LAKE LOUISE – Ground has been broken on Lake Louise Ski Resort’s 200-acre expansion that will include a new ski chairlift and terrain.
Clearing has begun at Richardson’s Ridge, located at the backside of the Banff National Park ski resort along Pika run, which will have four named runs and two to three gladed side country trails, with a wide natural area on the top.
"On powder days, it's going to be amazing over there," said Emmett McPartlin, director of marketing and sales at the ski resort.
“It’s super fun, low-angle skiing ... It’s definitely going to open up a whole new area to intermediate skiers,”
McPartlin added that the resort anticipates the project will be completed during the 2025-26 season.
“That’s our hope, to get it done sometime next season. That’s the current goal,” said McPartlin.
Last week, Lake Louise Ski Resort posted on social media that Valhalla Helicopters, based out of Kelowna, has been clearing terrain for runs and the new lift line.
The expansion is part of the Lake Louise Ski Area Long-Range Plan (LRP), dating back to 2015 with the resort’s site guidelines for development and use. Approved by Parks Canada, the site guidelines included a detailed impact analysis and was subject to public and Indigenous participation.
Along with the additional ski trails, the new ski lift, Richardson’s Ridge Express Chair, is being built. According to the LPR, it will be a detachable quad chairlift and the base terminal will be located near the junction of Pika and Corral Creeks, while the upper terminal will be located near the tree line on Richardson’s Ridge.
Lake Louise Ski Resort's LRP includes upgraded lift systems, lodge development and enhancement, and parking lot development. Some of the work done has been the of the aging Summit Platter lift in 2020, which was thought to be at least 40 years old, in favour of a four-seat lift, as well as the resort receiving a licence of occupation for winter to access the 480-acre West Bowl, that was located outside the leasehold boundaries. The ski resort exchanged about 1,000 acres of its land to get the deal done for the backcountry ski area.
Additionally, last season, the resort , a six-passenger high speed heated bubble lift that shoots up the mountain at 5.08 metres per second, and can carry 2,000 passengers per hour. It provides improved and quicker access to West Bowl and black diamond areas.
“I do think people are taking notice about how much we’re putting into our infrastructure and how much we’re basically giving back to the ski community to give a better experience here, so I think skiers are taking note of that,” McPartlin said.
“Even skiers coming here their whole lives, to come here next season and explore a whole new area, I think that’s really exciting.”
