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A beacon for B.C.’s economy

The rest of the world is coming to B.C. to ski and board, when are we going to recognize this? By Bob Barnett To look back at all the economic panaceas B.C.

The rest of the world is coming to B.C. to ski and board, when are we going to recognize this?

 

By Bob Barnett

To look back at all the economic panaceas B.C. sought in the 1990s — from casinos to video lottery terminals, photo radar and building fast ferries — the record is pretty dismal. But through the smoke and mirrors of these failed plans one area of the economy that has continued to shine is the ski industry, drawing skiers, boarders and foreign dollars to B.C.

The question for the future is whether the province continues to follow this economic beacon or gambles on some other panacea.

The 1990s were not a decade of great prosperity in B.C. The problems in the forest industry, commercial fishing and mining have been well documented. And as the resource sector’s problems grew, provincial governments did little to encourage investment in B.C., at least until the last couple of years.

But while the traditional industries struggled, tourism took off. Aided by a Canadian currency which grew weaker against most other major currencies during the decade, tourism and tourism infrastructure grew through most of the ’90s. Some figures: in 1987 Vancouver International Airport served 8 million passengers, but by 1998 it served 15 million; 260 cruise ships left from Vancouver in 1998, compared to just 50 in 1981; 1996 was an 18 year high for hotel occupancy in downtown Vancouver, and occupancy levels in 1998 were still 71 per cent.

Within the tourism umbrella, the ski industry in British Columbia has also grown steadily. Whistler’s continual success since the mid-80s and its North American record 2.1 million skier visits last winter are well known. But Whistler is only the most visible of the B.C. ski areas. Sun Peaks also had a record number of skier visits last winter, ski areas in the Okanagan did well and Panorama’s skier visits have increased in each of the last three winters.

Across the province, the total number of skier visits to the B.C./Yukon region increased a whopping 25 per cent last winter — from 4.46 million skier visits in 1997-98 to a record 5.58 million in 1998-99, according to figures from the Canadian Ski Council.

Snow undoubtedly played an important part in last winter’s success, as most of the province received above normal amounts while most of the rest of North America had below average snowfalls. But B.C. has been increasing its share of skiers for many years. Statistics compiled by the Ministry of Employment and Investment show B.C. ski areas have expanded their share of the regional (Pacific North West) skier market from 22 per cent in 1978 to 42 per cent in 1996-97.

According to the Ministry’s End of Ski Season Review 1996/97: “Skier visits to British Columbia are growing at almost twice the rate of neighbouring jurisdictions around the Pacific North West. British Columbia has almost doubled its market share of the regional skier market from 1978.”

And this in a North American market where, despite the advent of snowboarding and shaped skis, the absolute number of skiers and boarders has remained stagnant for nearly two decades. B.C. ski areas are taking market share from American resorts, but they are also attracting Brits, Germans, some Japanese and of course skiers from other Canadian provinces. Only 16 per cent of all Canadian skiers live in B.C. but B.C./Yukon ski areas accounted for 32 per cent of all skier visits in Canada last winter.

“The National Ski Areas Association (an American association) every year puts a map up on the wall showing the continental U.S., Hawaii and Alaska and then looks at the skier numbers, and every year they moan and groan,” says Brent Harley of Brent Harley & Associates, one of two Whistler firms specializing in ski area design and planning. “They just don’t see Canada.”

But American skiers and boarders can find Canada, and particularly B.C., on the map. And more than just coming to ski, some are buying into B.C. resorts.

“When we did the master plan for Big White and they got down to legal notices and public hearings, probably 50 per cent of the calls they received were from Washington state,” Harley said. “You look at the fact you can still buy a single family lot there for less than $100,000, and when you buy with American dollars the price becomes even more reasonable.”

The fact that there is real estate available at B.C. ski areas is part of the reason there is so much interest in B.C. ski areas. It’s not just that Americans can buy single family lots for discount prices, it’s B.C.’s Commercial Alpine Ski Policy which “encourages ski development and construction of mountain resort villages to provide on-site overnight accommodation,” according to the Ministry of Employment and Investment. That’s one of the primary reasons Charlie Locke bought the Fernie and Kimberley ski areas: he is allowed to develop real estate at the base of those mountains, something he can’t do at his Skiing Louise resort in Alberta.

In addition to Fernie and Kimberley, the CASP, and Whistler’s success, have sparked plans for expanding or creating villages at Big White, Red Mountain, Panorama, Mount Washington, Sun Peaks, Whitetooth and Silver Star. Most of those plans are underway, drawing investment to B.C.

Paul Mathews of Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners has called the CASP B.C.’s big advantage over other jurisdictions. In Alberta most ski areas are in national or provincial parks, which won’t allow any further development. In the United States most ski areas are on federal forest lands, which are under pressure from all kinds of groups. As Vail’s Category Three expansion showed, it can take more than 10 years for federal approval of a ski area expansion in the United States.

“I think there is some recognition at the provincial level that expansion of the ski industry is good for B.C.,” said Al Raine, one of the architects of the CASP in the early ’70s.

