One of North America’s largest lost ski areas could reopen in a few years under a plan submitted to the Province of Alberta last week. Kelowna-based Ridge North America and Calgary-based Western Securities Limited would join forces to acquire Fortress Mountain Holdings and eventually construct up to 14 lifts. Fortress wouldn’t be another Kicking Horse or Revelstoke but rather a year-round resort and recreation hub with a modest ski component. Real estate forms a key aspect of the plan along with summer activities like mountain coasters, downhill biking and zip lines.
Fortress first opened as Snowridge in 1967 with an all-Doppelmayr fleet consisting of two T-Bars and one double. Doppelmayr supplied two additional chairlifts in the mid-1970s, creating a mid-sized mountain with skiing on three aspects. Though surrounded by towering peaks, vertical at Fortress was never huge with the biggest chair rising 1,070 feet. The ski area declared bankruptcy and closed several times through the second half of the 20th century. At one point Aspen Skiing Company acquired a 50 percent stake and funded the two newest lifts. The company that would later become Resorts of the Canadian Rockies bought Fortress in 1986 but put it up for sale 15 years later as part of its own bankruptcy. RCR continued operating the mountain in bankruptcy until shuttering Fortress in 2004.
Banff Rail Company, headed by Zrinko Amerl, bought the lease in 2005 and ran lifts for a few months in 2006 before the province condemned several buildings. By late 2006, regulators ordered Amerl to stop advertising services he couldn’t provide and forbid pass sales for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. BRC sold the mountain to Fortress Mountain Holdings in 2010. Both T-Bars were removed in 2012 but the chairlifts remain standing. Today the property is off limits to the public with a limited cat skiing and movie shoot operations. With no maintenance in decades, all three chairlifts are expected to be removed and replaced in new alignments.
Whistler-based Ecosign prepared the resort’s latest master plan, which encompasses 3,500 acres of crown land. “The Fortress All Season Resort Master Plan presents a long-term vision to develop a modern, world class destination in one of Alberta’s most spectacular mountain contexts,” Ecosign notes. Phase one includes no ski lifts but rather three sightseeing gondolas similar to one Ridge is currently constructing near Kelowna. Each gondola would service distinct adventure nodes with activities like a cliff walk, paragliding and paddleboarding.
Lift-served downhill skiing would resume in phase two with chairlifts on Fortress’ traditional front and backside terrain. A fixed quad and two conveyors would serve the front with a detachable six pack on the back. Phase three envisions a fixed quad on the former Farside terrain plus a beginner platter and third conveyor. A second six pack is earmarked for Whiskey Bowl in phase four, plus a cabriolet lift connecting the resort core to parking and a surface lift on Mt. Baldy. The final phase would include a quad chair on the backside of Mt. Baldy and a second parking cabriolet. At full buildout, the resort could accommodate 6,780 skiers and 9,650 total visitors per day.
The ambitious vision faces several challenges. First, terrain is scenic but limited with significant competition from nearby ski areas with far more vertical. Ridge and Western Securities have significant experience building attractions and commercial buildings but have never operated a ski resort. Many have failed here before. On the plus side, the current plan wisely focus on activities beyond skiing which appeal to broad audiences. Ridge and Western Securities are well-capitalized and experienced developers. Alberta is booming with 4.2 million people visiting nearby Banff National Park last year. Fortress lies just outside the park, however, making large-scale development more practical than at existing ski areas like Lake Louise or Sunshine. In 2024, Alberta passed the All Seasons Resort Act, aiming to double visitor spending to CA$25 billion annually by 2035. Last year Alberta designated Fortress, Nakiska and Castle the first three mountains targeted for possible development. These policies place Alberta among the most pro-development jurisdictions in North America.
The Province will accept public comments on the proposal through February 27th. Developers also launched a survey to guide further refinements to the plan. If approved, full buildout is expected to take 14 years and last through 2040.
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I learned to ski at Fortress with $6 lift tickets if you were under 14. Hoping it can reopen and that the AB government;s regulatory changes will lead to other development proposals
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If this actually goes through, this will be huge. Fortress has another advantage in that it sits on crownland. The entire resort predates all the provincial parks surrounding it, which in theory should help with the development.
I do question the decision not to start downhill ski operations in Phase 1. Calgary’s population has exploded over the past decade, and you wouldn’t think it would be difficult for Fortress to carve into the market. Many of the drivable ski areas to Calgary are becoming very crowded on the weekends. Another viable option would really alleviate the current situation.
In any rate, glad to see that Fortress is not dead. Hopefully plans can actually be materialized. I will be sad to see the iconic lodge go though.
Here are a few photos I took of the lifts a couple years back:
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Hello Skier 72,
Nice work you do on Youtube. Question for you or others, does anyone know who built Farside? Hiking up there and looking all over a couple of years ago I could not see any maker marks at all.
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The Farside double was built in 1968 by Alpine Lift – which was an early name Doppelmayr used when they were entering the North American market.
The only other Alpine Lift chair in Canada was Marmot Basin’s Tranquilizer chairlift, also built in 1968.
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Stoked to see Fortress comeback advancing. However, i’m not really into all the gondola networks and real estate, after all, the Kananaskis park and isolation make the resort unique compared to developed mountains in BC. I honestly preferred the old master plan to this one as it seemed like a more cohesive skiing experience, but any way Fortress can reopen is a winner for all.
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Compared to the previous proposal: https://files.skimap.org/jgrxx2y64h4vj1b5zs7y4i1pzf1c.png
This one omits the platter above Whiskey Bowl but the same terrain may be accessible from the gondola.
It also leaves out the platter above Rock Garden on the Farside.
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Surprised they wouldn’t just go the chondola route, potentially with more chairs in the winter vs summer. Some of the maps show a mid station for Gondola 1 around the top of the Canadian triple. All the other Gondolas in the summer charge at least $60 so I see the draw.
I don’t see the development happening back towards Fortress Lake for environmental reasons, but could see some of the closer areas.
Its another in a list of redevelopment plans for Fortress, maybe this time things will happen.
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It’s interesting that Aspen Skiing Company once owned a stake in Fortress. Is there a place to read up on the history of SkiCo? I also know they were invested in the Early Winters proposal in Washington State. But then they shrank back to their core in Colorado. What happened? Would be really interesting to read…
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SkiCo also developed Blackcomb.
https://whistlermuseum.org/tag/aspen-ski-company/
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In the early 80s, Fortress would publish a monthly magazine. 9 year old me collected them and I remember an issue featuring the opening of Blackcomb, another proposing building lifts from the existing Fortress base down to the valley floor and another showing a village up at the fortress base with indoor pool and mall
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I didn’t miss too many powder days from ’84 til 2006, but I only went on powder days, not great if no new snow, and it doesn’t snow like it did in the 80’s thru to the mid to late 90’s.
Spectacular scenery but underwhelming with a mere 1000 vertical feet, but when you had it (often) virtually to yourself and a foot of pow, it was a dream.
haha, I recall phoning in sick many times from the payphone at the Fortress gas station :)
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