Ski Jasper Alberta News

Improvements at Big White and Silver Star Mountain Resorts

Over $150 million has been spent to improve the quality of the experience at both of the mountains.

New at Big White:

New $2.5 million TELUS Terrain Park, which includes:

• An Olympic-size 154-meter (500-foot) long Super Pipe with 5.2-meter (17-foot) transitional walls that meets FIS World Cup and X Games standards.
• A standard - sized half pipe with 3.6-meter (12-foot) transitional walls, 123 meters (400 feet) in length.
• A Boarder/Skier-Cross course that can be tuned up to run regional, national, and even World Cup events.
• In the rail park, separate beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced lanes combined with rails and hits so that riders can learn at their own pace.
• Keeping things smooth and the landings plush will be the job of Big White's brand new 2005 Zaugg Pipe Monster. This world-class pipe groomer has been used at the Olympics, X-Games, and the Vans Triple Crown of Snowboarding to turn out the best super pipes in the world.
• TELUS Park will be lighted up for night sessions.
• Snowmaking in Telus Park will guarantee the very best conditions.
• TELUS Park will be serviced by its very own Doppelmayr double chairlift; 154 vertical meters (500 vertical feet); 554 meters (1,800 feet) long.
• New $1 million Cliff chair built by Doppelmayr to access Big White's double-black diamond alpine terrain.
• Over 1,000 new bed units in over fourteen developments; all of them “ski in, ski out.”
• Total accommodation investment: $123 million.
• Six new runs over on Gem Lake, adding 200 skiable acres to an already 2,756 patrolled acres.
• Summer grooming project which will ensure an early opening.

New at Silver Star:

• New Bombardier Sherpa Winch Cat – Grooms, smoothens, and buffs out some of Silver Star’s steepest runs to create a silky-smooth, carve-friendly corduroy carpet.
• Expanded terrain park, rail garden, and new Boarder/Skier Cross course – some of Canada’s elite-level freeskiers and snowboarders regularly train on our world-class facilities.
• More lift capacity – extra chairs have been added to both the Powder Gulch and Comet Express high-speed lifts to increase turn-around time and minimize waiting in line.
• Dedicated race center for recreational gate-bashers located at the top of the Big Dipper run.
• Deluxe Snowbird Lodge condominium project.
• Extensive summer grooming program which will ensure an early opening.
• 6.5 kilometers (four miles) of new Nordic trails, and a new mid-mountain cabin, heated by a wood stove and offering expansive views of the Monashee Mountains.