Mountain Spirit Resort & Spa

The Kimberley Conference & Athlete Training Centre was named number 1 state-of-the-art conference venue by Alberta Venture Magazine. Click here to read the article.

The construction of the Kimberley Conference Centre & Sports Training Centre is progressing extremely well. I know because I can see it easily from Mountain Spirit Resort, which happened to be designed and constructed by the same architect and construction team: BCMP Architects (recently merged with Omicron) and New Dawn Developments.

Kimberley Conference Centre & Athlete Training Centre

This state of the art, dual purpose facility is the first of its kind to be constructed in North America. The building will be comprised of 24,000 square feet of space over two levels. One level offers multiple meeting and conference set up options. The second will be a ski-in sports training centre, designed with Paralympic athletes at the forefront, and of course, fully accessible.

Some questioned the location in Kimberley Alpine Resort rather than downtown, but doesn’t it make total sense? For meetings, conferences, weddings and other events the conference facility, which can hold up to 500 people seated theatre style, is located at the base of one of BC’s largest ski resorts, with superb accommodation and amenities at Mountain Spirit Resort located just a few hundred metres away, in addition to a variety of other accommodation options. The future spa will offer an ideal outlet for attendees and athletes alike to soothe aching muscles, or simply relax and rejuvenate. The resort offers dining and entertainment options however the downtown core is only a few minutes by car or public transit. Venturing to the platzl visitors can walk and enjoy the many independent coffee shops and restaurants and browse the variety of stores.

Kimberley is clearly entering a new era with the Conference Centre and Athlete Training Centre opening in October.

The next morning was bound to be great skiing. Kimberley Alpine Resort doesn’t get skied out in a day. And there was a possibility it had snowed more too!

And it had.

So we had more freshies in the sun. Magma was groomed, Flapper wasn’t but was excellent. Lots of soft fresh snow for all to enjoy.

It was also the first annual Beer Festival. It turned out to be a great fun family day with fun activities for kids, live music inside and outside in the plaza. International beer was available (I noticed the Belgian blonde beer Leffe in the plaza!).

Here’s to more freshies in the sun before the end of the season!

It was like waking up on Christmas morning as a kid. Instead of rushing to the Christmas tree to see if Santa had been, my hubby kept peeking under the blinds to see if it was still “powing” outside. And it was!

By 8:30am I was in the line up for Kimberley Alpine Resort’s high speed quad.

I knew where I was headed… to the Easter chair by the fastest possible route (Rung).

I was third in the line up.

Being a snow boarder, it usually takes longer to get my bindings sorted when I get off the quad.

I’d have to be super fast not to lose my prime position in the lift line for the Easter.

Thankfully most of the skiers were excited for skiing the main in powder and weren’t planning on the runs with a steeper pitch on the “back side”.

A couple of minutes later I was on the Easter Chair, panting and excited after having floated my way down Rung and Caper.

Happy faces after fresh tracks all morning!

Here’s another great place to hike and to cross country ski (for free) if you’re in Kimberley. It’s just a short drive to Bootleg Gap Golf. You can explore this area from Bootleg Gap itself or from a little further outside Marysville. If you keep going past Bootleg Gap’s entrance you’ll see a pull-in on your right. These trails are accessible from this pull in. You’ll cross the rails to trails paved path. Keep going and walk through the meadow to reach the top of the hoodoos, with views of the St Mary’s River, Bootleg Gap, and of course, the hoodoos themselves.

If you have vertigo don’t get too close!

Well, aside from the obvious new addition of the newest and classiest resort, there have been some cool changes and additions to the experience you can have in Kimberley Alpine Resort this winter:

A Good Brush Cut is Great for Skiing!: Over ¼ million spent on run improvements with extensive brushcutting and mowing on core runs this summer will result in making the trails even more skier and rider friendly with smoother terrain and wider trail points and also creating the largest gladed skiing area in Canada!

No Fables of Great Skiing in the Black Forest Glades: The adventures in the Black Forest Glades are never ending. This area is accessible off the Tamarack chair and offers fun and secret powder stashes for all levels of skiers and riders to enjoy! New glade widening makes this area accessible even for the novice. Overall, Kimberley Alpine Resort has the largest gladed terrain that offers continuous adventure for everyone!

Gear Up!: For those who think the gear makes the skier, Kimberley can now make you the best with the option to take our new high performance HEAD ski rentals out for a spin. The resort proudly adds this new equipment to the fleet, helping make a day on the mountain even better!

