First Nation plans large ski resort near Coquihalla summit

A Fraser Canyon First Nation hopes to build a large ski resort near the Coquihalla Summit.

Spuzzum First Nation has submitted an expression of interest to the province—along with more than 100 pages of supporting documentation, maps, and studies—to build a resort the size of Interior destinations like Silver Star and Big White on the backside of a mountain ridge overlooking BC’s most famous highway (and snowshed).

Spuzzum hopes not only to build 11 chairlifts, but also mountain biking trails, a golf course and up to 3,000 homes turning what is now a remote, heavily logged valley into a four-season recreation mecca. Despite its proximity to the Coquihalla, the most likely access route would be through the Fraser Canyon and Highway 1.

Calling the project a showcase for reconciliation, Spuzzum says it has the backing (at least for planning purposes) from neighbouring First Nations. It’s now trying to rally support from nearby communities, with Chief James Hobart speaking to—and winning support from—Hope council Monday.

The location

Spuzzum’s proposed resort would be located at the end of the South Anderson River valley, with lifts providing access to ski terrain on the northern faces of three significant peaks.

The peaks’ southern faces loom over the Coquihalla Highway and the Great Bear Snowshed. But skiing and amenities would be located on the opposite, north-facing side of the mountains. Although Spuzzum’s proposal says access to the resort site from the Coquihalla would be possible, it would likely require tunneling through a ridge. Spuzzum’s application says it will explore that possibility but isn’t counting on that route. Instead, access plans have focused on improving an existing 25km forest service road that connects to Highway 1 just east of Alexandra Bridge (and only a few kilometres north of Spuzzum’s reserves).

(You can read the proposal and supporting documents for yourself here.)

Three phases of construction are envisioned, with the first featuring three large and two smaller lifts. The large first-phase lifts would provide access to an unnamed peak between Wolverine Track and Winters End peaks. Future large lifts would provide access to Winters End Peak and the spectacular Iago Peak. (Backcountry skiers already occasionally use Iago Peak, trekking up the mountain on foot after accessing it through the Coquihalla Highway Recreation Area.)

Smaller east-west chairs would allow skiers and snowboarders to get from one mountain to the other.

Spuzzum’s proposal also envisions a golf course in the valley bottom, a resort area at the bottom of the Phase 1 lifts, and an expansive hiking and mountaineering area in the mountains immediately north of the village and ski area.

Hobart told Hope council Monday that Spuzzum has spent nearly $1 million on its preliminary work and studies. He said the land in question has already been logged and is already used by recreation users. He said a resort would increases stewardship in the area and oversight of activities near culturally sensitive areas and pictograph sites.

The snow

Spuzzum’s application to the province says the mountain could become one of the province’s destination ski resorts.

“The South Anderson Mountain Resort has the potential recreation assets and real estate development opportunities comparable with Silver Star, Sun Peaks and Big White in BC’s Interior,” the document says.

Unlike those mountains, the South Anderson resort is located considerable distance from any sizable community. But Spuzzum says its proximity to the Greater Vancouver area should provide a large base of users, while the landscape provides opportunities for a range of recreation uses and world-class views.

The peaks are slightly lower than those in the Interior, but a report from Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners notes that the north-facing slopes identified for skiing would be “ideal for snow retention.” (The northern side of the South Anderson Valley, which feature some of the areas craggiest terrain, would be turned over to hikers and mountaineers.)

Ecosign identified 19 different sections of ski terrain that, if fully developed, could support about 10,000 users at any one time.

Ecosign staff inspected the site in March of 2023 and found “ample snow” at the proposed resort village site, which has an elevation of 1,025 metres. It said there was between five and eight feet of snow throughout the area when staff visited. The consultants also said spectacular views would make one of the peaks a good spot for a mountain-top restaurant.

The homes

Like any large ski resort, the creation of housing plays a significant role in the plans—and potential money to be made.

Spuzzum’s plan suggests the construction of about 2,200 housing units in its first phase, with about half located in the village’s hotels. Townhouses, condos, and single-family homes would make up the other half and be built mostly at the bottom of the valley, along the access road. The plan also foresees the need for 414 employee housing units, along with a 100-site campground.

The government(s)

Spuzzum’s expression of interest has inevitably triggered a long, potentially arduous, extensive approval process. The First Nation itself is still completing further feasibility and planning work and has begun to consult with recreation groups and other local governments in recent months.

It can take years for any proposal to get a green light to start construction—and even rejections can take a long time to materialize at all.

The province will consider the project’s economic potential (or lackthereof) as well as competing land uses like forestry and mining. Officials will also look at the impacts on existing recreation use, the environment, wildlife, local rivers and streams, and neighbouring communities.

The proposal would also go to local First Nations for consultation and their input.

Spuzzum First Nation, of course, has a handy ace up its sleeve for this process: it’s Spuzzum First Nation.

Spuzzum’s reserves are located immediately south of the proposed access road, and—should that Highway 1 access road be preferred—it would the closest community of any size to the resort.

In the proposal to the province, Spuzzum Chief James Hobart asked the province to partner with his first nation to develop, “the first Indigenous driven comprehensive all season resort in BC.” The application says such a development would “showcase” a new path to reconciliation.

In listing the First Nation’s goals and objectives in the expression of interest, Spuzzum said its calculations are “relatively simple in that we wish to develop a high caliber all season resort in our traditional territory creating social and economic benefits for our community.”

Spuzzum says it will have a “significant” equity stake in the resort, which would bring jobs and revenue to the First Nation while building capacity and knowledge within it and other local Indigenous communities. It said it would also build a 5,000-square-foot interpretive centre at the resort.

Spuzzum’s expression of interest was submitted, the band said, after three years of work and with technical help from consultants. Spuzzum said the EOI included technical information that would normally be completed in later phases. In the document, Spuzzum said it would continue planning work, and expects to invite the participation of “corporate investors with proven development and resort operations experience.”

Crucially, Spuzzum’s application says it had obtained the support “for the initial feasibility and planning stages” from the three other First Nations located closest to the site: Boston Bar, Yale and Coldwater First Nations.

The owls

The resort does face one potential obstacle, with which Spuzzum First Nation is plenty familiar.

A portion of the recreation area has been identified as habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl, an incredibly endangered species that lives in old growth forests.

Only one adult currently owl lives in the wild near Spuzzum. The province has been breeding the owls in captivity for more than a decade, but recent efforts to introduce new individuals to the wild have faced setbacks, including the death of two owls released to the wild in 2022. Hobart has called for the province to do more to protect old growth forests where the owls live. He has criticized both the province and federal government for not sufficiently protecting the owls and the trees where they live.

The resort application includes an environmental assessment that portions of the recreation area, along with the forest service road, include terrain that has been designated an official habitat area for the owls. The application says the “species and its habitat represent a considerable constraint to development.”

But it also says that the elevation of the recreational zone is higher than typical for the owls’ habitat—and that the province has greenlighted BC Hydro work in the area. Mel Wooley, an economic development officer, described the logging activity in the area as almost “abusive” and said there are no old growth forests in the area.

Hobart told The Current that the birds remain on his and the First Nation’s minds and that they are working with the province’s top spotted owl experts to avoid impacting the species and its potential recovery.

We’ll have Hobart’s thoughts on how resort-building and stewardship can co-exist, how the project came to be, and dealing with the province’s mountain resort bureaucracy later this week. Subscribe for free below.