Marmot Basin formally announced this week that construction has begun on its new lift that will be ready for next winter’s ski season.

“It will be business as usual this season, and as we wind down parts will start arriving,” said Brian Rode, vice president of marketing and sales. So far, the only construction that has been done is the running of power access up to where the lift will be. The rest of the work will begin in April.

Marmot completed its vision statements and site guideline agreements with Parks Canada in February, got approval for the lift in July, and in the third week of September decided to go with Leitner-Poma as the manufacturer.

The new, $8-million, four-person detachable lift will stretch from the base of the lower mountain near the Eagle Express terminal to the top of the Kiefer T-bar. It will replace both the Kiefer and the Tranquilizer lifts, which are slated for removal next year.

With a slope length of 2,300 m and a vertical rise of 596 m, Marmot’s new lift will be the longest in Alberta. It will be quick, traveling at 5.08 metres per second for a total ride time of 7.5 minutes, and able to carry 2,400 passengers per hour.

The second longest lift in the province is the Olympic chair at Nakiska Ski Resort at 2,168 m.

The benefits of the new lift, according to Marmot, will be that it’s a non-stop ride to the top of the mountain, it provides access to runs suitable for skiers and boarders of all ability levels, and fewer line-ups with two high speed lifts from the base area.

Also, the removal of the T-bar track means more slope area will be opened up, and a new terrain park will be developed where the Tranquilizer chair was. 

“We are all looking forward to this new addition to our already friendly and accessible hill and trail system,” said president Dave Gibson. “Having this new lift will substantially enhance the quality of skiers’ and snowboarders’ visits by increasing the accessibility of our upper mountain terrain, right from the bottom of the mountain.”?

During construction, Marmot will aim to adhere to the same environmentally friendly practices it did while building the Eagle’s Ridge Chair in 2004, for which they were awarded the Jasper National Park Stewardship Award. 

“It was awarded to us for the way in which we installed that chair to mitigate the environmental impact,” Rode said, and added that the aim of reducing that impact will be upheld throughout the construction of the new lift. For instance, large mechanical components for the top station and drive system will be moved into place over snow to reduce the impact on soil and vegetation.