Enhance, protect and share the unique natural and cultural experiences of Kananaskis Country through public participation and environmental education.

Holes and Fortress

The K-Pow Cat Skiing operation

K-Country is full of Holes

If you pull out your GemTrek maps, or just look at the simplified map at right, you’ll see that the designated Provincial Parks in Kananaskis are full of “holes”. The holes are mostly public lands that were held under some kind of disposition prior to the designation of the Parks that now surround them.

The Bow Valley corridor has the most holes; we count at least 5 holes in Bow Valley Wildland Park, some near Canmore, some in Quaite Valley, almost all of which are old mineral dispositions, or the odd small spot of privately owned land. Not much happens on most of these holes, except for the active Kamenka Rundle Rock Quarry near Harvie Heights (which we’ll write about on another page).

In 2022, one big and one small hole near Canmore visible in the map above right were filled. In the map to the right, you can see that the holes were filled with the expansion of Bow Valley Wildland Park.

There are other holes in K-Country, too, such as the private Burns land in the middle of the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Park. That land is VERY unique in that it has has been privately owned 1903. The Public Lands folks, not Alberta Parks, manage the holes that are Public Land, and each hole has its own story.

Possibly the most significant and noticeable hole, and the most fascinating story, is the 3,320 acres of what is today Fortress Mountain ski area.

How long has Fortress been there?

The short answer is: a LONG time, and LONG before there were any Parks nearby.

Today, Fortress is surrounded on three sides by Spray Valley Provincial Park (“SVPP”), and on the 4th side by Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (“PLPP”). As we write here, SVPP was created in 2000 – which was 33 years after Fortress came to be. PLPP, created in 1978, came 11 years after Fortress. Fortress had already been there – and gone into bankruptcy the first time – for 5 years before the Alberta Wilderness Association even came up with the idea to promote protection of the Kananaskis area, so it even pre-dates the concept of Kananaskis as you know it today.

Fortress opened for the first time in late 1967, when the only way to get there was to take the rutted, gravel, poorly maintained and rarely-plowed Kananaskis-Coleman Forestry Road that predated Highway 40. And it wasn’t Fortress then; it started life as Snowridge Ski Resort (in “kananaSKIs valley”). Click on the picture at right to see the original 1967 layout of the runs and lifts.

Several people were involved in the creation of Snowridge, including David Bullock and his brothers Chris and Evan, plus Al Compton & Arnold Choquette of the Calgary Ski Club. The Club considered building a clubhouse there and had runs and a race area designated for their use in the design.

The iconic Fortress daylodge (at right), with its hyperbolic parabaloid roof just like the Saddledome’s, designed by Joseph K. English, was built in the summer of 1967. English also designed the Scandinavian Centre in Calgary and numerous other churches and buildings in Alberta. Many don’t know, but the daylodge originally hosted a ~30 room hotel which had sleeping capacity for up to 140 people, plus an 80 seat restaurant and a 300 seat cafeteria.

The famous and unique “Curved T-Bar” was installed for opening, as was a beginner T-Bar and the Far Side chair. Other than the Canadian and Back Side chairs being added in 1975 (the top of the Back Side Chair at right), and a few small buildings that have been removed, not much has changed since 1967. A history of neglect, and lack of maintenance or upgrades, is part of the Fortress story.

Fortress’ Timeline

The timeline of Snowridge/Fortress is a long story of ups and downs with at least 3 extended closures (1971-74, 2004-05, & 2006-11) and two bankruptcies. In brief:

