LivingInPatagonia.com

A New Kind of Ski Area

Written by Shanie

Although it doesn’t have to do with Patagonia directly, the new concept of Shame’s Mountain Co-op is connecting with Bariloche through its membership to the global snow community.

Shames Mountain Co-op (SMC) is a cooperative that is joining a new movement in the way a ski area should be run…by powder lovers for powder lovers.

In partnership with the locals of Terrace, British Columbia, the collective energy of the global snow community is creating a new vision for a ski area. Shames Mountain Co-op is the common goal of all involved. For $500 a share, you can become a part of an amazing mountain resort framed by some of the best skiing in North America.

So why would the world be interested in a ski area in the northern reaches of Canada? Well, let’s go back a bit and talk about the history of the mountain. Initially spearheaded by Willy Wandl and Keith Arnold-Smith in 1984 because of being disgruntled by lack of snow and terrain at neighboring mountains, the Ski Northwest Society was formed.  To find a solution to their skiing woes, the group put their heads together. What resulted was two years of research and 30 different ranges being studied for different relevant ski area necessities, such as terrain, expandability and snow amounts. The 30 ski area hopefuls broke down into 6, which broke down into 3, and Shames Mountain took the title.

Shames Mountain grew to include a chairlift, t-bar and rope tow, but did not come anywhere close to taking advantage of its 8,730 acres (3,533 hectares). Beyond the small developed area–which includes a lodge, cafeteria and bar, a ski school and grooming department–lies impressive terrain for as far as the eye can see. The potential of this ski area that was searched out because of its terrain is awe-inspiring. Think lift-accessed terrain like Alaska, or Las Leñas without hoping and praying that the Marte Chair is running smoothly, or, well, if you spend much time riding at a ski area, plug in your own story of when it popped into your mind, “If I only could run this mountain…”.

Well now you can.

Shames has lain under the radar for a long time. But the world is learning that it has a new big mountain playground on its hands. The terrain is mind-boggling (and this comes from a person that leaves her loved ones behind in search for great ski lines around the world). They receive an oh-so-joyful annual snow fall of 40 feet a year. They take the record for the deepest amount of snow for lift-accessed terrain. They are not only bigger than Whistler, but they have more snow, yet the same amount of sunshine. So what does that equal…a lot of sweet powder skiing and enough adrenaline-pumping terrain to go around.

And I guess we shouldn’t forget the ease of getting there…a two hour flight from Vancouver.

So, consider that if we as a global snow community come together,  and resource all of our collective expertise, we could network a great ski area that is on the forefront of all business practices. From eco-friendly ideas to lift placement, skiers and snowboarders can work off the amazing terrain found by the Ski Northwest Society and create a ski area the way it should be.

Imagine that!

As the Shames Mountain Co-op is a new venture, the website, www.shamesmtncoop.com, is an important aspect in forming the cooperative. Visit the site to learn more information, discuss ideas and brainstorm. This is a work in progress. It will be interesting to watch how our collective genius will network using cash, sweat equity and intellectual property to create a ski area.

If the idea intrigues you, join the message boards, choose a team that you connect with and let the ideas flow.

Shames Mountain Co-op, Powder for the People!