Industry News
Vancouver’s closest ski area could nearly quadruple its skiable terrain and expand from three lifts to 14 under a new 60-year master plan unveiled by Mount Seymour.
British Columbia’s Mount Seymour has revealed its 60-year master plan for expanding the resort’s offerings and making it a year-round alpine hub in the Metro Vancouver area. The plan includes major upgrades and expansion of both its mountain facilities and base area facilities as the resort looks to build upon its previous 90 years of operations.
Expanded Terrain and New Lifts
Mount Seymour is widely recognized for being the most beginner-friendly resort in the Vancouver area. When developing its master plan, the resort “found an oversupply of beginner and novice terrain and a lack of intermediate, advanced, and expert terrain.” Because of this, the resort plans to increase its intermediate, advanced, and expert terrain to “more closely align with the distribution of skier skill classes in the skier marketplace and respond to increasing demand for alpine skiing in the Metro Vancouver region.” Currently, 66% of the resort’s terrain serves beginner and novice skiers, 30.3% serves low intermediate and intermediate, and just 3.7% suits advanced and expert skiers. Mount Seymour’s future terrain is “designed to address this imbalance.”
In total, 287 acres of skiable terrain will be added to Mount Seymour. Its plan does not include how much will be intermediate, advanced, or expert, but it is estimated that it will be a “significant increase.” At the buildout, Mount Seymour’s total skiable terrain will be 390 acres, a significant increase from its current 104 acres.
The master plan also includes the construction of new lifts. It plans to increase its lift offerings from three lifts to 14, five of which will offer access to its new terrain.
After its completion, Mount Seymour’s alpine skiing facilities will have a peak comfortable carrying capacity of approximately 4,500 skiers, a dramatic increase from its current 1,717. Peak comfortable carrying capacity is “a measure of the optimal number of skiers who can use a resort during its busiest period while ensuring a pleasant recreational experience and avoiding degradation of the surrounding environment.”
Base Area Upgrades
Mount Seymour’s master plan will bring major upgrades to its base area. Its main focus is on building more space, including bars, restaurants, and retail shops, alongside services such as a ski school, rental area, and day lockers. Administrative space will be expanded as well.
A new parking lot near the resort’s plaza is included in the master plan. The new lot’s capacity has not been released at this time.
The planned additions to the base area “will provide a visitor-centred experience supported by restaurants, a pub, rentals, and guest services.”
Summer Additions
Mount Seymour is also expanding its summer offerings. It plans to construct a beginner mountain biking trail, an aerial adventure park, and a zip line system. The resort also plans to extend its network of hiking trails.
25 cabins and a disc golf course are also in the works.
Mount Seymour Looking for Public Opinion
To better understand the public’s attitude on the draft of the plan, Mount Seymour is still receiving public engagement until 4 p.m. on June 26. A feedback survey can be filled out here.
If fully built, the plan would transform Mount Seymour from a small local hill into one of British Columbia’s larger ski destinations while creating a year-round recreation hub just 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver.