  • 1967: Snowridge opens. Lift tickets were $5 and season’s passes were $100 ($37 and $752 in 2020 dollars). Hotel rooms went for $14/night ($105 today). See more here.
  • 1970: Acquired by Greyhound in October (yes, the bus lines!)
  • 1971: Heli-skiing offered in Jan-Mar. Snowridge permanently closes for business at season end.
  • 1973: Mortgages foreclosed & bankruptcy declared. Snowridge put up for judicial sale in summer. Construction of Highway 40 starts.
  • 1974: Area acquired; 50% owned by Aspen Skiing Company. Re-opens in fall as Fortress Mountain.
  • 1975: Canadian (Front Side) & Back Side chairs installed.
  • 1976: Heli-skiing offered again. 6 condos built over the summer.
  • 1978: Kananaskis Provincial Park (later renamed Peter Lougheed PP) established; Fortress lease area now partially bordered on one side by a Park. 1978 Trail Map pictured at right.
  • 1983: Aspen sells one of Fortress’ T-Bars to Blackcomb. Blackcomb removes the T-Bar and erects it up on Blackcomb Glacier, establishing Blackcomb’s year round reputation. Coincidentally, the Manager of Blackcomb at the time was the former Manager of Fortress in 1975, Hugh R. Smythe. Smythe left Fortress in 1976 to develop Blackcomb.
  • 1986: Fortress purchased by Joe Couillard & Charlie Locke’s company Locke, Stock and Barrel (NB: Locke is already owner of Lake Louise Ski Area at this time).
  • 1997: Locke, Stock and Barrel’s ski resort holdings re-branded as Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR)
  • 1998: Alberta Environment shuts down potable water system at Fortress for not meeting health standards. Repairs to it are made during the summer.
  • 2000: Banff Rail Company (BRC), headed by Zriko Amerl, offers to purchase Fortress from RCR. Spray Valley PP established; Fortress now surrounded by parks.
  • 2001: RCR files for bankruptcy protection; RCR puts Fortress up for sale but continues operations.
  • 2003: BRC offers to purchase Fortress again.
  • 2004: In April, RCR closes Fortress.
  • 2005: In September, BRC purchases Fortress with plans to re-open in December
  • 2006: Fortress re-opens in January for 4 months. In April, Kananaskis Improvement District (KID) Fire Chief orders permanent closure of day lodge, hotel and condos for failing to meet fire codes. In May, BRC presents KID with long term plan for the resort, which can be seen here or by clicking on the image. In September, Alberta’s Director of Fair Trading orders the hill to stop selling seasons passes as the resort probably will not operate. Hill does not operate in winter 2006-2007.
  • 2007: In February, the bridge over the Kananaskis River leading to the hill is condemned, and the road is closed to the public by Ministerial Order (an order still in place as of 2022). In October, Alberta Environment cancels BRC road use and other licences and leases (see below) due to failure to ensure safe travel to the hill.

  • 2009: The movie “Inception” is filmed at the resort. To do so, a new one-lane bridge is built by Warner Brothers and the road upgraded. BRC starts selling passes again with hopes of re-opening in the winter, but is sued for credit fraud as proceeds are being used to pay creditors. Hill does not open that winter.
  • 2010: BRC sells to Fortress Mountain Holdings (FMH). Leases and licenses are reinstated. Over the next 18 months, FMH continues road upgrades and removes unsafe and dilapidated outbuildings.
  • 2011: K-POW Snow Cat Skiing operation commences in December.
  • 2013: In May, FMH presents KID with a new long term plan for the resort. Commercial guided hiking trips commence at Fortress in partnership with White Mountain Adventures.
  • 2014: Resort Area Structure Plan (ASP) approved.
  • 2018: Fortress applies to permit trucking of water off the property (see more details below).
  • 2020: Approval to remove the water is granted. The water is shipped to Calgary and is both sold in cans and used to make beer under the “rok” label.

Fortress Today

These days, the cat skiing operation is in full swing 3-5 days per week in winter, and FMH is trying to move ahead with re-development under the approved ASP. You can see the investor presentations on their website here. So far, the Curve T-Bar has been removed and assessments have been done on the integrity of the chair lifts for potential re-use of foundations and towers. Electrical infrastructure is being upgraded.

The day lodge, hotel and condos remain forlornly boarded up and locked to entry as they have been since 2006; the day lodge probably can’t be re-opened but the condos could be upgraded and re-opened. Someone got up there, went inside the day lodge in 2022 and made a video. Based on the comments in the video, we doubt they had permission to enter. Watch the video here. Damage done to the roads and buildings by the 2013 flood has been repaired.

The snowmaking system has been tested and inspected. That snowmaking system has been in place since 1967. FMH continues to hold the original 1967 water licenses that were granted to pull water from a creek on the property to make snow, and for domestic use. These licenses got into the news starting in 2018 when FMH applied to truck water off the property and sell it. You can see a copy of the application here.  The application proposed trucking water that was excess to the current needs. The permit they received runs only until the water is needed on site again. This proposal and its approval were controversial at the time, and was opposed by the Stony Nation, among others. See more here.

Commercial filming, including, TV shows, many TV commercials and movies such as THE BOURNE LEGACY, THE REVENANT and JUMANJI 2 continue to be filmed there.

Their lease approvals have all included timelines for them to re-open as a traditional commercial ski area, but these have been extended several times. When the leases were re-approved in 2010, that opening was to occur for the 2013-14 season. That has since been amended and delayed 5 times, and re-opening is currently slated for 2023-24. Certainly Fortress continues to make progress with lift removals and replacement, though they have faced numerous setbacks, including the 2013 flood and COVID-19, just to name two.

They started commercial hiking and snowshoeing in 2017 as well, partnered with White Mountain Adventures.

Can anyone go up there?

