Marmot Basin's Spring Scene is Stellar

DOC POW, SnowSeekers Inc.

Marmot Basin, a ski resort found minutes from Jasper Alberta, has had one of its top season's in many many years.  There were a ton of times where a good friend of mine, Megan Gibson, a Jasper local, called and said "it doesn't get any better then this, another 20cms last night- and a full bowl of pow was waiting for this morning's breakfast!"

It's a classic destination that if you haven't had the chance to visit yet you need to....
For the full report visit us @ SnowSeekers.   You'll find some stories here from last weekend's visit.

You could still squeeze them in over the next 10 days, they are wide open through April 25th.

Here is a shot taken on April 12 of what it looks like.....

If you are a family - perfect, Marmot's got the terrain.  If you are an intermediate group of friends, perfect cause Marmot's got the terrain.  If you are a couple of cats looking to get in some outstanding hikes into some steeps and deeps you'll find this here too.  Just don't forget to take the camera- Marmot, in the heart of the Rockies, never disappoints when it comes to the views.

For full stories and videos on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit www.snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Happy First-Day!!!

There are a few excellent things we can say to a person, one is to wish them a happy birth-day, the other is to wish them a happy first-day with the start of a ski season!

SnowSeekers, Tanya Roth aka "Tweety" and Marmot's Brian Rhode celebrating their happy first-day!

There were a whole lot of those wishes going around yesterday at Marmot Basin in Jasper- and it was with some serious just cause- Mother Nature had all delivered us a serious first-day present!


"This is the best first-day I have ever had," said snowboarder Jaro Malanowski of Edmonton, Alberta. "The snow is fantastic! Man I love this sport and it's wicked to be back out on the board."  The snow was light, fluffy and there's lots of it!  I think Marmot's been thanked by Ullr, the Snow God, for the recent install of their new chairlift and that thanks resulted in a whole lot of hootin' and hollering yesterday on the slopes.

 The snow continued to fall all day at Marmot Basin- over two feet in the past two weeks!

Moving through the Grizzly Glades yesterday morning, found under the Eagle East Quad, my buddy Will Colford and I were met with face shot after face shot.  "This is cat ski quality skiing right now," exclaimed a seriously stoked Colford after our second lap.
It's epic to be getting days like this in so early in the season when traditionally are not meet with this type of euphoria until maybe mid-December....but hey who is complaining?

Marmot's Supreme Poster Child- Meg Gibson and her good friend Nicole celebrate the slopes epic offerings!

With the install of this new chair, the Canadian Rockies Express, any snow seeker can get from the base of Marmot and into the goods so much quicker,  it's now only a smooth seven and a half min ride away.  For more on this impressive system have a look to some of their videos off the Marmot website

Marmot's opening with four lifts turning and 43 runs - the most amount of terrain available currently in Western Canada!  These kind of stats can't help but make it a happy first-day!  For more on all the adventures in Jasper, consult our website at www.snowseekers.ca

While in Jasper getting in these goods you are going to need a place to stay so dial up a night a two with any of Decore Hotel's properties.  We stayed at the Tonquin which is home to some awesome outdoor hot tubs, a pool and Nick's Prime Rib Village, who makes a mean prime rib sandwich.


FYI, Banff's Sunshine Village and Lake Louise, are now open as well and are getting some glowing reports.  It's time to get out there and enjoy the winter.

Only 7 more sleeps!

MARMOT BASIN OPENS NOVEMBER 11^th

 EARLIEST OPENING EVER!

Jasper, Alberta

November 3, 2009 –Marmot Basin opens on Wednesday November 11^th, the earliest opening date ever for the ski area located in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. Six lifts will be open on the first day of the season including the Eagle Express Quad Chair, Paradise Triple Chair, School House T-bar, Eagle Ridge Chairlift, the Magic Carpet and the NEW Canadian Rockies Express.

A combination of natural and manmade snow has given the area a solid base with good snow coverage throughout the mountain. Marmot Basin will open with 38 runs on the 11^th with more runs expected to open soon thereafter. The runs will include terrain in the lower area, upper mountain and the Eagle Ridge area.

With above average snow coverage Marmot Basin will open the new Canadian Rockies Express, the longest high speed quad chairlift in the Canadian Rockies.

From the ski area base, the Canadian Rockies Express travels 2.3 km (1.5 miles), whisking skiers and boarders 596 vertical metres (1,955 ft) up to the mountain top in less than eight minutes. The lift is the largest chairlift development in North America this season.

For more information be sure to check out the Jasper section of http://www.snowseekers.ca/story.php?loc=1&dest=6

MARMOT BASIN:LONGEST HIGH SPEED QUAD CHAIR IN THE ALBERTA CANADIAN ROCKIES

Jasper’s Marmot Basin ski resort is completing the next phase of one of Canada’s most significant ski lift development projects for the winter of 2009/2010 – the in

stallation of 26 towers which will support The Canadian Rockies Express, the longest new high-speed quad chairlift in

the Alberta Canadian Rocky Mountains.

“It’s an incredibly exciting project which is going to take Marmot into the 21^st Century,” said Dave Gibson, President of Marmot Basin. “I am thrilled to be able to work with the very proactive shareholders who purchased Marmot Basin five years ago. This new $8 million dollar expenditure, in addition to the $8 million the shareholders have spent on operational and capital expenditures over the last five years, will certainly enhance the overall experience for our skiers and boarders.”

The new lift has a slope length of approximately 2,300 meters and a vertical rise of 596 meters. The bottom terminal will be at the base of the lower mountain adjacent to the existing Eagle Express quad chair terminal. The lift will whisk 2,400 passengers per hour from the lower base area and unload them adjacent to the top of the Paradise chair. With an 800 horse power, top-drive engine and a design speed of 5.08 meters per second (1,000 ft/min), skiers and riders can sit back and enjoy the 7.5 minute ride plus the magnificent scenery of the surrounding mountains that make up Jasper National Park.

For more information on The Canadian Rockies Express, please contact Brian Rode at 1-866-952-3816 or HYPERLINK "mailto:brrode@skimarmot.com"brrode@skimarmot.com