Master Plan for Fortress Mountain, AB, Revival Released: Its History, Why it Failed, and Why it Could Now Be Successful

Fortress Mountain is located about an hour southwest of Calgary, Alberta. The base of the resort is situated on top of a flat ridge at 6,700 feet. From the old base lodge, you have a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountain peaks above and the Kananaskis Valley below. Thanks to the elevation, Fortress Mountain receives generous amounts of low-density snow averaging 300 inches annually.

The resort operated for the first time in 1967 under the name Snow Ridge. Unfortunately, the resort didn’t have much success in the first few seasons due to the long unpaved road to the resort. The Canadian government did eventually agree to pave 30 of the 36 miles of road but gave no timeframe for when it would get done. Before any work on the road was started, the Supreme Court ordered the owners of Snow Ridge to sell their shares of the resort.

In steps Aspen Ski Co purchasing 50% of the stock in 1975. Aspen renamed the resort Fortress Mountain and created a smaller company, Fortress Mountain Resorts Ltd, to manage operations. Aspen immediately invested money in a new triple chairlift on the front side, staff housing, and a rental shop. With these improvements and the government finally making progress on the road, Fortress Mountain was finally making a profit.

Fortress Mountain would make its first attempt to develop into a 4-season resort in 1979 following Calgary’s bid to host the 1988 Winter Olympics. Plans were made to construct a 10 million dollar village at the base including 100 condo units, an expansion for the lodge, and summer use facilities such as pools and tennis courts. Though the plans passed the province’s preliminary approval it was decided that no condo units would be built in the Kananaskis Valley at that time. This would mark the start of the long battle between Fortress Mountain and the provincial government.

To make matters worse, the government announced in 1983 that they would be developing another ski resort in the Kananaskis Valley between Fortress Mountain and Calgary. It was around this time that Aspen Ski Co. sold its stock in the resort to legendary ski mogul Charlie Locke who was currently the sole owner of Lake Louis, BC.

Over the next couple of decades, Locke would attempt to repeat the success he had in Lake Louis but to no avail. Every attempt to develop Fortress Mountain was eventually blocked by the provincial government. Unable to invest in Fortress Mountain, Locke instead purchased Fernie and Kimberly Mountain Resorts in British Columbia. Guest turnout at Fortress Mountain began to steadily decline and by the 2004-2005 season lifts were only operating on the weekends. The resort briefly reopened in 2006 but the vital bridge along the road up to the resort collapsed, ending the season abruptly and leading to the indefinite closure and abandonment of the resort.

For nearly two decades, Fortress Mountain Resort sat idly by with little to no hope of operating again. That is until Alberta passed the All-Seasons Resort Act in November, 2024. As the name suggests, the bill aims to help develop all-season ski resorts in Alberta. To do so, the bill has streamlined preliminary processes and opened up access to provincial land with a new lease designation. The goal is to increase tourist revenue from $10 to $25 billion by 2035, a drastic increase for such a short period of time.

Just this past week, a master plan for Fortress Mountain’s revival was released by Ecosign Mountain Resort Planner. Composed of over 100 pages, the five-phase plan includes six new chairlifts, two gondolas, and six surface lifts. The village will include a base lodge, hotel, retail shops, spa, brewery, and even an indigenous culture center. An alpine coaster, zip lines, and mini golf are also in the plan for the summer.

By the end of phase five, Ecosign estimates that the resort will receive nearly 10,000 visitors daily while employing up to 1,500 workers. To accommodate everyone, they have planned to construct a total of 1,304 rental units for tourists, 522 real estate units, and 691 employee housing.

Fortress Mountain’s Project Director Danielle Vlemmiks spoke to the press after the plan’s release stating that “Fortress means a lot to Albertans, and this is our opportunity to bring it back in a way that reflects who we are today and what we want to leave for future generations.”

With the Winter Olympics currently going on, it’s hard not to speculate if Alberta will make another bid to host in the near future. The 2038 Olympics would also be the 50th anniversary of the first Calgary Winter Olympics and could help them win the bid. Whether or not this is the case, the provincial government has made it clear that it is ready to support the development of Alberta’s ski industry. For the first time in decades, Fortress Mountain has hope for revival in a big way.