4 New Chairlifts Are Coming To These 3 BC Ski Resorts Starting Next Season
Over the next few years, four new chairlifts are coming to three British Columbia ski resorts under the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies umbrella.
The new lifts are set to be built at Fernie Alpine Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort, and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in 2026 and 2027, in some cases significantly changing how visitors can move through the mountains.
“This is a major investment in our BC Resorts and shows our company’s commitment to providing excellent experiences for our guests and our resort communities,” said John Shea, president and chief resort officer at RCR, in a press release.
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Fernie Alpine Resort
At Fernie, two lifts are on the docket.
The first, the Cedar Bowl Express, will bring skiers from the bottom of Cedar Bowl to the top, near the Great Bear Express Quad. As of now, lapping back to the top of Cedar Bowl requires taking three lifts. With the Cedar Bowl Express, though, it’ll take just one ride. The high-speed quad is set to open during the 2027-28 season.
Fernie’s also planning to replace an existing lift, the Elk Quad Chair, with a newer, faster model that cuts the ride time to the mid-mountain by nearly 50%. Alongside benefitting skiers, this lift will make the “summer experience faster and smoother,” according to RCR. The updated Elk, a high-speed quad, will debut during the 2027-28 season alongside the Cedar Bowl Express.
Kicking Horse
At Kicking Horse, lift access revolves around the Golden Eagle Express gondola, the lone path to the upper mountain, alpine terrain. In the past, that layout complicated Kicking Horse’s operations when the gondola was shut down for maintenance.
But when the Pioneer Express opens, skiers will have a new way to reach the alpine. The planned high-speed quad lift leaves from the bottom of Kicking Horse’s slopes and travels up to the base of the Stairway to Heaven lift, adding another route and more than doubling the base area lift capacity, RCR noted.
To make way for the update, the current Pioneer lift will be retired. Its replacement is scheduled to open during the 2027-28 season.
Kimberley Alpine Resort
Kimberly Alpine Resort is slated to see the soonest lift update, a replacement of the Tamarack Double with a quad in the same alignment. Work will begin in spring 2026, with completion and the opening scheduled for December 2026.
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