We are pretty lucky here as skiers in Golden that there never seems to be much of a line at the lift. This is likely for a few reasons. Our hill, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, is located in a smaller town, and other resorts are more accessible for the larger populations of cities like Calgary. Another reason may be that the terrain at Kicking Horse is trickier and tends to scare off many beginners or intermediate skiers.
Recently, however, our best-kept secret seems to have gotten out, as we are seeing longer and longer lift lines on powder days, and there are a few factors that may be contributing to these sometimes multi-hour waits.
One of the most obvious explanations is that this has been a strong snow year. With a record-breaking snowfall in December, it seemed that the season would be consistently busy, though lift lines didn’t really start booming until recently. Over the past week, however, the resort received about 43 cm of new snow, which likely drew in visitors eager to ski fresh powder.
Another possible factor is the gondola shutdown that occurred last season. Some skiers may have avoided the resort after that incident and are now more eager than ever to return and enjoy the mountain. A good indication that visitors from outside Golden are contributing to the increase in traffic is the surge of people lining up at guest services on powder days to purchase day tickets.
What I think is a strong contender for the recent boom in lift lines is the closure of the Stoke Chair at Revelstoke Mountain Resort in early March. This chair is a high-speed quad lift that provides access to the alpine summit of the mountain, and without it, access to much of the terrain becomes limited. According to Powder.com, an issue with the lift’s gearbox was discovered during routine maintenance. The same article reported that lift ticket prices were reduced by about 50% during the closure, highlighting just how critical the Stoke Chair is to the overall experience at the resort.
Because the lift remained closed during several major storms and did not reopen until March 12, it is possible that some skiers chose to travel elsewhere for their powder days. As a nearby resort with world-class terrain, Kicking Horse may have been a natural alternative.
Whatever the reasoning behind the recent crowds, and despite the slight inconvenience, it is still a joy to see the hill busy and thriving. More business for the resort means more business for the town, which ultimately benefits everyone, even if it means we sometimes have to earn our turns in the lift line.