Season Pass with Extra Benefits: New to the resort facilities is the exclusive season pass lockers conveniently located behind the Stemwinder Bar & Grill. Season Pass holders can now enjoy not only the benefit of skiing every day but also getting out there faster with the quick and easy convenience of their own locker room.

New Exciting Events: A jam packed schedule of events is planned for the season with returning favourites such as the annual Family Festival (Feb 13-14) and Bavarian Iron Legs (Mar 27-28) as well as brand new events including Beer Fest (Mar 13-14) and the Mountain Storm Mountaineering Race (Mar 6).

Follow the Lights of the Night!: If you haven’t had your fill of skiing and riding while the sun is up, Kimberley is home to one of North America’s longest illuminated runs, making it a night-time hot spot. If the skis have been hung for the night, however, enjoy a spin around the skating pond magically illuminated with bright lights or enjoy a delicious s’mores by the bonfire while you watch the skaters waltz to the music.

North Star Racers Settle In: The North Star Racers Society known as the Kimberley North Star Racers have settled into a new home base facility at Kimberley Alpine Resort. The new club house will help the racers continue their efforts “to bring to the community fun, challenge, and opportunities for personal excellence through participation and competition in alpine ski racing” through their fall and winter programs that are offered to developing ski racers from ages 5 to 19 at the resort.

Paralympic Training Centre: In February 2009, Kimberley Alpine Resort proudly hosted the 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing NorAm Cup with 52 paralympic athletes from 9 different countries competing. Starting from a dream to create the best Race Training Centre possible for Paralympic Athletes, Kimberley Alpine Resort has a long history of supporting Race Training that dates back to the 60’s and 70’s. With a dedicated training run, the Dreadnaught, and plans to provide a complete state-of-the-art facility, Kimberley Alpine Resort in proud partnership with the City of Kimberley and Province of British Columbia, holds strong and true to athletic excellence and a dedication to enhance the community of Kimberley while providing athletes the opportunity to train at home.

This information appears on www.skikimberley.com 

This article appears on the RealEstateChannel.com

http://www.realestatechannel.com/featured-columnists/real-estate-news-grupo-del-sol-isla-saboga-gva-associates-mountain-spirit-resort-spa-kimberley-alpine-resort-1657.php

If you are coming to Kimberley in November, don’t despair, there’s still lots of outdoor fun to be had. If it hasn’t yet snowed enough to enjoy the Nordic Trails (which it has by the way)… then there are countless trails and areas of outstanding natural beauty to explore - like Long Pine Hill, as seen from the highway. The views of the Rockies are awesome!

You can see right the way across to “the Steeples”. No excuses, get out and enjoy the area around Kimberley!

The spirit has been making the most of the conditions at Kimberley Alpine Resort although there has been the temptation to put on the cross country skis and admire the views from Trickle Creek Golf Course… maybe next week - the groomed downhill runs are just too good for now!

Spa girls on the top of the ski hill, whatever next?

Oh yeah… a resort spa in Mountain Spirit at the base of the ski hill! It looked like Mountain Spirit had already opened it’s spa at the top of the quad chair today. To the surprise of many skiers and boarders, two Mountain Spirit Spa Ladies were enjoying the sun and some cucumber facials in anticipation of the Family Festival. It’s happening Feb 13 - 16th and Mountain Spirit spa skiers will be out and about on the hill. Watch out for them - Mountain Spirit will have some great giveaways during the Family Festival weekend!

What’s new in town - the platzl finally has sushi thanks to Derek and the team at the Green Phoenix! In addition to what I call their “fusion” menu inspired from foreign travels, Derek’s opening the doors of the Green Phoenix on Wednesdays to offer the dining experience of sushi! Way to go Derek!

A fan of Asian cuisine, the spirit sampled one of the Saturday night specials at the Village Bistro last night - real Tandoori Chicken - delicious! It’s great to see more East Indian cuisine available in Kimberley.

Yesterday the crowds hit the slopes - crowds of under 12’s competing in ski racing, putting us oldies to shame! The Root Bear was out again today… makes Kimberley feel like a true family resort!

For those without kids who want a bit of fun in the evening, Sunday night is karaoke night in the Edge. Not only can you sing your lungs out on stage in Andy’s pub, but you can also play pool for free. Maybe see you there!