From The Panorama Ski Hill Company To Panorama Village

Panorama Mountain Village, located two hours southwest of Banff, AB, is a ski destination steeped in a history of adventure and exploration. The Ktunaxa were the first humans to see the high peaks surrounding Panorama and the first humans to establish a permanent settlement in the Northern Purcells. In 1807, the area’s first white explorer, David Thompson, established Kootenae House, the first trading post in the valley.

When compared to the 1.5 billion year old spires of granite encircling it, a ski resort can look very new. Panorama Mountain Village has been enticing skiers since a four-year quest for the perfect ski mountain ended there. Karl Strobl, Fritz Zehnder, and Guy Messerli knew when they saw Panorama Mountain in 1962 that this was the place they had been searching for. Light dry snow, abundant sunshine, and breathtaking scenery were all there. The Panorama Ski Hill Company was founded.

Development of the ski resort continued through the 1970’s and 1980’s under various owners; bringing chairlifts and slopeside accommodations. In 1993 Intrawest Corporation purchased Panorama and a master plan for the development of the village and mountain experience was set in motion.

Through an envisioning process, the identification and development of Panorama’s best attributes and characteristics has created a guest experience unparalled in the region. An animated slopeside village featuring family activities, après options and giant slopeside hot pools augments the epic terrain awaiting skiers and boarders. In the biggest terrain expansion in the history of Panorama, Taynton Bowl, terrain previously accessed by a local heli-skiing operation, was brought in bounds and made accessible via ski lifts.

It is often said that if you haven’t been to Panorama in the last three years, you haven’t been to Panorama. If the amount of change and construction taking place in the summer of 2003 is taken into account, you’ll have to change that saying to one year! For December 2003, two new quad chairlifts have been installed, the groundbreaking and build-out of two condo/hotel complexes is currently underway and the lower village has undergone a facelift!

From the Panorama Ski Hill Company to Panorama Mountain Village, the experience continues to get better and better while the snow, the sun and the scenery that brought those four locals to Panorama Mountain also remain for snow enthusiasts of all ages and abilities to enjoy.