Fortress History
Fortress Mountain was built in 1968 & 1969 by a group of Calgary investors for a cost of $8 million dollars but was subsequently acquired by the large American operator, Aspen Resorts, in 1974. They proceeded to invest another $7 million into the facility over the tenure of their ownership. Charles Locke and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies became the sole owner of the resort in 1990.
A POWDER TALE
It started as a place that was difficult to get to and has ended up as a place that is even more difficult to leave.
The history of Fortress includes the tale of a small, powder-filled nook in the Rockies. It began humbly in the 1960’s with a day lodge and a few lifts strung out across an ash-strewn, forest ravaged valley. It was at the end of a gravel road, a half hour past what is now the turn off for Kananaskis Village.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s a triple chair was installed on the front side and lifts up the backside were installed. Staff accommodations were expanded and new terrain was added during this period.
Fortress is the kind of mountain where you can get back to the basics of skiing. At Fortress you can find untracked powder runs, non-existent lift lines and peace and quiet.
Fortress has become an unofficial training center for members of the U.S. and Canadian national teams, as well as the home base for the Alberta team.
The atmosphere at Fortress has not been altered. It’s still a place where trends and big-city attitudes is secondary to basic values and a day well spent in the mountains. The journey to this mountain is well worth it.
