Proposed $800M Valemount Resort Development Takes Another Step
Valemount, BC – Plans for an $800-million dollar year-round skiing and sightseeing development on Mt Arthur Meighan, near Valemount, have taken another leap…
The Province has approved an Interim Agreement for the proposed glacier destination resort, allowing the proponent to begin preparing a master plan and participate in the master plan review process.
In a project overview, Valemount Glacier Destinations Ltd. is proposing a resort that would offer "the only substantial summer-skiing on the continent, the only high-elevation alpine glacier viewpoint in North America, (and) the largest winter vertical drop in the world". The base development includes 2,000 bed units. Stephen Leahy, the Chair of Valemount Glacier Destinations, says, "We are very pleased to achieve this important milestone and look forward to beginning the master plan process."
The proposed development has strong community support from residents and stakeholders, including a petition submitted by the Valemount Ski Society with 500 signatures.
"Backcountry skiers have long known that this area, so close to Valemount, is a ski mecca, but not many of us envisioned such an amazing project," says Valemount Mayor, Andru McCracken. "We are grateful for the care and duty Valemount Glacier Destinations have shown toward us so far and (are) happy that our partners are taking another step in this direction."
Valemount Chamber of Commerce Treasurer, Marie Birkbeck, says, "Local businesses will also benefit from Valemount Glacier Destination’s marketing efforts aimed at presenting Valemount as a year-round destination."
She says, "For Valemount, this is a very positive signal in times of transition and economic uncertainty."
Prince George-Valemount MLA, Shirley Bond, says there’s still work to be done, but the interim agreement is a significant step forward that comes after a lot of work and community input. "If approved, it has the potential to be a significant job creator and would provide a world-class, year-round recreation destination for residents and tourists, alike."
Comments
map please.
I heard google earth had some good maps.
Isn’t it odd how these projects near Valemount always get announced just before an election?? I believe the last one there was a hot spring and hotel…and before that a ski hill…always being touted by your Liberal Candidate…
I wonder why none of them ever actually got built when they are so heavily supported by the Liberals??
I predict that they will be hitting a major road block that may set them back 8 years or more. It’s called the NDP.
I doubt if the project ever gets off the ground regardless of who the Government is.
$800 Million is a lot of money to recoup on your investment. Are there that many people around that would come to Valemount and spend their money ??
I dont know Palopu, if its truly world class it will attract from all over the world. The biggest knock is its proximity to Edmonton and Kamloops airports. People will land in one and be disappointed they are still a 4 hour drive from the resort.
But this area’s been promised a mega-resort and grandiose condominium developments so many times now over the past decade, I doubt any of the locals are holding their breath. Good for them if they can make it work–beautiful part of the province!
pretty remote, pretty cold for a summer resort. As a skier/boarder I welcome the development, but many have been promised before. Mega resorts have a tough go if they are not within 3 hours of a major hub. Just ask Revelstoke.
Interest cost at 6% – 48 million a year. Assume you can make a profit of $100.00 per skier (that’s profit, after all expenses) per day, you need 1315 skiers a day, every day of the year, just to pay the interest cost on the loan. Sounds like a plan to me.
just about the only way a modern ski resort can be financed is through effective real estate development and sales … key to real estate sales is proximity to international transportation hubs and sufficient consumers (either domestic or established tourism routes) … currently Calgary and Vancouver are the two hubs that support the International ski tourist and also contain the critical domestic market … not likely this location can pull it off … however, it would be nice to be proven wrong
“Currently Calgary and Vancouver are the two hubs that support the International ski tourist and also contain the critical domestic market … not likely this location can pull it off … however, it would be nice to be proven wrong”
I would tend to agree with this. Like ski50 indicated, a development like this would need customers year round and in order to have that, you need to be close to major population centres.
When we moved out to Ottawa I really really no idea how many ski resorts were around here. It wasn’t until we took a road trip to New Hampshire that it hit home. There are loads of very nice resorts in Quebec, New York State, Vermont and New Hampshire and most of them are true 4 season resorts, offering all sorts of stuff. Skiing (downhill and cross country), shoe shoeing, hiking, trail running, water sports, sailing, cabins, fine dining, caving, fishing, etc. You name it and they do it.
There are two main reasons I can see why they are able to pull it off:
1) Stable and large local populations that enjoy those outdoor activities (I think people might be born with skis on their feet in New Hampshire, LOL) and
2) There are tens of millions of people within a reasonable distance that they are able to market to
Seems we had a condo/hotel project for 800 million dollar for Prince George . What happened to all that good news?
Cheers
Well its simple then, Just build an international airport near Valemont.
Should’nt cost more than an additional 800 million dollars should it? :>)
metalman.
Prince George has International airport status. That big runway might get some use after all! They could bus the rest of the way or take the train!
As a fellow boarder i wonder just how feasible this is as it will be facing competition from the jumbo resort proposal which is closer to Alberta market. Valemount just seems logistically constrained for a plan of this size. Time will tell.
They don’t have to worry about Jumbo resort as competition. Both projects are being run by the same management / design group. And my guess would be the same financial backers too.
It makes sense from a marketing stand point to sell vacation packs to well heeled euro’s through a vacation charter airline like Thomas Cook Travel .
Say fly into Calgary , spend a few days at Jumbo then they take you to Valemount for a few more days and fly you home from PG. Keep all that money in your basket.
Now the real question is , can they pull a Billion and a half dollars out of a hat to do both projects ? This is very far from a done deal.
Currently for most Heli-ski operations there is a waiting list, with a limited number of standby seats available. This includes the operations in the Valemount area. People come from all over the world to play in our backyard year round. Will a resort fly? Hard to say, Revelstoke has remoteness as well as a highway that is notorious for being closed. The Heli-ski companies seem to have zero problem transporting guests from PG, Calgary or Edmonton. Let’s wait & see.
Several key assumtions are wrong here. Number One, comparing the Jumbo or Valemount development to anything on in the East shows no experience in the ski industry. In Europe, there are over 60 resorts of this size, elevation and stature. The population of North America is over half that of Europe, and we can not support even one? No other place in North America can offer lift access to real mountains with huge vertical, mountaineering, real glaciers etc… Over a million visitors already come to Jasper National Park, no lifts, only one little highway to look up at the mountains from. If you ever travel to South America, you will find ski hills ten times more remote than Valemount with no local market, yet still profitable. Valemount has a great airport. Nothing stopping charter flights from connecting direct from Vancouver or Calgary. Whistler is over 2.5 hours by bus from Vancouver Int. Airport. Valemount is less than one hour connection flight! So in reality, Valemount is closer to Europe than Whistler, has better snow and real mountains with impressive views. Whistler only has weekend warriors, crappy snow, no real world-class views or high elevation. We are comparing apples and oranges. Also, why does 1300 visitors a day seem impossible? This is a year round opporation with world class sightseeing including Canada’s most famous international mountain Mt. Robson. The numbers are already here, skiing is but a small part of the business plan.
Great post Eurostar. Amen to comparing East coast styrofoam to champagne Rockies powder. Nooooo comparison. NMG, people from all over the world pay upwards of $7000-12000 a week to ski here (per person). I guarantee that does not happen anywhere east of the US & Canadian Rockies. BC has the unique advantage in that alot of foreign visitors crave the remoter wilderness adventure that a large part of their world cannot offer anymore. As for year round activity? Most areas in BC & Alberta offer a variety of summer activity, this is not an east coast phenomenon.
I would definitely take advantage of the summer hiking from the top of the lift!
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