Panorama Mountain Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Panorama Mountain Resort |
|
|---|---|
 Panorama Mountain Resort
Location in British Columbia
Panorama Mountain Resort
Location in Canada
|
|
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest city | Invermere - 19 km (12 mi) |
| Coordinates | 50°27′37″N 116°14′18″W / 50.46028°N 116.23833°W |
| Vertical | 1,300 m (4,265 ft) |
| Top elevation | 2,450 m (8,038 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,150 m (3,773 ft) |
| Skiable area | 2,975 acres (12.0 km2) |
| Runs | 129 15% easiest 35% more difficult 20% most difficult 30% Expert |
| Longest run | 6.5 km (4.0 mi) (Wild Thing) |
| Lift system | 10 total 1 gondola (village only), 6 chairlift, 1 platter 2 magic carpets |
| Lift capacity | 8,500 per hr |
| Terrain parks | 2 |
| Snowfall | 520 cm (200 in) |
| Night skiing | Fri-Sat to 7 pm 1 chair, 3 runs |
| Website | PanoramaResort.com |
Panorama Mountain Resort is a popular ski and golf resort located in British Columbia, Canada. It sits in the beautiful Purcell Mountains, offering amazing views of the Rocky Mountains. This resort is a well-known place for tourists, famous for its exciting slopes and stunning scenery. It is owned by Panorama Mountain Village Inc.
Contents
History of Panorama Mountain Resort
How Panorama Started (1962-1968)
Panorama was created in 1962 by Fritz Zehnder from Invermere and Guy Messerli from Switzerland, along with some friends. At first, it had a simple warming hut, a parking lot, and a single rope tow. This rope tow used a V8 engine to pull skiers up a run now called "Old Timer." The resort got its name from a nearby hiking spot called the "Panorama Plateau."
In 1964, a platter lift was installed to replace the rope tow. This platter lift was bought from Sunshine Village, another ski resort. During these early years, volunteers helped run the ski hill.
Growing the Ski Hill (1968-1992)
In 1968, twelve local business people formed a group called Panorama Ski Hill Company Ltd. Their goal was to manage and expand the ski hill. They built a lodge shaped like an A-Frame. In 1969, new ski slopes were cleared. The platter lift was moved to its current spot, and a long wooden T-Bar lift was installed. This T-Bar followed the path of what is now the Mile 1 Express.
In the early 1970s, the company needed more space and money to grow. They sold 75 lots near the base of the hill to raise funds. With this money, they installed a new double chairlift called the "Horizon Chair" in 1975. This lift covered about three-quarters of the path of the current Champagne Express lift.
In 1978, a company from Calgary called Cascade Development Group, led by Alan Graham, bought Panorama. With more money, they built new facilities at the base of the hill. These included the Toby Creek Lodge (1979), the Horsethief Lodge, Pine Inn, and tennis courts (1982), and a conference center (1985). They also expanded the ski area by building the Toby and Sunbird Chairs in 1980. Snowmaking equipment was added in 1983, and the Champagne T-Bar in 1984. This T-Bar helped Panorama host the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in 1985. In 1988, the old wooden T-Bar was replaced by the modern Mile 1 Express quad chair.
New Ownership and Modernization (1993-2009)
In 1993, Intrawest purchased Panorama. This brought in new money for big changes. A T-Bar was built right away to the summit, opening up a challenging area called the "Extreme Dream Zone." In 1997, Intrawest shared a big plan to develop the resort. This plan included more snowmaking, expanding the skiable area, growing the base village, and building the Greywolf Golf Course. That same year, the original A-Frame lodge was replaced.
In 1999, a "pulse gondola" was installed to help people move around the village. In 2001, a new area called Taynton Bowl was added for more advanced skiing. In 2003, the Horizon double chair and Champagne T-Bar were replaced by the Champagne Express. The Summit T-Bar was also replaced by the Summit Quad. In 2008, the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup returned to Panorama for Giant Slalom and Slalom races. Over these years, many new places to stay were built in the village.
Recent Developments (2010-Present)
In 2010, a group of local investors called Panorama Mountain Village Inc. bought the resort from Intrawest. In December 2014, the resort opened the Discovery Quad chairlift. This new chair helps beginners move easily from the magic carpet lifts to a regular chairlift, making learning to ski much simpler. In 2017 and 2019, more terrain was added in the Taynton Bowl area. This area is now reached by a special 13-passenger snowcat called "Monster X."
Panorama is also a popular training spot in the fall for ski teams from across North America. This includes the Canadian Alpine and Para Alpine ski teams. In 2015, Panorama hosted the Para Alpine World Championships.
Future Expansion Plans
The Panorama Master Plan includes exciting ideas for the future. There are plans to build another lift in the Taynton Bowl area. Also, two more lifts are planned for the Sun Bowl area, which might be called Hopeful Creek and Sun Bowl chairs.
Panorama's Size and Features
Panorama Mountain Resort is quite large for North America. It has 2,975 acres (12.04 km2) of skiable terrain that can be reached by lifts. This makes it one of the top ten resorts in terms of size. It also has one of the biggest vertical drops in North America, at 4,265 feet (1,300 m). A "vertical drop" is the difference in height from the top of the ski hill to the bottom. For continuously skiable vertical drop (meaning you can ski all the way down without stopping), Panorama is 5th in North America at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft). Only Revelstoke, Whistler Blackcomb, Jackson Hole, and Kicking Horse have longer continuous drops.
What You Can Do at Panorama
At the base of the ski hill, there's a resort village with places to stay, restaurants, and shops. You can also relax at the Panorama Springs Pools complex.
Panorama also has a Nordic Centre with about 20.5 km of trails for classic and skate skiing. There are also 6.6 km of trails just for classic skiing. About 4 km from the Nordic Centre, you can find the Hale Hut.
The resort is home to the Greywolf golf course, which winds along the beautiful Toby Creek Canyon.
The only way to get to Panorama is by driving on a road from the town of Invermere, which is about 18 km (11 mi) away.
Images for kids
-
Horsethief Lodge
-
Toby Double Chair viewed from the Horsethief Lodge
