LAKE LOUISE – New lodges, new ski terrain and new lifts have been pitched as part of Lake Louise Ski Resort’s development plans over the next 10 to 15 years.
Canada’s third largest ski resort this week released its long-awaited long-range plan and accompanying environmental impact analysis to get feedback from the public. The deadline for input is June 15.
Ski hill officials say the plan would allow for growth and improve skiers’ experiences, but also includes environmental gains like moving summer use away from grizzly bear habitat and removing land from the leasehold to improve wildlife connectivity.
“This is about the definitive projects we want to do and the environmental research behind it,” said Dan Markham, the resort’s director of brand and communications, noting the plan is based on direction in the 2015 site guidelines.
The long-range plan, which requires Parks Canada’s approval, calls for a new mountain top day lodge and interpretive centre at Eagle Ridge, a new day lodge next to the original Whiskey Jack Lodge, expansion of Temple Lodge and a new Top of the World warming hut.
A proposed boundary change for the ski hill would remove an ecologically significant portion of the ski hill’s leasehold to benefit wildlife and wildlife connectivity along the eastern side, including Wolverine Bowl and Purple Bowl.
Richardson’s Ridge would be developed, and the ski resort would be granted winter use of Hidden Bowl and West Bowl through seasonal licence of occupation agreements. Future projects for Hidden Bowl are not part of this development plan.
While no development is planned for West Bowl, Markham said the resort would start doing avalanche control work there, adding that currently skiers are accessing that backcountry area from the Summit lift.
“People ski it now, but we don’t do avalanche control in there. We’d now do avalanche control and we’ll build a route out the bottom so people don’t get lost,” he said.
Under the long-range plan, the current summer visitor program based at Whitehorn day lodge would be relocated to the top of the mountain to a proposed new lodge and interpretive centre at Eagle Ridge.
Markham said this is an environmental gain because it reduces the effects of summer activity on wildlife, particularly grizzly bears that use the mid mid-mountain area.
“We will completely close down Whitehorn all summer and it will be free roaming for the bears,” he said.
Parks Canada did not provide an interview, but sent a statement.
The statement indicated Parks Canada will provide direction to the Lake Louise ski area for any necessary changes or additions to the detailed impact assessment or long-range plan at the conclusion of public consultation.
“It is important to note that no decisions on any elements in the LRP or DIA have been made at this time,” according to the statement.
