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Glory Ridge Chair launches Whitewater into the big league
Submitted by VShuley on Wed, 2011-01-26 17:12
For years Whitewater has been another one of BC’s best kept secrets. Sitting south of Nelson on the old Silverking mine site, skiing here goes back almost 80 years. The Sliver King Skiers were inspired by Danny McKay’s success in national ski jumping contests and the first rope tow (driven by the rear axle of an aged Model T Ford) started turning in Nelson in 1934. The quest for more vertical had begun. In 1956 the ski hill was moved to the retired mine site and opening day saw 175 skiers taking beginner lessons. Following in 1961, the Silver King Lodge was built where the hard working volunteers and their families ate, drank and partied. But it was in 1975 when the Silver King Ski Club hired planner and developer Sam Worthington that the resort began to take shape. Worthington worked with the club to avoid unnecessary altering of the natural environment. The amazing tree skiing and glades at WH20 today is due to Sam’s stand against the popular resort concept in the 70’s of clearing the slopes to mimic Europe’s desolate pistes. This was one of the first instances of a ski resort leaving its trees intact. Apparently sustainable resort development has been around a lot longer than most people think.
Vincent Martin slaying another WH2O pillow
The Glory Ridge chair is the first development since 1993 when the Silverking Chair was installed. This replaced an old chair and T-bar system. Glory Ridge is by far the most major expansion in the resort’s history with the terrain doubling to 1317 acres (533 ha) and the vertical increasing to 2044ft (623m). Whitewater’s progression is credited to the relatively new owners known as Knee Deep Development, a Calgary based corporation owned by Dean Prodan, Mitch Putnam and Andrew Kyle. This trio of devout skiers are keen to expand WH20 without losing the small resort charm and ambiance that the resort is known for. After a fast tracked approval of the new chair, Fernie based Summit Lift Company was contracted for the installation. Enduring through dismal weather throughout the summer and fall, the Summit crew were able to install the chair in record time.
Photo Credit Anne Pigeon
Photo Credit Anne Pigeon
I had the opportunity to sit down with WH2O Marketing and Operations VP Anne Pigeon. Anne has been an integral part of the Glory Ridge Chair. VS: How long was the chair planned before you began installation this summer? AP: “We got the ok from Knee Deep Development in July 2010 and it was pedal to metal after that. The chair was purchased from Vail, Colorado (formerly known as the High Noon chair) and it was a really quick installation.” VS: How has the chair been received by your local pass holders? AP: Beyond our expectations, it’s just been phenomenal! It has changed the face of Whitewater; people have been just so pumped and so positive. The locals have been literally hugging us! It elevates us into a different category of ski resort. Its great not just for the resort but for the local economy [in Nelson] as well.” VS: Do you feel the new chair will stray from Whitewater’s reputation as a ski tourer’s resort? “I don’t think so. I think the customer that was skiing the backside was coming here looking for more lift accessed terrain and more powder. They would ski down to the road then hitch back up to the base or arrange shuttles. The folks coming here for ski touring will traditionally head into Five Mile, White Queen and areas towards the alpine.” VS: Your new ad campaign describes Whitewater as the ‘Biggest little resort in Canada’. Care to comment on that? AP: “We’ve got the terrain and vertical now but we are still classified as a day resort as we only have a day lodge up here. Even when we start to look towards our build out in our development plan, in comparison to other resorts its very modest. We will have 700 beds up here, mainly in private residences. These accommodation properties will be attractive to buyers since the people will see the full build out plan and this will not change. What you see in the plan is what you’ll get.” VS: What are the future plans for Whitewater? AP: “The property development will probably wait until the market stabilizes, but it’s encouraging to see improvement in that market recently. While the lift queues aren’t overly busy, we are seeing lines for our food and amenity services at the day lodge so we will be adding another building. Our next lift development is looking to replace the Summit Chair and after that our owners are eyeing a lift up on White Queen. We’ve proved to our owners that we can get through a last minute project on time and on budget and they want to see a project every couple of years”
Terrain expansion at Whitewater with Glory Ridge Chair. Image courtesy of Whitewater Ski Resort
Vincent Martin skiing the trees @ WH2O Article by Vince Shuley |
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Great work
I grew up on a small mountain and its great to see there are developers that still believe in this type of resort. Congratulations to the whole team at Whitewater and keep up the good work.
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