If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again had pretty much defined Terrace, B.C. ski culture since the 1930s. Though naturally blessed with majestic Coastal Mountain peaks and insanely bountiful snow, this northern community saw five ski areas shut down until some locals formed My Mountain Co-Op and bought Shames Mountain.
Shames Mountain, British Columbia
Have Fun. Ski Hard. Go Deep.
Ski Hill:
Shames Mountain
Map:
Location
Vertical:
488 m (1,600 ft)
Snowfall:
1200 cm (475 in.)
If our children are the lifeblood of skiing, then community ski areas are its heart and soul. Often small and remote, they’re where most of us once learned to ski. And where we’re now introducing our children and grandchildren to the lifelong joys of our favourite winter sport. Community Ski Areas: True Stories From The Heartland Of Canadian Skiing examines the past, present and future of Canada’s community ski areas. || Creative Director: Gordie Bowles | Writer: Dave Fonda
If our children are the lifeblood of skiing, then community ski areas are its heart and soul. Often small and remote, they’re where most of us once learned to ski. And where we’re now introducing our children and grandchildren to the lifelong joys of our favourite winter sport. Community Ski Areas: True Stories From The Heartland Of Canadian Skiing examines the past, present and future of Canada’s community ski areas. || Creative Director: Gordie Bowles | Writer: Dave FondaHow A Little Eventually Led to A Lot
Their story begins in the 1960s, when Bill Little opened the Northern Heights Ski Hill just outside of Terrace. Due to popular demand and with the community’s support, the operation moved to a larger venue on the Kitsumkalum First Nation Reserve. The new hill boasted 14 trails, a double chair, a T-bar and a handle-tow. It was also so steep and fearsome that it scared most skiers witless. Beginners fled en masse. Worse still, its low elevation left Kitsumkalum’s at the mercy of the region’s fickle weather. Typically, winter temperatures here hover between plus and minus five degrees Celsius. While La Niña’s frequent and epic snowfalls can bury roads, groomers, lifts, et al, El Niño’s droughts can bring on far worse. In 1988, after three snowless winters, Kitsumkalum closed.
Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Caption: Mark Grebowski (left) Construction Manager, with Board member Larry Krause (centre, hand on chin). Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Time To Call in The Experts
Meanwhile, some Terrace businessmen hired EcoSign Resort Planners to study the area. Founded by Hall of Fame member Paul Mathews, EcoSign designs and develops efficient, sustainable, user-friendly mountain resorts. After assessing the possibilities, it determined that Shames Mountain, which is on unceded Ts’msyen (Tsimshian) territory about 30 minutes west of Terrace, offered the most potential. It was near town, received lots of snow and had an old access road in place. With dreams of surpassing Whistler dancing round their heads, the businessmen formed the Shames Mountain Corporation (SMC) and went to work.
Dream Big or Go Home
SMC secured tenure on enough acreage to dwarf their southern rival in the late 1980s. They utilized a $600,000 B.C. government loan to finish the road and begin work on a base village. Though they envisaged 15 lifts, they opened with Kitsumkalum’s old Mueller chair, a T-bar, handle-tow and daylodge. Unfortunately, there simply weren’t enough skiers to support SMC’s grand vision. Shames Mountain Resort could barely stay afloat. Compounding matters, Canada’s softwood lumber war with the U.S. saw several local sawmills close here. Once cash-rich lumbermen were struggling to survive. After 10 years, Shames was drowning in debt.
The Kitsumkalum daylodge was moved to Shames in the late 1980s. Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Canada’s First Not-For-Profit Co-Operative Ski Area
In 2008, SMC announced that, absent new owners, Shames was closing. Says current General Manager Christian Theberge, “All sorts of ideas came in, from shutting the place down to turning it into a private cat-skiing outfit. Then a few local skiers got together and created “Friends of Shames (FoS)” – a non-profit society created to find a way to save the ski area. Following many meetings, studies, and advice from legal counsel, “FoS” came to the recommendation that the creation of a not-for-profit community service co-operative that could potentially save the ski hill. MMC (My Mountain Co-op) was incorporated in August of 2011.
