After 7 years of labour, a ski hill is born! by Todd Vogt Shames Mountain Ski Corpor- ation was incorporated in January of 1986 but the idea. of a new - location to replace the snow-lack- ing Kitsumkalum- Ski. Area. had been in the works since 1984, The actual history of Shames over the last seven years has been, to say the least, somewhat controversial. What is very interesting and un- controversial however, is the way in which a small. group of indiv- . iduals,- through dedication, hard work, and some very trying times | have turned.a great idea into one the best ski areas in westem North - America: | When . Shames’ Mountain Ski Corporation was founded, the " intention was to provide local ski enthusiasts and first time skiers with a great ski facility at less cost. After a very extensive study of Northwest mountains was com- pleted, Shames Mountain was the clear winner as the spot for a new ski area. Shames had everything; excellent terrain, great average snow base, and ideally close to Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Ru- pert. Any local skier or business per- son would tell you that a new ski hill with a season that runs from mid November through to late April would make tons of money and bring thousands upon thousands of snow-crazed tourists - to the region, but these "unbiased" facts were not quite enough to convince prospeclive investors. The Shames Mountain board of directors had to clearly identify who their market was, where they lived, how: often they would ski Shames, and how much they were willing to pay to enjoy the fantas- tic skiing Shames could potentially offer. No Problem | No Problem !? Sure, except for that one small detail of where ‘to begin. - The local market was easy enough to identify. It is comprised of "day-trippers", those who live close enough to ski Shames and return home the same day. This area includes Terrace, Prince Rup- ert, Kitimat and the Nass Valley. The total population of this area is 63,000. The second market for Shames is the "over-nighters" from Stewart, Kemano, Smithers, Hous- ton, etc. Now with all this infor- mation in hand the Shames people contacted Ecosign Mountain Re- creation Planners, the company that helped to develop such greats - as Whistler and Blackcomb. This organization took the number of people in the area and input that information into their machines to determine how many skiers would visit Shames. There are hundreds of variables that go into determin- ing how many potential skiers live in any certain area but the most important is how many "typical" skiers live in that area. A "typical" skier, according to the experts, is more often male, has a higher than average income and is younger than the average age. Coincidentally, the "typical" North- west resident is more often male, has a higher income and is younger than the average. From all the information the experts came to the conclusion that skiing in the Northwest is a viable proposition. Now according io Shames off- cials, a third market exists. The potentially lucrative "International" market of southeastem Alaska - commonly termed "The Panhand- le’. These people will come to the Northwest to "shop and ski". With all of the compiled infor- mation and the fact that the North- west was in dire need of more recreation facilities, the Shames Mountain. Ski Corporation set about securing the needed loans to start building a premier ski facility. There was another little known factor that was essential in the realization of Shames, What starled out as a great idea between a few people turned into a large cospor- ation with members of the Board of Directors more financially involved than any had expected or hoped for. "Two years ago I didn’t think I’d end up underwriting a ski hill 1!!!" is a quote that surely every board member has used or thought’ on at least one occasion. This financial support along with the numerous other shareholders in Shames is the reason that we will be skiing on. Shames this winter. D.R.' Matthews and Associates were the project construction man- agers for the. Shames Mountain development, with Mark Grabow-. KARL ERNST OF MUELLER LIFTS oversees the testing of the concrete for the tower foundations on Shames Mountain. Lapoint Engineering conducted all the testing required by the Ministry of Highways, Aerial Tramways division. ski as project manager locally. | Under Mark’s able leadership, local contractors were hired for everything from dismantling towers to clearing trails to installing water and sewer systems, to the tune of almost $500,000. Karl’ Ernst of Mueller Lifts oversaw the re-con- struction of the chairlift and T-bar. Borvig Lifts of New York supplied new chairs and lower drive station for the chairlift. The future of Shames looks very bright. If this first year is any indication, the problem known to Northwest skiers as "Kitsumkalum Syndrome" (lack of snow) will never afflict Shames. The future phases of the hill will include more runs, a second chairlift to a lower base and cabin lots. Present priorities for the hill include expanded parking areas and a child-minding centre. Summer 1991 will see further improve- ments to the Day lodge, construc- tion of additional parking, estab- lishment of a child-minding centre, continued run grooming and clear- ing and the building of a race run by the Shames Mountain Ski Club. Once the first skier steps off the chairlift: in mid December 1990, everything is possible. The Ministry of Highways and local sub-contractors spent this summer and fall upgrading the last 5 km of the Shames Mountain Access Road to a Highways standard 50 - 70 km speed road. THE NEW DRIVE STATION for the chairlift on Shames Mountain wae delivered this summer by truck from Borvig Lifts of Pine Island, New York. The driver, anxious to see the new ski area, took his highway truck, loaded with the drive station and 190 new chairs directly to the base area for unloading!