Pigeon Mountain - The Lost Resorts, Episode 15

Perhaps the most recognizable lost ski area in Alberta, Pigeon Mountain always fascinated me. I had always wondered what was the story behind those cut runs down the mountain, and had always wondered what the ski area looked like during its operational years. Even with my best efforts, it has been a challenge to find many operational photos of Pigeon Mountain. But with all that said, I hope you enjoy what I do have.
The Lost Resorts is a weekly video series that focuses on the history of lost ski resorts in North America. New episodes release every Thursday at 5:15am MST (unless otherwise notified). Join me as we take a look at the forgotten resorts, that were once bustling lively enterprises.
Pigeon Mountain (Alberta) Information:
Years of Operation: 1962-1969, 1977-1980
Run Count: 3-4
Lifts: 1 Double (Mueller), 3 Pomas (Poma)
Music by Artlist.io, ‪@LAKEYINSPIRED‬

[@boddysurfer]

So I actually skied here in my early teens during the final 1980 season. The runs were nothing special and there was limited snow coverage. The lodge was actually quite nice with that cozy timber frame feeling. You had to hike up 100m to the main lift from the parking lot, so that's clearly why they installed that small Pomalift. As I grew older I spent extensive time hiking, camping and hunting in K-Country and the Bow valley corridor. In the late 80's I ran into some folks at the gas station at Deadmans Flats, which is right on the Trans Canada Highway below Pigeon Mountain. After chating for a bit, the couple mentioned they had bought Pigeon Mt Resort. I became friends with the new owners and there plans were to offer camping, equestrian trail riding and hunting/guide services. They lived in the main lodge as it was still in great shape. The main ski lift was still intact and the elk herds would come out every night to graze on the overgrown ski slopes, right in front of the lodge. Two years later the new owners were bankrupt and sold off the property, never to been seen or heard from again. Pigeon Mt Resort is a perfect example of the worst possible location for a ski resort. Low elevation will never keep snow. Located at the far east end of the Bow Valley corridor which is basically a wind tunnel sucking moisture away and dumping it out onto the prairies. The final nail in the coffin is the south western exposure which has sunlight burning down on the runs during the hottest part of the day. PS. That Trans Alta powerline you see by the ski area runs all the way over to Highway 40, Nakiska and the Kananaskis village. Thanks for the info Skier 72.

[@Skier72]

Amazing memories! I agree, it's the worst location imaginable for a ski hill. If only there were some photos of the mountain during operation somewhere though.

[@erincraig11]

Oh, THIS is the one I have seen from the Trans Canada highway! Thanks for the history lesson!!

[@mattiatorX]

Yeah, even when I was a kid and it had been gone for over a decade, my folks mentioned how crappy the snow was at Pigeon Mountain. If I recall, the snowmaking equipment that should have saved the resort during its second incarnation wound up being the fatal blow that took it down for good, as it never worked right due to a faulty on-site generator that blew out two seasons in a row, once apparently taking out the whole bow valley's power with it. The pitch for returning it to service for the 2010 olympics was a pretty long shot given that, like nearby Mt. Allan, it's extremely important bighorn sheep range. The upper mountain, where the proposed lifts for the original resort would have gone, is closed during the winter because of it. Should note, the old cut runs are not included in the current area closure and you can theoretically still mess around on the old slopes there in the winter time.

[@mikej238]

Never knew this place was reopened in the late 70s, must of been terrible marketing. Probably drove past it 100 x thinking it was closed.

[@nathanjanuszewski]

So difficult to find information of Pigeon Mountain. It had a lot of potential but was probably really windy there. Edit: Yeah the planned chairlifts would have been amazing.

[@Skier72]

Oh yeah. I'm sure someone has a shoebox full of old Pigeon Mountain photos. But unfortunately none of that is online at all. Yeah if they had built their planned chairlift, that would've definitely helped, maybe the resort might have survived.

