Go Figure: We carve out some numbers on B.C.’s alpine economy

Credit: Josef Pichler from Pixabay

Our province’s hills are alive with skiers, snowmobilers and other alpine enthusiasts

B.C. has 13 ski resorts
20 local ski hills
50+ Nordic skiing areas

Whistler Blackcomb is North America’s largest ski resort by both 
visitation: 2.4-2.6 million skiers and snowboarders annually
and area: 8,171 acres of skiable terrain

$299.2 million Annual economic impact of snowmobiling in B.C.
18,000 km of snowmobiling trails
$257 Average daily spending per snowmobiler

Membership of Mountain Equipment Co-op when founded in Vancouver in 1971: 6
Today’s membership: 5 million+ 

Each year from 2016 to 2018, B.C.’s 41 heli- and snowcat skiing operators lifted an average of 41,457 skiers

Western Canada’s ski industry employs 28,600 people
Generates $2.1 billion in annual spending
Invested  >$100 million in lift equipment and other infrastructure last year

Combined revenue for B.C. ski facilities in 2017:
$542.8 million
51% from 2013
13.4% operating profit margin in 2017, versus
6.9% in 2013

5-10% per-decade decrease in Canadian snowfall since 1981

Over 10 years, Grouse Mountain creates enough man-made snow to bury a highrise to the 48th floor

5 North American ski sites managed by Vail Resorts, current owner of Whistler Blackcomb, when it launched its all-resort unlimited Epic Pass in 2008

37 Number Vail owns after acquiring Peak Resorts in September

Cost of an Epic Pass in 2008:  US$549
Cost this year: US$969

$3.5 billion: Direct capital spending expected to develop Garibaldi at Squamish, a proposed 2,508-hectare all-season mountain resort on the Sea to Sky Corridor that aims  to open in 2025
Lift/hill capacity: 17,538 skiers
Hotel/condo beds: 21,922

Sources: Govt. of B.C., Destination BC, Whistler Blackcomb, MNP, Mountain Equipment Co-op, HeliCat Canada, Canada West Ski Area, Assoc., Statistics Canada, Govt. of Canada, Vail Resorts, Bloomberg, Colorado Sun, CBC News, Garibaldi at Squamish