Panorama Mountain Village

Infobox ski area
name= Panorama Mountain Village

picture= Panorama mountain village summit.jpg
caption= View of a 1000 Peaks
location= British Columbia, Canada
nearest_city= Invermere
lat_degrees= 50
lat_minutes= 27
lat_seconds= 37
lat_direction= N
long_degrees= 116
long_minutes= 14
long_seconds= 18
long_direction= W
top_elevation= 2380 m (7808 ft)
base_elevation= 1160 m (3806 ft)
skiable_area=
number_trails= 120+
longest_run= 5.5 km (3.4 mi) (Never Never Land)
liftsystem= 9 (1 gondola(village only), 5 chairlifts,
2 surface lifts)
terrainparks=
snowfall= 479cm/year (189in/year)
Night Skiing 3 Runs, 1 chair
external_link= [http://www.panoramaresort.com/ PanoramaResort.com] |

Panorama Mountain Village is a ski and golf resort located in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It is a popular tourist destination known for its rolling cliffs and spectacular view of the mountains. It is owned by Intrawest, developers of many of the larger ski resorts in North America.

History

Panorama was founded in 1962 by Guy Messerli, of Invermere, and some friends. The original hill consisted of just 1 rope tow, which ran up the bottom of Old Timer. In 1964, a platter was purchased from Sunshine Village, and installed to replace the rope tow. In 1969, the platter was moved to its present location on the bunny hill, and an extremely long wooden T-Bar was installed that ran up the present Mile 1 quad location.

In 1973, lots were sold near the base of the hill for development to raise money for the hill. Using the funds that they earned from the lots, the Horizon Double Chair was installed in 1975. The Horizon ran about 3 quarters of the distance of the present Champagne Express.

In 1978 the hill was purchased from Messerli and associates by Alan Graham, and Cascade development group. Graham funded the Toby and Horsethief lodges, completed in 1979, that greatly increased lodging in the area.

In 1979, the Toby Double chair was built, and in 1980 the Sunbird Triple Chair was completed. Both still operate to this day.

In 1984, in the continued effort to make Panorama into a resort, hotels began opening near the base of the hill, and Tennis Courts were installed.

In 1985 Panorama hosted the World Cup, and the Champagne T-Bar was built to bring skiiers to the top of the races. The Champagne T-Bar ran from the top of the Horizon double to where the Champagne Quad Chair runs today.

In 1989, the Old wooden T-Bar was replaced with the Mile 1 Express, and development continued at the hill base.

In 1993 the hill was purchased by Intrawest, whose massive pockets would pay for much more development at Panorama, and the Greywolf Golf Course. Also, in 1995 the Summit T-Bar was opened.

In 2004, the Horizon double chair and Champagne T-Bar were replaced by the Champagne Express, and the Summit T-Bar was replaced by the Summit Quad. Plans currently exist to replace the Sunbird Triple Chair with a quad chair, but that will likely not happen for some time.

tatistics

The ski resort is one of the larger ones in North America, with convert|2847|acre|km2 of skiable lift-served terrain. This places it somewhere in the top ten in terms of area. It also has one of the largest vertical drops in North America, at convert|4000|ft|sigfig=2. In terms of continuously skiable vertical drop, it is 4th behind Whistler-Blackcomb, Jackson Hole and Kicking Horse.

Amenities

Also at the bottom of the ski hill there is the Beckie Scott Nordic Center, named for Canadian Olympic gold-medal skier Beckie Scott, which has an extensive range of trails for all levels of difficulty. With approximately 20.5 km of trail for classic and skating and 6.6 km for Classic only. At the center of the Nordic center there is the Hale Hut, which sells a most needed cup of hot chocolate.

It is also home to Greywolf golf course, which winds along the Toby Creek Canyon.

The only way to access Panorama is via a road from the town of Invermere, located approximately 18 kilometers away.

External links

*http://www.panoramaresort.com/
*http://www.greywolfgolf.com/