Castle Mountain Resort Announces New Chairlift Project
Castle Mountain Resort (Castle) is embarking on a transformative chairlift project, to enhance the skiing and riding experience of its guests, through the installation of a high-speed quad chairlift into its existing cat skiing terrain, on Mt. Haig. This new lift will provide access to more terrain, alleviate base area congestion, and capitalize on a deeper snowpack. The new lift will give access to a mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain, showcasing amazing views of Rainy Ridge, Mount Haig, and the West Castle Valley, as well as lots of great skiing / snowboarding.
Located in the South Canadian Rockies region, adjacent to the Town of Pincher Creek and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, Castle Mountain Resort boasts 95 + trails, across two distinct mountains, and is one of Alberta’s largest ski / snowboard resorts. Known for its abundant snowfall and short lift lines, Castle Mountain Resort remains an independently owned, down-to-earth, and authentic Rocky Mountain winter experience.
The lift project, currently called Haig 1, will see Sunshine Village’s former Angel Express Quad Chairlift upgraded and installed prior to the start of the 2025/2026 season. The Haig 1 Lift Project represents Castle’s single largest on-mountain infrastructure investment in the resorts near 60-year history. Additionally, the resort’s lift serviced, skiable area will increase by more than 25%, with Haig 1 representing the first lift installation at the resort, since the 2006/07 season (Huckleberry Chair). While the project is currently known as the Haig 1 Lift, Castle expects to seek the input of guests and stakeholders in determining a formal name for this new lift.
“The addition of a lift serving this phenomenal terrain will forever transform our guests’ experience”, said Dean Parkinson, General Manager. “The terrain that will soon be available to all has been well loved by our cat skiing guests for over a decade, primarily for its deep snow and great skiing. We are excited to finally be opening up this terrain for everyone to enjoy.”
Planning and design have been underway for several months, with preliminary on-mountain work having already begun. Refurbishment of lift components will occur throughout the winter season, with installation starting after cat skiing operations are completed, in the spring of 2025.
For the 2024/25 season, Castle’s Powder Stagecoach Cat Skiing operation will operate 5 days / week from late December to mid-March, as originally planned. While work on this project will not affect cat skiing operations this winter, this will mark the final season of operations for Castle’s Powder Stagecoach.
Castle Mountain Resort is proud to be taking on this project, utilizing its fantastic team, augmented with subject matter experts to ensure the success of the project. The lift will receive mechanical, electrical, and operational upgrades in order to be ready to go for December 2025.
More here