At the time, Shames was in arrears on its land lease and its infrastructure was crumbling. As a non-profit, MMC successfully secured municipal, provincial and federal government grants to finance the upgrades. It also approached corporate sponsors in the region for funding. Everyone bought in. Says Christian, “Essentially that was the path taken.”
“We have members from everywhere. They’re folks that love the story about the community that saved their ski hill. They love the atmosphere of the place when they’ve come to visit and they want to be part of the story.”
– Christian Theberge, General Manager, Shames Mountain Resort
Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Money Changes Everything
After having invested their own funds to keep Shames alive, SMC graciously accepted half of the Co-ops offer, requiring their lenders to forgive or reduce any outstanding debts or loans. SMC knew the co-op had several significant upcoming expenses. The co-op ended up buying Shames for $340,000, or about $20K more than SMC had paid for all of Kitsumkalum’s old equipment. It then raised funds by selling shares at a dollar apiece. Anyone who bought 299 shares became a lifetime member with voting—and bragging—rights (they also save $100 on their season passes). Today, with 2,500 members worldwide, MMC is still selling shares and sponsorships, securing government grants and corporate donations and organizing fundraising bake sales, golf scrambles, parties, movie nights… You name it.
A Unique Environment Calls for Unique Measures
Operating a ski hill this far north and near the coast isn’t easy. Frequent dumps of sometimes Sierra cement-like snow can exact a heavy toll on everything. Shames’ official re-opening day celebration in December 1990 was cancelled because the snowcats lay dormant under 13 feet of fresh snow. Epic dumps, as Christian explains, “mean everything has to be built big and to scale.”It is worth noting that Shames is entirely off the grid, so everything electrical runs on generators that use costly fossil fuel. Yet despite the many challenges, My Mountain Co-Op continues to raise millions and invest on upgrades and improvements like a covered Magic Carpet. The snowcats can now rest inside a massive and modern equipment shed. Led by Christian, the community is currently seeking funds for CHP generators that can do double-duty as boilers and heaters.
Opening Day, December 1990. Back row, from left: Junior Gingles (red coat), Greg Hanson (sunglasses), Harry Murphy (ski goggles). Front row, from left: Board chair Gerry Martin, Betty Barton, Larry Krause, Roy Long, Grant Piffer. Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
“So for less than the price of a house, the previous ownership sold the ski hill to the community, leaving them with some funds to buy a new snowcat, and start operating.”
– Christian Theberge, GM
Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Skiers Follow the Snow
While most skiers and snowboarders here hail from Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert, Shames also draws globetrotters, adventure-seekers and ski tourers who come to experience the mega snowfalls and expansive backcountry terrain. While half the local population is Indigenous, very few First Nations people ski. Shames is trying to remedy that by offering them lift tickets, lessons and rental equipment at half-price. Shames also outfits every public library in the region with four lift tickets that can be taken out, like books, and used to ski here for free. During the 2023-24 season, when El Niño robbed much of the province of early snow, season pass holders from other B.C. ski areas could ski here for free. Shames is also the first ski area to offer unrestricted free skiing to all children aged 12 and under.
Shames Mountain Resort: A Brighter Future
Though an adult all-day pass now costs $82, powder days often spell sell-out crowds, overflowing parking spaces and lifts running beyond capacity. Regretfully, late arrivals must be turned away. To offset the increasingly extreme weather, inflation, aging infrastructure and ever-rising operating costs, Shames is constantly seeking and finding new ways to face challenges as they arise. The co-op, or should we say, community is already studying ways to replace the old Mueller chair and T-bar with faster, more efficient lifts. Which brings to mind another old adage that Terrace skiers are starting to cite: Nothing succeeds like success.
Photo courtesy of Shames Mountain Resort.
Shames Mountain Resort – Over the Years
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