Drumheller Valley Ski Area
A non-profit ski hill cut into the Canadian Badlands at Drumheller, open from December 1993 until 2010 and undone by a $30,000 water bill and skiers who preferred the Rockies.
- Region
- Alberta
- Country
- Canada
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1993
- Year closed
- 2010
- Reason for closure
- Too few visitors and mounting debt. The operation defaulted on its loans and ran up an outstanding water bill of 30,000 Canadian dollars, while skiers went instead to Banff and Jasper, or to closer alternatives like Canada Olympic Park and Wintergreen. Its last season was 2009-10.
History
The Drumheller Valley ski area was an unlikely thing: a lift-served hill cut into the coulees of the Canadian Badlands, the dinosaur country of central Alberta, a long way from any mountain. It opened in December 1993, run as a non-profit with community fundraising behind it, and offered seven trails served by two lifts, the main one a Riblet fixed-grip quad. The problem was the competition. Albertans with a weekend to spend went to Banff or Jasper, and those wanting something closer had Canada Olympic Park in Calgary or Wintergreen at Bragg Creek, both of which are also in this dataset. Visitor numbers never justified the costs; the operation defaulted on its loans and accumulated a 30,000 dollar water bill, and the last season was 2009-10. The quad chairlift was removed in 2014, which makes a reopening improbable. The site now borders the Badlands Amphitheatre. Vertical, run names and the second lift are not documented, and the coordinates given here mark Drumheller rather than the ski ground itself.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Quad | Riblet | A Riblet fixed-grip quad chairlift, removed in 2014 |
| Unnamed lift | A second lift served the area; its type and manufacturer are not documented |
Sources and further reading
More in Canada
Location
51.4652, -112.7075