National Parks

Ski Areas

“We are not seeking to shut down ski areas”

People have been skiing in the National Parks as long as people have lived there. In the 1920’s lodges were built for backcountry skiing. Mechanical infrastructure for skiing was installed in the National Parks in the 1940’s. In the 1970’s ski areas were required to layout long-range development plans (LRP). Since the 1980’s however, ski areas have drifted away from consistent regulation of ski areas based on the long-range plans, a drift which must now stop.

In 2000, guidelines were issued for the preparation of a new LRP for ski hills within National Parks. These strict policy guidelines included prohibiting major new developments. Once the LRP’s are complete, they would be subject to an environmental assessment and then would become legally binding. At that point, no development outside that prescribed in the LRP would be allowed. Presently, ski areas have yet to comply with these requirements.

Ski areas have engaged in litigation and a very public campaign in support of their continued growth. The ski areas claim that poor commercial prospects keep them from preparing LRP’s. They also speak enviously of the restriction-free environment of their competitors in Whistler and Vail, disregarding the fact that those areas are not in national parks or world heritage sites.

CPAWS supports the guidelines issued in 2000, and will be closely involved with this issue, as we have in the past. We have made it clear that we are not seeking to shut down ski areas. We do expect them to accept their prospects for future growth will be limited, and they should operate with an environmental ethic in keeping with their magnificent locations.

For more information on this issue, please refer to CPAWS: “What’s Happening in our Mountain Parks?”

See also: CPAWS Gives Guarded Support to New National Park Ski Area Guidelines

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