[@nathanjanuszewski]

@@Skier72 I feel that Alberta needs to realize that we already have a ton of beginner friendly resorts, and we need to revive some more difficult ones, like Fortress.

[@MrRansomenote]

Thanks for this. I drive by that ski hill every day and always wondered about it. I didn’t realize it ever opened as I had heard it never made it to full production. Thanks for the local history lesson :)

[@stickynorth]

This one is still a heartbreaker since everyone drives by it on the way to Banff, Lake Louise, Golden, Panorama, Revelstoke, etc. I wish it had the original expansion up the mountain because that probably would have saved it even with the obvious Chinook issues with a west-facing slope. Personally I'd have also loved to see the idea of a super-resort in Kananaskis linked by a series of lifts and gondolas... This would have encompassed Tent Ridge/Mt Shark, Mt Sparrowhawk, Pigeon Mountain, Nakiska and Fortress into something truly world class and unique.. Instead K-Country is increasingly choked by SUV traffic 365...

[@Skier72]

Agreed - if they had expanded they might have still been around. Even from the very start, they invested heavily in snowmaking equipment (which in the 1960s was very inefficient). It's ashame that George Camp didn't try to expand the ski terrain up the mountain when he re-opened in the 80's. But ultimately Pigeon's loss was Canyon's gain in terms of the chairlift. Nakiska was originally supposed to be built on Mt. Shark. It's really sad that this never happened, as the snow quality would have been so much better than Mt. Allen. Albertan skiing in general is very under developed even compared to places like Colorado.

[@boddysurfer]

@@Skier72 I agree Mt Shark had the best snow, but the logistics were a nightmare. You can't run a multitude of Olympic athletes and support personnel through a small town like Canmore and up the side of a mountain and think their won't be problems.

[@nikht0]

I once took a walk part way up one of the runs of this hill. No wonder it failed. It has nothing that would have made the 30 additional minutes to drive to Norquay or Sunshine seem like a hassle. You know, fun stuff like snow or terrain. It made me seriously wonder who ever thought it was a good place to put a ski hill. Maybe some resorts are just a way for grifters to con ignorant investors?

[@Skier72]

The 1960's were a different era. Perhaps if it expanded all the way up the mountain... but then it would have probably be a worse version of Nakiska. I still have no idea why the guy in the 1980's revived it though.

[@nikht0]

@@Skier72 True, the 60s were different, but they still should have known that was a bad location. I looked at the topography on Google Maps and the very top of Pigeon Mountain is still only the same elevation as the base lodges at Sunshine and the original Lake Louise base area at Temple, so they were always going to be fighting to keep whatever snow they received or could make.

[@nikht0]

Btw you're right about Nakiska. Terrible ski hill that should never have been built. But despite resistance and outcry from skiers, racers and conservationists alike, the government went ahead with their dumb plans to manufacture an Olympic venue that wasn't needed. An Olympic venue that was so bad and unnecessary that the World Cup would never return there. This is what I meant about con-men using resort development to fleece investors. SOMEBODY got rich building Nakiska, probably a crony of the Alberta government.

[@Skier72]

​@@nikht0 I agree, Nakiska isn't the best hill. The development would make an interesting video. At least the Nakiska university season passes are dirt cheap though. RIP Fortress

[@nikht0]

​@@Skier72 That would be an interesting video. I was a racer when they began development of the new Olympic alpine venue. Iirc they looked at several mountains in Kananaskis, (Mt. Sparrowhawk and some peaks in the Spray Lakes region come to mind), and I think Ken Read even helped scout some locations. But sadly in the end they went against all expert advice and protests and forged ahead with Mount Allan because it was optimally placed for a golf course and summer tourist village. Before they cut a single run, everyone in the racing community knew the Olympic courses were going to suck, as so many had before until someone at FIS got smart and started hiring retired Swiss DH star Bernhard Russi to design Olympic courses.