White Gold Climbing Bum-Turned-Developer Transforming Local Hill Into Top Resort
Kimberley Alpine Resort looks like a Canadian mining boom town in the making.
Precious metals that spurred the region’s original economic development have lost their value, but the snow in them thar British Columbia hills is attracting big investment.
Last season was the last chance for a glimpse of the old homey Kimberley resort. Finishing touches are still being put on an explosive $22 million expansion that includes a new day lodge at the base of a new high-speed quad lift.
In 10 years, with a predicted infusion of more than $150 million, the local-yokel ski hill is destined to be another animal altogether, including yet another high-speed quad, several additional on-mountain hotels plus new chalet complexes, a convention center, expanded cross country trails and several new downhill runs.
The infrastructure is in place for developing the 200 acres at the base of the mountain with luxuries the area’s veteran skiers never dreamed of, including an outdoor heated pool and underground heated parking for the on-site hotels. The number of beds on the mountain is expected to increase from 2,000 this year to about 5,200.
On the slopes, the resort’s reputation as a place to rip GS turns has been expanded with a web of new black-diamond runs.
“We were known for having great groomed cruising terrain with good steeps, but the steeps were short,” said Dwayne Blume, resort manager. “The new steeps are longer, giving balance to what we offer. Now we have just as much steep as we have cruising. A diverse group can come here and find something for everyone.”
Cross country skiers are not excluded. A lighted trail system at the resort is managed by a local ski club and groomed with the ski area’s large snow cats.
Backcountry skiers can make a long adventurous day by breaking trail on the 20-mile Round-the-Mountain route that circumnavigates the ski area for great views of Mount Buhl.
Skiers from 15 nations are expected for the Telemark World Cup event Feb. 22-24, including an all-terrain classic race with giant slalom sections, skate sprints and a nordic distance jump that launches competitors up to 75 feet into the air.
Coming on line next year is a system of three backcountry huts serviced by a trailhead that’s a 15-minute drive from the resort. The huts will be available at affordable prices, with or without a guide, for backcountry skiers, snow boarders and summer hikers.
The 500 acres of new alpine terrain expanded the ski area by 30 percent this year. Kimberley already is a far cry from the club-operated facility that took off in the ‘50s with the installation of the Maverick T-Bar.
“At 6,000 feet, it was the longest surface lift anywhere,” Blume said.
The expansion is spearheaded by Charlie Locke, who’s affectionately regarded by younger resort personnel as a former dirt-bag climber who just happened to make a fortune in oil and gas leasing.
Locke, 53, pioneered more than 40 first ascents on rock and ice routes in the Canadian Rockies, including the North Face of Mount Temple.
“He says he’s still a climbing bum at heart,” said Matt Mosteller, Kimberley’s vice president for marketing .
At 21, Locke was the youngest person at the time to earn a license from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.
He entered the ski resort business in 1974 when he bought a small share of Lake Louise ski area. Today he owns Louise and seven other resorts ranging from British Columbia to Quebec.
With the purchase of Kimberley and Fernie ski areas in 1998, Locke hopes to transform the Cranbrook region into an international skiing destination.
Kimberley’s ticket prices have increased this year to $43 for adults, which translates to about $27.50 in U.S. funds.
Growing pains were apparent at Kimberley over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. The crowd of skiers that showed the morning after the region got its first heavy dump of powder snow found only the Northstar Express lift operating on the front side.
Skiers bottlenecked at a new skiway ramp that leads skiers over a service road and down to the new Polaris Lodge.
Lift lines grew even though the quad sweeps skiers 2,500 vertical feet to the summit in less than 10 minutes.
Kimberley skiers aren’t accustomed to lift lines, and even the mild mannered Canadians were grumbling.
“We were caught off guard, because we hadn’t been getting the crowds,” Blume said.
The next day, with even more new snow on the ground, the resort cranked up it’s capacity to haul 10,000 people an hour on seven lifts. Waiting time was negligible.
A second skiway ramp is planned to be built in the next few years, Blume said.
These potholes in the road to bigness are smoothed by the remarkable friendliness of resort personnel. It’s as though tranquilizers are required at breakfast for the virtually unflappable rental shop employees.
Also, rates at the new and convenient Trickle Creek Lodge will be reduced while portions of the facility are still under construction. We’re talking roughly $70 in U.S. funds for a room within snowball throwing distance of the quad lift.
While the expanded resort will be self-contained, the town of Kimberley, with its Bavarian theme, is just minutes down the road, complete with hockey games.
Also, the area still retains a ton of local charm and rewards for those who get to know the locals. Follow the Kimberley teenagers at the end of the day and you might even figure out how to ski or board to town.
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INFORMATION
For information about the Kimberley, British Columbia, area, contact Kimberley Chamber of Commerce, (250) 427-3666.