Industry News
Founded in 1926, Canada’s Banff Mt. Norquay Ski & Summer Resort is making progress on its commitment to its Norquay 100 Vision, which aims to set up the next century of the world class resort. The Norquay 100 Vision was originally developed in 2022, although it was not approved by Parks Canada, so the resort is back with a revised plan. As 2026 approaches, Mt. Norquay is gearing up for its 100 year anniversary, and big upgrades are on the way. The Norquay 100 Vision is an initiative set to replace the aging North American lift, with a state-of- the-art gondola. The top of the gondola will drop skiers and riders off at the Cliff House lodge. There is also a proposal to bring passenger rail service from Calgary with expanded parking at the Banff train station.
The ‘North American’ chair is one of the oldest lifts in western Canada. Upgrading this lift is one major part of the Norquay 100 Vision. This upgrade will represent a massive improvement as the incoming lift will be a gondola, which will increase comfort during Canada’s cold spells and tough winter days. The gondola will rise from the Base Lodge to drop skiers and riders off at a newly expanded Cliff House. Alongside the lift upgrade, the North American lodge will be removed, and the Cliff House will undergo a major expansion and renovation.
Another major component of Norquay 100 Vision is to bring back passenger rail service between Calgary and the Banff train station. Adding passenger rail service to Banff will only make it smoother and easier to access the popular resort town. The proposed passenger rail service would take thousands of cars off the road to improve the Banff experience for guests. In 2022, Banff proposed an aerial gondola from the train station to Mt. Norquay, so visitors could take the train from Calgary to Banff then a gondola up to the ski mountain in the summer or winter. Unfortunately the plan was denied by Parks Canada and has yet to come to fruition. This plan would have drastically improved the guest experience navigating Banff.
The town introduced paid parking downtown in 2021 to try to alleviate traffic congestion. The area is surrounded by national parks, and is running out of space to put visitor vehicles. A train directly from Calgary would reduce traffic on crowded roads and make for a more sustained and enjoyable experience. The town of Banff is working to get the federal and provincial governments to invest in this transit solution, and create direct passenger rail service from downtown Calgary to Banff National Park.
Norquay 100 Vision is also focusing on sustainability as climate change is quickly altering the ski industry. Mt. Norquay was the first Canadian ski resort to use 100% green energy beginning two years ago. This was achieved by combining wind and hydro power which continues to lower the mountain’s carbon footprint. Mt. Norquay hopes to be a leader in the transition to green energy for ski resorts.
Mt. Norquay is part of SkiBig3, which also includes Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine resorts. If successful, these projects on and off the mountains will raise the bar and set the stage for the next 100 years and represent major forward-thinking investments into the resort. Mt. Norquay is working to become a year-round, world class destination and these improvements will help elevate its on-mountain experience.
