the lodge collapsed and figured there was no hope of it ever returning. Given the size, scale, amount of snow (due to higher elevation), Arrowsmith had (and may have) the best chance to be the major contender as another ski resort on Vancouver Island. Who knows, maybe it starts as a community effort but takes a big corporation to bail the resort out if there’s a bad snow year. It’s all too real in coastal BC.
The sheer elevation would be more than Mt Washington and far more skiable terrain if they connected the “upper” and “lower” parts of the Cokely Ridge. Hopefully add a full peak chair too.
I’m curious if anyone has heard word of Arrowsmith ever opening one last time with new lifts and lodge. Maybe a paved road might be the answer in a new venture?
I actually just published another video about only British Columbia that goes into way more detail on Arrowsmith, Forbidden Plateau and Green (with lots of retro pictures as well!) But thanks for the comment! Arrowsmith looked like such a great place, and it's closure was very unfortunate.
Here's the video with a more complete history:
ruclips.net/video/lj118WgAszQ/видео.html
@@Skier72 I just left a comment about you leaving out Burke Mountain, then saw this video which includes a short segment on Burke. I'm glad to see it included, it was a great spot for a short time. In regards to Arrowsmith, its not likely that the logging company that owns the roads up to the mountain would allow public access. In fact they are discouraging any private access at all. They only allow us into the area on weekends and could close the gates even then if they wish. We need better rights to access public areas that are behind private gates.
@@stevenbridge That's crazy... I didn't realize the land on Arrowsmith was still private.
@@Skier72 Here is an excerpt from a pdf about the “Mount Arrowsmith Massif Regional Park Management Plan May 2011”. It is an interesting read in itself.
“There is currently no public road access to Mount Arrowsmith Regional Park While many people who responded to the survey noted that they have accessed the park by
vehicle using private roads, at the time of this plan, public vehicle access
is not authorized on neighbouring Island Timberlands properties due to
the health, safety and environmental implications of public use of private roads.”
@@stevenbridge I noticed this as well on that PDF about the restriction to access of the park. It’s funny because there are more than enough videos on YT from people still driving up the mountain using the access road. On the bright side, the PDF at least shows that the Regional Park still occupies the area of the old resort(s) and isn’t in the biosphere protection area. That being said not having secure access is definitely a problem.
There was a little ski area in Coquitlam, BC that operated on Burke Mountain for 2 seasons with a lodge and 2 rope tows. It discontinued in 1969. Skiers were brought there by snowmobile.
Thanks! Sounds a lot like Tweedsmuir Ski Club in northern BC (45 minute hike in for 1 rope tow)
I think a lot of ski resorts were opened up in the early 70s. It was just the thing to do. Get outside and exercise in the winter. Those were some nice times, people with not much to do, could go out skiing for the day, get some fresh air and some rays.
Thats when I started skiing, we would head out and look for a place to ski down. Climb up ski down.
A rope tow was amazing piece of technology, made it so much easier.. The early lodges were pretty much run by older people, they knew how to make hot chocolate, and hot apple cider. Hot dogs was pretty much all that was on the menu. One time in Quebec I stumbled into a lodge that was frequented by the locals, I guess they ran the place. Split pea soup, a quart of beer cooked on the biggest wood stove ive ever seen, Some serious looking, but really friendly french speaking canadians.
Everyone was living pay check to paycheck back then, what a nice time.
Western Canadian people were the best partiers on the planet.
Wintergreen opened as Lyon Mountain in 1985 with Alberta's first quad chair. After 2 winters of poor snow the Alberta government called in their loan and the mountain was forced into bankruptcy. A receiver was appointed and then a local consortium ran the hill for many years until RCR bought the mountain to develop the golf course and neglected the ski hill as they did with Fortress Mountain. Wintergreen experienced many years of great snow and high skier visits until RCR came into the picture and sealed it's future.
Thanks! From the people I've talked to, RCR seems to have really screwed over Fortress, and it seems they did the same to Wintergreen.
Hey well you ever do a ski resort review video for lake Louise?
Never been to Louise before. Hoping to get there sometime this month.
Nakiska shut down? Best powder day i ever experienced.
It’s really too bad about Agassiz. A local group even raised $1m to try to reopen it. It was really heartbreaking to see the lifts and Lodge demolished. Parks won’t even consider another resort there either. Also sad considering there’s still phone lines and 3 phase power to the site.
It is too bad, skiing looked amazing there.
@@Skier72 it’s where I did my first few days of snowboarding! I made a video on my channel of there, and flew the drone around. Check out my video “3 abandoned places” if you have time.
