In this file photo, a skier enjoys the powder underneath a chairlift at Marmot Basin in Jasper.Sherpas Cinema/Travel Alberta/Supplied
Six months after the 2024 Jasper wildfire threatened to destroy Marmot Basin, the Rocky Mountain ski area’s survival is boosting both the economy and the morale of the recovering Alberta community within Jasper National Park.
“We were incredibly fortunate to have escaped the direct impact of the wildfire,” says Jason Paterson, Marmot’s president and CEO. “It came very close to our leasehold but fortunately stopped just short thanks largely to airborne firefighting efforts of Parks Canada and the natural geography of the area.”
However, significant challenges remained once the wildfire was under control. Overhead power lines were wiped out, debris littered the winding access road and summer maintenance work was compressed into weeks rather than months after staff returned from a 50-day evacuation. Further complicating reopening efforts, some of Marmot’s off-site staff accommodations suffered fire damage.
Once it became clear that the ski season was salvageable, however, Paterson says that failing to open “was not an option. Downhill skiers and snowboarders are the backbone of Jasper’s winter economy, and without them many businesses would likely struggle to survive until summer.”
Totem Ski Shop is one such business. According to co-owner and general manager Stephanie English, who moved from Nova Scotia to Jasper 25 years ago, Marmot’s uninterrupted operation prevented a 40-per-cent reduction in staff hours and a corresponding drop in revenue.
More importantly, she adds, “Marmot being open has helped with our mental health as we try to achieve some normalcy. One of the reasons I live here is to enjoy everything Jasper has to offer, and skiing is a big part of that. If the mountain hadn’t opened, you would have seen restaurants close for the winter, you would have seen employment dry up.”
After Parks Canada cleared the access road and expedited permitting, ATCO Electric spent several weeks burying a new power line. Less than a month after power was restored, Marmot opened for the 2024-25 ski season on Nov. 22. “This was a massive undertaking,” Paterson says. “Our maintenance and operations crews jammed months of work into weeks by pulling long shifts and working through weekends. It was a heck of an effort to get us open, and it was a huge victory for the community when opening day arrived.”
A four-hour drive west of Edmonton and three hours north of Banff, the ski region is still experiencing numbers “below the norm” says Marmot vice-president Brian Rode. “There is still some hesitancy to visit Jasper as some people are unsure of what to expect, and others are staying away out of respect for our community. The best support we can hope for is for people to come visit, as this is what we need to recover, and all residents and businesses are welcoming all.”
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