WHITEWATER UPGRADE
Whitewater Ski Resort Sees Upgrades Both On and Off the Slopes
This past January there was big news in the ski industry when Whitewater Ski Resort announced that it would be upgrading its original Summit Chair with a brand new Leitner-Poma fixed-grip quad chairlift. The Summit lift, a characteristic double chair, has been an icon of the resort since its inception in 1976. In the same location and in the same alignment as the original, the new quad chair will provide easier progression around the mountain, increase the resorts efficiency, and decrease the lifts noise pollution. For more details, check out the news release on January 2017.
This on-slope upgrade is only one of the many projects on the resort's summer list. The original Daylodge, built by the hands of volunteers in the community, is receiving an overhaul. While the top level will retain its layout, the lower level is going to look completely different to what guests will remember. What used to be the location of the resorts Snow School and Rental / Repairs, is soon to be a new Food & Beverage area with additional seating for guests. The new Snack Bar that will service this space will offer smoothies, panini sandwiches, soups and every shredders favourite chili, as well as a variety of grab and go items. The space will also remain as the home of the Ski Shop, now with more space to offer more great retail buys, and a new family Playroom, with exciting play items thanks to our community partner Mountain Baby.
This leaves the question, where will the Snow School and Rental / Repair services end up? The answer is the new Skier Services Lodge that will be located next to the current Daylodge in the base area. This will be one of two new service buildings, the second being for Guest Services located on the parking lot side of the lodge. This building will offer multiple ticket windows and an inside area for assisting guest inquiries. These upgrades will provide Whitewater guests with more space and more efficient services. For those concerned, the resort's parking capacity will not be impacted; there will actually be up to 75 new spots!
Just in case all of these improvements and expansions were not enough to keep the resort busy in the summer months, there are also changes near the base of the Glory Chair. Whitewater has bid goodbye to the trusty Fresh Tracks Café Express Food Truck to provide an expanded lodge space for those enjoying Glory’s triple chair. This new space will offer seating for up to 50 guests with a covered deck and wood stove. The Glory Lodge will be offering the same great Whitewater food, with exciting new menu items such as the Winter Root Vegetable Hash and Eggs.
Last season Whitewater saw an above average snowfall with over 1287 cm / 507 inches accumulated throughout the season, which is more than six Shaquille O’Neals! In total, the closing settled snowpack was 20% above average at 350 cm / 138 inches. With weather specialists forecasting more snow for the interior regions of British Columbia than other areas of the province, it is looking like another great winter ahead.