Marmot Basin

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Marmot Basin
Marmot Basin Logo.jpg
Location Jasper National Park
Nearest city Jasper
Coordinates 52°48′04″N 118°05′04″W / 52.80111°N 118.08444°W / 52.80111; -118.08444 (Marmot Basin)
Top elevation 2,612 m (8,570 ft)
Base elevation 1,698 m (5,570 ft)
Skiable area 6.8 km²
Runs 86
Ski trail rating symbol-green circle.svg 30% - Novice
Ski trail rating symbol-blue square.svg 30% - Intermediate
Ski trail rating symbol-black diamond.svg 20% - Advanced
Ski trail rating symbol-double black diamond.svg 20% - Expert
Longest run 5.6 km
Lift system 7 chairlifts
1 magic carpet
Terrain parks 1 (Rogers Terrain Park)
Snowfall 400 cm/season (160 in./yr)
Snowmaking Lower Area
Website Ski Marmot

Marmot Basin is an alpine ski area located in Alberta's Jasper National Park.

Marmot Basin has 86 named runs on four mountain faces with 3,000 vertical feet of drop. The area has a lift capacity of close to 12,000 skiers per hour on seven lifts. With 30 percent novice, 30 percent intermediate, 20 percent advanced and 20 percent expert runs, Marmot Basin is well-balanced in the terrain it offers to skiers. The season runs from mid-November to early May. Partly because of its distance from major Canadian cities such as Edmonton and Calgary, Marmot Basin is generally not as crowded as other major ski resorts farther south in Alberta and British Columbia.

Marmot Basin has the longest high speed quad chair in the Canadian Rockies, the Canadian Rockies Express.[1] The lift carries 2400 passengers per hour, has an 800 horse power top-drive engine and is about 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) long.[1] The chairlift ride is approximately 7.5 minutes.[1]

Marmot Basin is located twenty minutes south of the town of Jasper, which provides for the needs of over two million visitors a year. Jasper National Park offers Rocky Mountain vistas, hiking and trail riding tours, whitewater rafting, and other year-round attractions.

Amenities[edit]

Rentals[edit]

The Rental & Repair shop offers standard and high performance rentals of skis, snowboards, boots and poles. Rentals are available at the main Caribou Chalet.

Snow Sports School[edit]

The Snow Sports School offers lessons for first time skiers and snowboarders, high performance clinics, freeride clinics, private lessons and a variety of children's programs.

Day care[edit]

The Little Rascals Nursery is available for children 19 months to 6 years of age.

Day lodges[edit]

Three mountain day lodges; the Caribou Chalet at the base area and Eagle and Paradise Chalets at mid-mountain. Three lounges, two cafeterias, two dining rooms, several outdoor sun decks and bag lunch areas.

Terrain park[edit]

Sponsored by Rogers Communications, featuring various rail slides, table tops, and jumps. Marmot also has a small rail park featuring rails, boxes and jibs

Retail shop[edit]

The Outer Limits Shop is a place to buy gifts, accessories, clothing and souvenirs.

Lift system[edit]

Lift Name Vertical Rise
Type Make Build Year
Canadian Rockies Express Quad Chair 596m (1955') High Speed Quad Leitner-Poma 2009[1]
Eagle Express Quad Chair 320m (1050') High Speed Quad Doppelmayr CTEC 1990[2]
Paradise High Speed Quad 410m (1345') High Speed Quad Leitner-Poma 2011[3]
School House Triple Chair 122m (400') Triple Chairlift Doppelmayr CTEC 2011 (moved from 1982[4] location)[3]
Knob Chair 270m (900') Double Chairlift Doppelmayr CTEC 1976[5]
Eagle Ridge Quad Chair 307m (1007') Quad Chairlift Doppelmayr CTEC 2001[6]
Magic Carpet 8m (26') Magic Carpet Magic Carpet Lifts 2003[7]

Former lifts[edit]

  • Tranquilizer Chair (Double Chair) - 1968[8] - Removed 2009[1]
  • Kiefer T-Bar (T-Bar) - 1974[9] - Removed 2009[1]
  • School House T-Bar (T-Bar) - 1964 [10] - Removed 2011[3]
  • Caribou Chair (Double Chair) - 1971 - Retired 2011

Photos[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]