If Marmot Basin gets its way, there will be increased snowmaking in the mid-mountain area, expanded parking lots, an expanded lower chalet and glading鈥攖hinned forests鈥攐n Milk Run, Elevator Chutes and Little Chicago.
The above projects are based on Marmot Basin Site Guidelines approved by Parks Canada in 2008 and are included in the ski hill’s 2013 long range plan.
Long range plans outline the projects a ski area wants to undertake in a five to 15-year period and are required of ski areas in national parks. In order for the projects in a plan to move forward, environmental assessments and public consultations must take place first, said Dave Gibson, president and CEO of Marmot. Consultations with the public will take place between now and October, with open houses in Jasper and Edmonton scheduled for September.
Jasper National Park Supt. Greg Fenton will review the feedback, alongside a detailed environmental impact analysis before deciding whether to submit Marmot鈥檚 long range plan to the Minister of Environment for a decision.
Gibson said although the plan doesn鈥檛 include large projects like new lifts, there are still exciting changes that will benefit the community.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about the snowmaking,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is nothing in our company that has affected us more and the community of Jasper more than the snowmaking system that we have on the lower lifts.
鈥淪nowmaking now means we鈥檙e pretty well guaranteed to open around the Remembrance Day weekend and we鈥檙e going to the first Sunday of May now, so we鈥檙e touching six months, which means everybody in Jasper鈥攖he hotels, the restaurants and merchants鈥攖hey also benefit from that.鈥�
If approved, the expansion of snowmaking would allow Marmot to open the mid-mountain, as well as the lower mountain, at the start of the season. To make that feasible, the plan is to build a new water reservoir and pumping station at mid-mountain, said Gibson. Snowmaking would then take place down Paradise Run, Marmot Run and Basin Run, as well as a few other areas.
The lower mountain snowmaking system would also become permanent, with the burying of waterlines.
Also exciting, said Gibson, is the potential for the expansion of the lower mountain Caribou Chalet, to allow room for more offices and storage to replace the accounting trailer and food storage trailer currently located at the north end of the chalet.
鈥淚t would really clean up that area and give us a lot more space that we are desperate for,鈥� said Gibson of the expansion, noting that it would also include the enclosure of the uphill facing deck to create a larger public eating area.
Also expanded would be the parking lots. The plan is to increase the number of stalls by at least 400 and to widen the Marmot Basin Road from the chalet up to parking lot four. The widening of the road would allow for the expansion of mass transit, which is something that will be addressed in Marmot鈥檚 2016 long range plan.
Also to be addressed in that plan is a new lift, said Gibson.
鈥淲e want to build a lift to the top of the peak,鈥� he said, noting that that plan hinges on the results of a mountain goat study that is ongoing at the mountain. This summer is the last season for that study and the caribou risk assessment that has been taking place.
The caribou study is being done in the Whistler Creek area, which Parks believes to have potential for caribou habitat.
鈥淪o we traded off a portion of our Whistler Creek area for a piece of land underneath the Eagles East area,鈥� said Gibson. 鈥淚t was a land swap that will include a change in our boundary.鈥�
That swap is still in progress and would ultimately give Marmot an area to create cross country ski terrain and a kids play area. Those projects will also be in the 2016 long range plan, which will include the wildlife studies.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the big picture,鈥� said Gibson, of the ski hill鈥檚 future plans.
Marmot hopes to have permits for the projects included in the 2013 plan by next year. Before that can happen, a detailed environmental impact analysis needs to be completed and submitted to Parks, along with public feedback and the 2013 long range plan.
For more information on the long range plan or to provide feedback, visit .