Great video can’t you try to slow down when talking
That would've made it a 45 minute video. But thanks anyway.
Skier 72 hey that’s not a bad thing love me some ski history
@@coloradocamera Yeah, just more video editing for me.
Another for the list. Hidden Valley just outside Regina SK. Probably closed in the early '80s. The lift may have ended up at Mission Ridge in Fort Qu'Appelle.
Thanks, didn't know about that! Approximately where outside of Regina was it located? I'd like to find it on Google Earth if it is possible.
@@Skier72 on google maps go north of Regina on Hwy 6 to the edge of the valley. In maps it says there is a marker for fairy hill trail. Go 4 miles east, 1 mile north, go around the curve and you can see the remains of the runs. It had 1 chairlift (only chair in the province at the time) and 1 T-bar. The chalet and parking lot was at the top of the valley resort rather the bottom.I believe the large white building you can see is it.
Hidden Valley was originally called Snoasis, and it actually had 2 chairlifts, but only 1 chair’s runs had snowmaking capabilities, so the second chair only ran when there was enough natural snow. I only saw the second chair run a few times.
Nice i go to lake Louise every weekend that’s my home ski resort
Going up to Canyon tomorrow, so don't know when I'll get the chance to hit Louise.
Every place that was in BC I had to add to my favourites to go check out one day this video is only 30 minutes long it’s taking me an hour to write them all down
Yeah... it's a 25-minute video with probably 45 minutes worth of content. But thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed it!
Nice job Skier 72! Just wondering, whats the song that plays from 16:44 to 19:27?
Thank you! That song is New Day by Lakey Inspired
Interesting how many lodges caught fire.
nice amazing how many closed because the lodge burned down
AZU the most fun hill I ever skied. skied many on the list
I learned to ski at Lac Le Jeune. Mom and dad told me I also skied at one hill that is not on this list.
What hill are you referring to? There were several I did not include, but if you have any information, I'd love to hear it.
I think you've missed Silver King Ski Hill, just south of Nelson, B.C.
It was just a rope-tow, much like Morning Mountain.
I'm unsure of why it closed, quite possibly elevation.
There is a Waldorf School where the lodge was.
Thanks! Do you mean T-Bar? Morning Mountain had an actual aerial ropeway.
I'm researching for another abandoned ski resorts video, trying to get all the ones I missed. If you have any more information on this place (or any other place), feel free to send me an email with information (thebcrockiesskier72@gmail.com).
@@Skier72 I'll send you an email soon. I'll have to talk to some friends, it's been a long time. I went to Morning Mtn in the early 90s. Silver King Ski Hill was a little before my time. I think Silver King was just a rope tow, but yes I do seem to remember Morning being a t-bar. Even most locals don't know it ever existed. If you want to see where, look for Silver King S.H. Rd., Nelson, B.C. I'll do my best for you. 🙂
@@roddy6924 Thanks, much appreciated!
The title screen for Wintergreen says it was only in operation until 1964, but it was in operation until 2003 as per the audio.
Augh I messed that up! I think that's the slide for Turner Valley. Sorry about that.
Funny how the (probably insured) lodges of the failing ski areas always burn down.
My first ski experience was on Crystal mountain B.C in 1994
A few corrections. Ag-a-see, O-chap-o-ways, White Track, Lef-tenant. Otherwise good. I rsced at Blackstrap-a freezing cold windswept pimple on the prairie. Lots of fun though.
Yeah, I definitely mispronounced quite a few of the names (especially Agassiz lol). Too bad Blackstrap closed. It wasn't big, but it looked fun.
A friend is an engineer who worked on the construction of Blackstrap for the Canada winter games. He would get upset at the idea that garbage was incorporated into the hill.
Tillicum Valley ski hill in Vernon shut down in '82? Due to lack of snow and a crippling economy.
most of the 80's-90's BC closures were due to the constant and ridiculous union strikes, that were never ending out there.. I know so many business that closed up and left because of the forestry, mining and fishing unions all bullying the government every year and when one went on strike the other two followed in support, anyone who had a business that was involved with those unions was decimated.. and as such skiers couldn't afford to ski. Tabor was my home Ski hill.
What a pile of trash.
Haha! My family had a place near Agassiz.... I drank many a hot chocolate in that lodge
Actually, fortress has an opening date of Dec 2023. They have officially passed stage 1 of their renovations .
