Study Design

British Columbia is home to some of the best skiing in North America. It’s diverse terrain and steep topography makes for excellent locations for the development of ski resorts. I’ve had the opportunity to explore many of B.C.’s ski resorts and enjoyed each resort. However, avid skiers are always looking for new adventures with more challenging terrain. With increasing numbers of skiers and snowboarders, market demand is solid and growing. The 2010 Winter Olympics will bring people from all over the world to Vancouver that will only increase the market potential of a new ski resort in the southern region of British Columbia. As higher pressure is placed on southern B.C. ski resorts, locals will look to new resorts to avoid the long line-ups and to provide new experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The focus of this project is to prepare a technical analysis of a potential ski area located in southern B.C. The areas to be examined include the Lower Mainland, Thompson Okanagan, BC Rockies, and the Cariboo Chilcotin region. Developing a ski resort is an enormous challenge, and finding suitable areas is the first step. Critical aspects need to be carefully considered such as slope, elevation, bodies of water, native reserves, and proximity to roads and cities. The construction of a ski resort would entail plenty of planning and research. The proposed ski resort, Silver Summits, is planned to contain a number of features including:

• Encompassing area of 300-500acres
• Vertical 1,070m
• 9 chairlifts: 4 high-speed quads, 3 double chairs, 2 T-bars
• 65 ski runs
• 45% advanced runs, 30% intermediate runs, 25% beginner runs
• 2 full capacity day Lodges
• Parking for 400 cars
• Moving carpet from parking to base chairlift

Silver Summits will be a considerable size initially and provide options for further expansion in the future. A small village will be built at the base of the mountain composed of a variety of hotels, condos, restaurants and shops.

Each ski resort provides a unique experience. I have compiled a list of criteria to research potential locations for Silver Summits in southern B.C.:

• Elevation
• Slope
• Exclusion of provincial parks
• Exclusion of national parks
• Exclusion of native reserves
• Exclusion of lakes
• Exclusion of rivers 
• Exclusion of watershed
• Proximity to cities
• Proximity to roads

This criteria will be manipulated in different ways in order to conduct a multi-criteria analysis of suitable land for a ski resort in southern B.C. The intent is to provide a world-class ski experience with family-friendly prices.