After years of anticipation it looks like Valemount will finally have a ski resort.
Last week Valemount Glacier Destinations (VGD) and the B.C. government signed a master development agreement paving the way for construction to begin this summer.
Early construction includes land surveys and engineering for lifts and resort roads, tasks the resort designer Tommaso Oberti calls the 鈥減reparatory work鈥� before applying for construction permits to have shovels in the ground.
Oberti said the resort is working toward starting major construction on things like ski lifts in the summer of 2018, with an estimated opening date during the winter of 2018-2019, a year later than was initially anticipated.
The first phase of the resort鈥檚 plan will cost roughly $100 million.
The resort is located in the Premier Mountain Range, in Simpcw First Nation territory, and will provide public access to glaciers year-round at over 3,000 metres (9,850 feet) 鈥� the only such access in North America 鈥� with a vertical drop of 2,050 metres (6,726 feet), the largest on the continent.
Shirley Bond, the MLA for Prince George-Valemount, made the announcement on March 28 to a full house at the Best Western in Valemount. Simpcw First Nation Chief Nathan Matthew, resort designer Oberto Oberti, regional district of Fraser-Fort George director Dannielle Alan and Valemount mayor Jeannette Townsend were also in attendance for the announcement.
鈥淭his project meets all our requirements for ourselves, the land we live on, and the people we live on the land with,鈥� said Chief Matthew.
鈥淚t meets the requirement to respect the land, and we want to be involved in sustainable projects 鈥� that benefit future generations,鈥� he said.
The master plan, which was approved by the B.C. government in August 2016, envisions building 18 ski lifts in three phases over the next 20 years, including five gondolas. The company also intends to build a ski-in ski-out village at the base of the resort with nearly 2,000 beds. The village of Valemount has approximately 1,000 residents.
By the end of the first phase, which will take three years to complete, skiers will be able to reach Twilight Glacier, which is about twice the size of the glacier in Whistler, allowing for year-round skiing.
While skiing is a major component of the project, the driving force behind the project is creating a new sightseeing destination. The master plan also includes mountain biking, tree-top walking and climbing in the summer months.
In August, Tom Oberti, vice president of the Pheidias Group, which is overseeing the project, said his company predicts 130,000 skiers will visit the resort in the opening year and gradually increase as word gets out and the resort expands. In comparison, about 260,000 people visit Marmot Basin every season.
Though resort construction is confirmed, how the resort area will be governed remains up in the air.
In mid-March, the B.C. government approved a $35,000 grant to study the impact, benefits and challenges involved in extending the village鈥檚 municipal boundary to include the proposed resort.
The study will examine services such as, sewer and water to the area, the financial health of local government, additional areas of responsibility, community identity and cohesion and current tax rates.
A community celebration will be held in June 2017 to celebrate the milestone.
With files from Evan Matthews - Rocky Mountain Goat
