Update: August 17, 2024: In very sad news, Jasper was devastated by forest fires in late July. 30-50% of the town’s structures have been destroyed. Much of the community infrastructure was saved, but hotels and residences have been destroyed. In better news, the Marmot Basin ski area escaped the fires.
It’s too early to tell how the fires will impact the ski season. Jasperites might want a bumper winter tourism season to help the town recover financially. Marmot Basin is hiring so that will mean Jasper businesses will be hiring to cater for the skiers.
Marmot Basin Resort Profile:
With 3000ft of vertical and 1720 acres Marmot Basin is a big mountain with very few people.
Sure it gets a few Edmonton folk coming up on weekends and over Christmas, but on midweek days there are no lift lines.
Marmot also has the highest base elevation (1698m) of any major ski resort in Canada so the snow is quality blower pow. With 20% of the terrain being advanced, and another 20% being expert, Marmot Basin has enough steep and deep stuff to keep serious skiers entertained all year.
Marmot Basin also has an outstanding beginner run with a designated School Lift. It’s a good place to be an instructor.
The mountain is 21km from Jasper and there’s a regular shuttle bus between the two places.
There’s no on mountain accommodation so workers and guests stay in Jasper, a fabulous town surrounded by incredible scenery.
Jasper has weekly community dinners at the town’s activity centre. They will typically get 300-500 people enjoying a meal together on a Sunday Night. These dinners started during a no-snow year and were initially held for visiting ski workers who didn’t have any work. Everyone is welcome and it’s dinner by donation.
Jasper also has a fabulous “Jasper in January” festival. There’s a range of free events including fireworks, animal tracking and ecology sessions, and first nation story telling.
All up, Jasper is a super friendly place and quite user-friendly from a seasonal workers perspective. But…
It’s cold. Very cold. This of course keeps the snow in incredible condition and allows a long ski season, but seasonal workers need to be prepared for it.
Mt Robson is a big mountain just west of Jasper and this tends to split the storms. Marmot does get less snow than other Canadian resorts, but the cold temps and lack of crowds means it’s fresher much longer. A 30cm dump mid-week lasts big time, especially if you’re hiking to the summit.
Oh and one more thing. There’s five cross country skiing hubs near Jasper and it’s a crime to not explore these during the winter.
If this resort reveiw has sparked your interest in Marmot Basin, head to your profile and tag Canada, Marmot Basin, Jasper and we will let the right people know you’re interested in a ski season.
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