Fortress All Seasons Resort | ?m | ?s | Ridge North America

[DougB]

I wonder if any of the resort proposals from the 60s through 80s could be viable. I'm thinking Assiniboia/Tent Ridge/Mt Shark in the Spray Valley and Cline River near Lake Abraham. Alberta has a huge opportunity to capture market share from BC and the US

 

[DougB]

this is 100% the correct take. No other ski/mountain area in the world restricts development the way Alberta has...as small and contained as these plans are. I get it, environmentally....but this is a needle in a haystack

The Feds are also going to have to revisit and raise the Banff development cap.

 

[Roaring Flames]

I'm doubtful adding more places for people will make things any less crowded at Banff and Lake Louise. It's like adding lanes to a highway.

 

[FCC1982]

this is 100% the correct take. No other ski/mountain area in the world restricts development the way Alberta has...as small and contained as these plans are. I get it, environmentally....but this is a needle in a haystack

+1

 

[FCC1982]

I'm doubtful adding more places for people will make things any less crowded at Banff and Lake Louise. It's like adding lanes to a highway.

No - not really

 

[Surrealplaces]

Agreed. Adding more recreational areas to the existing ones (shown in green) will only make things busier. If we get some sort of rail to Banff, then it would be possible to open up some more areas. Otherwise, I think SW of Calgary there are some other areas (shown in orange) that could be added. It would also increase general tourism in the Diamond Valley, Millarville area. Not sure the residents would want that, but it would become a touristy area in general.

 

[Mountain Man]

Yeah we need more options for tourists other than just Banff. I think Kananaskis Village needs to get much bigger, especially if Nakiska is a 4 season resort. Crowsnest seems like an area that is ripe for more tourism, it's 2+ hours, but is gorgeous and close enough to Fernie that it should be much busier.

 

[DougB]

Nakiska and Crowsnest have some potential, but both suffer from low snowfall.

Hopefully developers look at locations like the Spray Valley that do get the snow. I'm unsure where else in the province has the resiliency to support ski resorts, but the market is there given that Pacific coast and European resorts are becoming less resilient.

The AB government should also look at highways through Howse and Elk Passes, as well as paving Smith Dorrien and improvong the climb out of Canmore. Of course they would take legislative changes to restrict consultation requirements and legal challenges.

 

[MichaelS]

There is discussion of paving the Smith Dorrien trail, not sure the status of it though:

https://www.rmoutlook.com/kananaskis-country/ministers-mandate-letter-calls-to-improve-and-upgrade-spray-lakes-road-in-kananaskis-11235880

 

[Tothewest]

Who cares if it gets busier, we should hope it gets much busier! It's literally one of the most beautiful places on earth, certainly one of the most accessible in regards to flight access, with a perfect 4 season climate. This has huge "Jackson, Wy" potential, with hopefully, 4-5 areas you can now stay and enjoy, with a world class city/downtown 50min away. Shit, build another golf course or two for all i care. You could double or triple the size of the fortess and nakiska plans, allow banff to grow by another 25%...the impact on the environment would be completely negligible

 

[BigWoofer]

There is discussion of paving the Smith Dorrien trail, not sure the status of it though:

https://www.rmoutlook.com/kananaskis-country/ministers-mandate-letter-calls-to-improve-and-upgrade-spray-lakes-road-in-kananaskis-11235880

Please no. I think the fact that it is unpaved it keeps away a lot of people and therefore keeps those hikes (some of the best in the Albertan Rockies, in my opinion) less crowded and busy.

 

[DougB]