Fire Destroys Kimberley Chair Station
At approximately 3:00 am on Saturday, December 18, a fire broke out and destroyed the lift control building adjacent to the upper terminal of the North Star Express lift, the main ski lift on the front side of the Kimberley Alpine Resort.
The local RCMP seems to be taking an interest "On December 18, 2021 at approximately 3:00 a.m., the Kimberley RCMP attended a fire at the Kimberley Alpine Resort at the request of the Kimberley Fire Department. The Kimberley RCMP called in additional resources which included the Police Dog Service and the Forensic Identification Unit from Cranbrook as the origin and cause could not be immediately determined. Additional scene examination continues to determine the cause of the fire."
The resort says "We are relieved to report that no one was hurt in the fire.
"The Kimberley Fire Department and the RCMP responded immediately and are currently actively investigating the cause of the fire. We are assisting and supporting their investigation in any way we can.
"As soon as the seriousness of the incident became clear our thoughts immediately turned to all the families, children, and other keen skiers and riders who we love and who would be losing access to the mountain via the Northstar Quad chair until we can get it fixed again.
"Our hearts also go out to everyone in Kimberley who makes a living dependent on tourism and the operation of the ski resort, including the owners of many of the businesses in town, and the great staff who work for them.
"Thank you for all the kind words of support you are providing, and the offerings of help many of the businesses in the region have come to us with. We've seen so many examples over the last few days of why we all love Kimberley.
"Please know that our main focus right now is continuing to give locals and visitors access to the great skiing and riding up there, and to make visiting the resort as fun and enjoyable as we can. These are some of the initiatives that we currently have underway for the holidays:
- Offering a ski/snowboard delivery service by snowmobile up the Ridgeway Road for those who choose to walk to the backside
- Adding night lights to the Owl T-bar so that the long tradition of night skiing in Kimberley can continue
- Looking for an alternative location for the rail park, possibly in the base area
- Getting the Easter top BBQ going again
- And providing the Kootenay Haus to give guests access to a warm building without having to come back to the base area
- Plus events and activities in the base including the skating rink to create family fun
"While this has been a difficult blow for all our staff, please know that we are feeling energized and excited to do the best we can for you.
"Our other main focus of course is getting the Quad chair up running again as soon as we possibly can. We are working hard to source any parts we can from around the world to try to replace what was lost. We will keep you updated when we have an idea of the possible timelines.
"Thank you for all your support. The riding's really good up there from the recent snow, there's lots more snow in the forecast, and so we hope to see you up on the mountain soon!"
