Bridal Veil Mountain Resort Staff Speakers At World’s Top Mountain Development Conference

Bridal Veil Mountain Resort (BVMR), the proposed all-season resort seeking to become the first in Canada to be co-owned and managed with First Nations, headed to Mountain Planet in France, where it delivered on an invitation to be one of five international speakers on a panel exploring mountain tourism industry issues and strategies. At the same time, members of the BVMR team were also be meeting with key industry stakeholders at the Canada West Ski Areas Association’s (CWSAA) annual Spring Meeting in Lake Louise, Alberta.

BVMR is BC’s next great all-season mountain resort, situated on 11,500 acres near Chilliwack, 100 km east of Vancouver. The project would be located in in S’ólh Téméxw, the traditional and unceded lands of the Stó:lō people. The project is currently in the Expression of Interest stage of British Columbia’s all-season resort development application process.

Mountain Planet is the world’s largest and most prestigious conference for mountain development. Held every two years in Grenoble and Alpe D’Huez in France, it brings together more than 23,000 professionals from 67 countries and 900 brands to explore a wide range of issues and ideas. Participants include resort operators, national ski associations, destination marketing organizations, equipment manufacturers, service providers, and government ministries.

While BVMR is currently in the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage and is working closely with BC’s Mountain Resorts Branch, the proposed project has already attracted the attention of the international mountain tourism community for its approach to development and its commitment since inception to being jointly designed, developed, managed and owned by the Stó:lō First Nations in the Fraser Valley, in partnership with BVMR.

Heading to France on behalf of BVMR are Executive Vice President Jeff Wilson and Matt Bakker, a Resort Planner and Project Manager with Brent Harley & Associates (BHA), one of the world’s most experienced and respected mountain resort planning and design firms. Over the past 40 years, BHA has created more than 100 successful resort master plans in North America, Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, including Lake Louise and Big White in Canada.

“Mountain Planet provides a unique opportunity for us to further build project awareness, connect with potential vendors and learn more about the European market and tourists/skiers for whom authentic Indigenous experiences are a high priority,” said Wilson. “Given our commitment to Stó:lō cultural, traditional, and land stewardship values as the foundation for all BVMR planning, we’re also excited to explore cutting edge ideas and technologies other operators are using to bolster their environmental sustainability and proactively address any future challenges of climate change.

“What’s interesting for many in the international community is we’re a blank slate that’s making full Indigenous participation, environmental sustainability and balanced four-season operation our highest priorities from Day 1. For us, that means being fully committed to Indigenous ownership, design, and management, ensuring that it is a Stó:lō-led project in S’ólh Téméxw. This will involve designing the resort in a way that it can thrive 12 months of the year, with summer, cultural and sightseeing activities that complement a strong winter offering.

While Wilson and Bakker represented BVMR in the French Alps, BVMR President Robert Wilson and Brent Harley of BHA represented the project in the Canadian Rockies at the Canada West Ski Areas Association’s (CWSAA) annual Spring Meeting in Lake Louise, Alberta, April 26-28. There, representatives from 117 ski areas and 145 suppliers gathered to explore a wide range of issues of importance to Canada’s ski industry including safety, risk management, sustainable market growth, and people and talent development.

Since holding its virtual public information sessions nearly a year ago, BVMR has continued to make ongoing engagement and consultation with all Stó:lō Communities its highest priority. In the meantime, the Mountain Resorts Branch has collected feedback from First Nations, provincial agencies, and stakeholders, and conducted a ground and aerial tour of BVMR’s proposed base lands, road access options and 11,500-acres of alpine terrain as part of its EOI review process.

If approved, the next step in BVMR’s application process would be the submission of a Formal Proposal with additional studies and details related to the proposed resort concept, potential impacts, benefits, and overall feasibility. A unique aspect of the Formal Proposal is that it will be jointly designed and planned by the participating Stó:lō Communities and BVMR, incorporating Stó:lō cultural, traditional and land stewardship values and Stó:lō world views.