FMH now holds the original 5 leases that cover a small, 16-acre portion of the Fortress area, basically the area with the remaining buildings. The 5 leases convey exclusive use rights for which you need their permission to cross or be on, and they take up the centre core area at the top of the road. Once you get up the road, it’s virtually impossible to not be on their lease. You can read the latest version of the lease — signed in 2010 — and see the maps of the 5 leased areas here. The leases now run until 2045.

The rest of the ~3,300 acres is held by FMH as a “License of Occupation”, or “DLO”, under and governed by the Public Lands Act. Under the Public Lands Administration Regulation (“PLAR”), a DLO is one of several ways land dispositions can occur. According to the PLAR Formal Disposition Information Letter IL 2017-01:

  • A license is a statutory instrument that grants the right to use public land for a specified purpose and/or activity but does not grant exclusivity and is issued for a specified period of time;
  • Licenses of Occupation (LOC/DLOs) and Grazing Licenses (FGLs) are formal dispositions.
  • DLOs grant the right to occupy public land for an approved purpose.
    Areas under a DLO are considered vacant disposition area.
  • DLOs may be renewed, assigned, mortgaged, transferred, or reinstated (if the requirements are met) but cannot be sublet.
  • Terms of DLOs are variable, from 10-25 years, and are renewable.

Despite searching, we haven’t seen or read the DLOs that cover Fortress’ 3,320 acres (DLO2562, 100233 and 100234), nor DLO2433 that covers the road, so we can’t tell you what they say. The general rights they infer are that they permit Fortress to use the land but NOT stop you from using it, as they are non-exclusive rights. However — and this is a biggie — the 2007 Ministerial Order closing the road to the public remains in force. Fortress can drive on it to access their leases, but you can’t. Fortress gets individual permits to do filming on their leases and road, and these allow various access, but not to the public.

What about hiking or skiing?

We get asked if you can skin up the 7 km road in winter and get in some turns; yes, you can, maybe. But, since they road is actively used by vehicles and often has film crews on it, you would be VERY wise to ask Fortress first. In addition, Fortress does avalanche control using explosives to protect the road and some of the runs; it would be bad if you were going up the road and were taken out by one they set off. The area saw several “slack-country” fatalities in 1997 and 2002, none of which were the fault of Fortress, and none of which occurred on Fortress’ leases or DLOs – but they illustrate the avi risk there. Also, note the sign, hanging on their gate in 2022. So call first, and respect Fortress’ guidance. And… stay off their lease without permission.

We also get asked if you can drive, hike or bike up the road in summer to go hiking; right now, the answer is an emphatic NO to driving due to the Ministerial closure, but yes to hiking or biking. But again, you would be very wise remember that Fortress is an active construction site, and to contact Fortress first (and stay off their lease).

The road DLO is a bit different in that it doesn’t require the road to be built or maintained to a Provincial standard. It also requires it to have a locked gate, and the licensee “must permit other persons to travel without charge along and across the road”, all pursuant to PLAR Sections 94 & 95 (that latter clause doesn’t mean they are obligated to let you use it; it just means they can’t make it a toll road). You on the Fortress road creates liability for Fortress, so Fortress has a right to manage that liability. If the Ministerial Order is ever lifted, then technically you can drive up the road – but not drive on their lease without their permission.

Recognize the mountain in this Jumanji 2 still?

Fortress’ DLOs give them commercial usage rights, and you’re not supposed to interfere with that. Some permits for films can contain clauses that restrict access. So your skiing or biking adventure could interfere with their commercial skiing operation or movie filming, and that’s not OK. Key message: ask first.

And no matter what, you’re not allowed on their leased part without their permission; that’s the top of the road and the area around the lift bases. So if you go all the way up the road to do most anything, you’ll need their permission to do anything other than turn around and come back down.

If you really want to go up there, contact White Mountain Adventures and join up with one of their summer or winter guided tours. Or… go cat skiing.

What you can do in the license area is hunt with their permission, since it is public land and not part of a park. And the area has seen active hunting in season in the past. We can’t offer insight as to how to gain access, though the sign on the gate in 2022 suggests gaining access these days could be an issue. The area is also the core of the home range for one of Kananaskis’ most productive female grizzlies, including several of her historical den sites. You would be very wise to carry bear spray up there. Just sayin’…

We’ve been up to Fortress a couple of times in the last few years, looking at those grizzly dens and servicing research cameras in the summer for Alberta Parks Ecology, and even cat skiing one day. It’s a stunning place, and the cat skiing is a lot of fun. With Fortress’ storied history, who can tell what the next 51 years will hold?

Want to know more?

Here are some stories that have been written about Snowridge and Fortress by various publications over the years (assuming the links aren’t broken).