Glad to hear it!
burke mnt near coquitlam bc was derelict many decades ago, was up there in the early eighties on foot or vehichle and the lodge was toast then, still some cabins in good shape owned by lease and even more trashed out, lack of snow was the downfall via the rumor mill,,,brohm ridge is another area not mentioned just north of squamish bc by a few clicks, lodge there not far off the 99 burnt down i believe, still can find remnants of the lift stations here and there if one cares to hike or drive the road in, snowmobile club still uses the old lodge in upper region on mnt, decor is that of a seventies porn movie starring ron jeremy when i had a minor tour of the building over a decade back.
What’s with all the lodge fires?
Paskapoo became Canada Olympic Park and is operated by Winsport as a legacy of the 1988 CAlgary Olympic Games.
Maybe the real abandoned ski resorts were the friends we made along the way 🤔
Perhaps...
COuld give you lots of information on Burke Mtn.
Sorry, I would like to know more myself but there's not much information available on it.
@@Skier72 I used to hike and bike lots to the old resort and know many people who used to ski there
@@shreddingsiblings5193 I'm considering doing an "Abandoned 2.0" video discussing other abandoned hills that I didnt' mention. If you can, send me an email at thebcrockiesskier72@gmail.com with more details that you know about Burke Mountain, it would be a real big help for me!
Nice, ideas for a low cost village I could spend 20-30 days, near good uncrowded resort? From US
Probably the best would be the Castlegar/Nelson area in BC, as it's pretty close to the border, and you have 2 amazing ski resorts (Whitewater and Red) close by. Both resorts have reputations for vast terrain and no lift lines.
@@Skier72 thanks in California, so closer to west is better. Will look this up maybe I can drive it some year thanks
@@Frank020 If that's the case, then maybe the Oliver area? It has Mt. Baldy and Apex nearby, and it's closer to the west coast. Anything closer to the coast and you're in big population centers like Vancouver, Abbotsford and Hope.
is it possible ski at this abandoned ski resorts? or it's ilegal?
Lodge burned down is a running them. That or snow collapse.
This is a pretty ambitious project! I thought you did an accurate and fair job with the mountains whose history I'm familiar with (Crystal, Kelowna, Azu). I learned a lot
My only constructive feedback would be maybe talk 10% slower - it's a lot of quality info to take in!
I've "liked and subscribed" and am look forward to more of your work
Thanks, it means a lot! In the future, I will definitely tone down the talking speed.
You missed the Fruitvale ski hill which ran in Fruitvale BC from 1955 to 69 or there about.
Thanks! I'm thinking of doing an "Abandoned 2.0" video discussing all the lost ski areas I missed. Do you know exactly where Fruitvale was located near the town? And what lifts it had?
@@Skier72 It was off Webster Road Fruitvale BC it had a rope tow and was bult
by the Rotary Club which is not operating.
The main builders were Al Bacon, Karl Monk, Dr Mac Mckay, ad Leo Michalik.
The clearing is still visible from from the Village to the south east, it is a north east facing slope. New residents have no idea that there was a ski hill there.
@@bruced1429 I found a Facebook thread with more info on Fruitvale: Seems to have had a Doppelmayr t-bar (that went to Salmo) in it's later years of operation before shutting down. Or maybe this is a different place I'm thinking of? Either way, thanks for your information on this place!
facebook.com/LostKootenays/posts/shared-for-tracy-poznikowwondering-if-anyone-remembers-or-has-any-pictures-of-th/186457944838046/
Also, It's Ski Area...not scaria.
glacier national park had a ski hill, so did golden.
I've heard about the hill on Glacier National Park, I thought they might've even had a Mueller gondola for the few seasons they were around? Never able to confirm that though. As for the golden hill, wasn't that Whitetooth, which became Kicking Horse?
@@Skier72 only know the rogers ski hill is behind the info center. Was pretty small from the size of the run. The old golden hill was at the base of Mt 7 right next to town from what I've heard
2:43 are those two different chairs on one lift?
Yup, Doppelmayr center-pole and bail-style triple chairs. I'd imagine the bail style chairs were replacements for the original center-pole chairs.
@@Skier72 Do you think the bail chairs had to be modified to work on the lift?
@@cookiesrgud1935 Maybe some original chairs failed the non-destructive testing and had to be replaced? It's hard to know the reason.
@@Skier72 Maybe
What? Kelona shut down? Whats going on.
Shout out for shames
Understand your thought, don't pass use the resort. Most people drive on because a lift pass is a ridiculous amount of money.
Neat video, but I couldn't take the mispronunciation of Agassiz. There's even a video clip that gets the pronunciation right. How did this happen?
Mostly due to me recording the script of the video weeks before I actually edited it (weekends and evenings, I have a job).
A lot of lodge fires 🤔