“There’s a real opportunity in B.C. that just isn’t available anywhere else,” adds Harley.

He cites the City of Rossland’s enthusiasm for development at Red Mountain. The City has adjusted its official community plan to encourage development at Red, according to the master plan laid out by Harley. Development of a village at Red Mountain started last summer.

At Silver Star, Concert Properties looked at plans and development potential across B.C. before settling on the Vernon ski area.

But while existing British Columbia resorts are expanding skiing terrain and accommodation in anticipation of continued growth in skier visits and interest in real estate, approval of new ski areas has been a slower process. Oberto Oberti has put his plans for Jumbo Creek in the Kootenays on hold while he concentrates on expanding the Whitetooth area near Golden.

Wolfgang Richter’s Garibaldi at Squamish proposal appears to be stalled while he raises funds to complete studies required under the province’s Environmental Assessment process.

Raine’s proposed Cayoosh Resort at Melvin Creek, off the Duffey Lake Road, may be the closest to approval — but after a decade of work. He expects a recommendation from the EA office by the end of March, but is wary of opposition now coming from environmental groups like the Western Canada Wilderness Committee and SPEC. They’ve raised concerns two months after the last public input period ended.

“Their issue is they don’t want to see development in ‘pristine’ areas,” Raine said this week. “It’s very emotional, but it’s a bit like the Stoltmann — they ignore due process, then raise hell and hope the politicians hear them.

“Where have they been for the last 10 years?”

But perhaps the most intriguing example of the interest in B.C. among skiers can be found at Mike Wiegele’s heli-ski operation in Blue River. Saddle Mountain provides 4,300 vertical feet of skiing terrain. Previously “brutalized” by logging, the mountain is smaller than most of the surrounding peaks and is currently used by the heli-ski operation on days when inclement weather prevents flying to other peaks.

Wiegele wants to put up to four lifts on Saddle Mountain, and although he is proposing the new area be open to the public, it would be a very different type of ski operation.

“Mike asked all these macho male skiers who spend $7,000 for a week of heli-skiing with him what it would take for them to spend two weeks with him,” Harley says. “The answer was, these guys wouldn’t buy two weeks unless their wives and families could come along.”

And although the macho powder skiers’ wives often ski better than them, Wiegele recognized the need for a type of powder learning area, as well as an area that could be used by heli-skiing clients when weather prevents the helicopters from flying. So the concept is to limit the number of skiers on Saddle to 300 per day. Skiers would also have to ski with a guide. Both measures are designed to preserve the powder.

The general public would be welcome, but because there would be a limited number of people on the hill each day they would have to make reservations — sort of like booking tee times for a golf course. Crunching numbers, lift tickets might be in the range of $200 per day — still less than the cost of cat skiing and far below the price of a day’s heli-skiing.

Of course there is a real estate component to the proposal. Nineteen 4-5 acre estate lots are planned — each with its own heli-pad. The lots would probably start at about $1 million and the houses wouldn’t go into a rental pool when their owners were away.

The point is, there appears to be a market for this type of ski experience in a remote corner of B.C.

“Surveys at Blue River have shown people would be willing to come for a month if they had their own places there,” Harley says.

The Saddle Mountain proposal was submitted to government agencies about a year ago and is working its way through the approval process. A component of “warm beds” are also part of the plan, but because the total number of beds proposed is less than 2,000 the project doesn’t have to go through the Environmental Assessment process.

Harley’s firm, in planning the Saddle Mountain proposal, has also done some work on potential ways to minimize logging scars. A series of gladed areas have been cut to minimize the hard edge of the old cutblock on Saddle. The gladed areas include beginner tree-skiing areas, where there is more space between trees, and more advanced areas, where there is less space between the trees.

As well, plans have been forwarded to the Ministry of Forests for future cutblocks on surrounding mountains that would open up the best terrain for heli-skiing. A 60-100 year rotation of cutblocks that would provide sustainable logging and heli-skiing terrain is also part of the plans being reviewed by the Forests Ministry.

Although there hasn’t been a brand new ski area opened anywhere in North America since the early ’80s, Harley says the sheer number of proposals and interest in B.C. suggest at least one of the proposals will eventually be approved.

“Everyone recognizes Whistler’s success,” says Harley, adding that B.C. Assets and Lands seems positively disposed to the creation of new resorts.

“But most of the other ski areas in B.C. want to be something different than Whistler, something unique.”

This, he feels, can work to B.C.’s advantage.

“The variety in B.C. is tremendous, from cat skiing, to the Okanagan resorts, the eastern resorts which largely serve Alberta, and the internationally-recognized resorts, like Wiegele’s and Whistler. It all fits together like a great puzzle,” Harley says.

“B.C. has been fortunate with the snow, the dollar and the (development) situation in the U.S., but the other thing is that as the Cascadia region grows, it plays right into B.C.’s hands.”

And while it does take some political will to champion the ski industry as a significant part of the provincial economy, it’s probably less of a gamble than casinos or fast ferries.



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