Shakey Camera Footage warning. My apologies for the poor quality of the footage inside. I did not expect my iPod Touch 7th Gen to fare so poorly in a dimly lit building. Also, since most of the ceiling tiles were on the floor, I had to be constantly watching my step, not the camera angle.
Did you have to get permission to go up the road? If so, who did you contact. I tried to contact K-Pow but just got an automated response, probably no one employed in the summer.
Worked at F.M.in the late 70's I was a mechanic fixed sno-cats .trucks etc. lots of fun ..thks for the memories. F.M. was a very nice place to live and work .What didn't help was the building of Nakiska for the Olympics in 88.
I skied here every weekend 90-96, when my team moved to sunshine. I drank a lot of hot chocolate by that fireplace when I was kid. It was the only mountain in Alberta for aerials. A lot of major freestyle events were held there in the early 90s. I’ve wondered what the inside of this lodge has looked like for years. Thanks for the memories.
Oh look at the old “copper hearth” 😂. We had raging fires going in that nightly. I’m surprised that hasn’t been removed,or stolen. I worked there winter of 87/88. The room I lived in is shown from the outside of the building,to the left of the furthest right white corner at the 1:03 mark. Then again from the inside at the 3:32 mark. The open door on the second floor to the left of the copper hearth. Holy sheet. The memories coming back watching this and the other vid are so vivid still. Thanks so much for posting this. And hey,I would’ve gone with ya on this expedition had ya called.
I remember staying there for a school ski trip in 88 or 89 I believe. It was a great mountain. Faded memories of the lodge. I know we stayed in rooms with bunk beds only.
Yeah the Hostel rooms, I stayed in those too in the late 80's, we used to ski there often. I still remember that lodge very well, we used to sneak booze into the rooms, lol.
yes, used to stay there in the hostel rooms for 20bucks on Monday nights. That included Tuesday lift ticket 83 and 84... beer and cards all night. Still in line when the lifts started
Thanks for this. Lots of great memories there. After RCR closed the resort, I believe the site was vacant for a year before it was purchased (Z?). When it opened again, we were told the lodge was wrecked and had to be demolished. We had to get dressed in our cars and the only facilities were porta potties and a few event tents. That only lasted a season or two before it became Cat Skiing. Good times though. Affordable place to ride and great glades. Miss it.
Great video. I loved that lodge. Me and some friends would go out there on Saturday and ski all weekend. For $20 they let us bring sleeping bags and matts and we would sleep on the ground beside the fireplace. It was the best deal you could find. Good times.
The room you guys go into at the 17:30 mark with the loft was the area manager Andrew and his wife’s room. And there’s my room at the 22:30 mark with the overturned chair on the floor. Bathroom was to the left of it. lol. Oh Christ !! The memories of that room. lol.
I only ever got to go to Fortress once before it closed, don’t remember much besides it being unbelievably cold. Grew up on Nakiska and we always figured Sunshine was a better hill that was about the same drive away, although I suspect it was also that dad wasn’t a fan of driving the access road. Probably a lot of folks like us that wound up going anywhere except Fortress before it died.
I remember my father only ever skied Fortress. He's told me many stories, which include the treacherous access road, sleeping in the lodge, and almost derailing the Farside chair. On another note, I have a full 20+ minute video of the complete history of Fortress. I'm sure you'd appreciate it.
meh, Nakiska killed it, became too expensive to run and staffing was a problem . Plus the access road wasn't up to current standards . You can't run a ski hill on 500 skiers a day.
Shakey Camera Footage warning. My apologies for the poor quality of the footage inside. I did not expect my iPod Touch 7th Gen to fare so poorly in a dimly lit building. Also, since most of the ceiling tiles were on the floor, I had to be constantly watching my step, not the camera angle.
all good, just happy to see what it looks like. The lodge is kinda cool ngl.
Makes sense!
Did you have to get permission to go up the road? If so, who did you contact. I tried to contact K-Pow but just got an automated response, probably no one employed in the summer.
@@newttella1043 I called their mountain ops number and got permission. Not sure exactly how many people they employ up there.
Worked at F.M.in the late 70's I was a mechanic fixed sno-cats .trucks etc. lots of fun ..thks for the memories. F.M. was a very nice place to live and work .What didn't help was the building of Nakiska for the Olympics in 88.
I skied here every weekend 90-96, when my team moved to sunshine. I drank a lot of hot chocolate by that fireplace when I was kid. It was the only mountain in Alberta for aerials. A lot of major freestyle events were held there in the early 90s. I’ve wondered what the inside of this lodge has looked like for years. Thanks for the memories.
Oh look at the old “copper hearth” 😂. We had raging fires going in that nightly. I’m surprised that hasn’t been removed,or stolen. I worked there winter of 87/88. The room I lived in is shown from the outside of the building,to the left of the furthest right white corner at the 1:03 mark. Then again from the inside at the 3:32 mark. The open door on the second floor to the left of the copper hearth. Holy sheet. The memories coming back watching this and the other vid are so vivid still. Thanks so much for posting this. And hey,I would’ve gone with ya on this expedition had ya called.
I remember staying there for a school ski trip in 88 or 89 I believe. It was a great mountain. Faded memories of the lodge. I know we stayed in rooms with bunk beds only.
Yeah the Hostel rooms, I stayed in those too in the late 80's, we used to ski there often. I still remember that lodge very well, we used to sneak booze into the rooms, lol.
yes, used to stay there in the hostel rooms for 20bucks on Monday nights. That included Tuesday lift ticket
83 and 84... beer and cards all night. Still in line when the lifts started
The fireplace is truly iconic
Thanks for this. Lots of great memories there.
After RCR closed the resort, I believe the site was vacant for a year before it was purchased (Z?). When it opened again, we were told the lodge was wrecked and had to be demolished. We had to get dressed in our cars and the only facilities were porta potties and a few event tents. That only lasted a season or two before it became Cat Skiing. Good times though. Affordable place to ride and great glades. Miss it.
When I worked there the rental shop was located where that big separate cement pad was outside. Had some staff accom upstairs.
Skiied there during the late 80s and 90s…paradise…so much fun (and affordable)
Great video. I loved that lodge. Me and some friends would go out there on Saturday and ski all weekend. For $20 they let us bring sleeping bags and matts and we would sleep on the ground beside the fireplace. It was the best deal you could find. Good times.
paul, did you ever meet melvin?
@@gamwitkev I don’t think so. I was in my late teens so he would of looked a lot different back then.
The room you guys go into at the 17:30 mark with the loft was the area manager Andrew and his wife’s room. And there’s my room at the 22:30 mark with the overturned chair on the floor. Bathroom was to the left of it. lol. Oh Christ !! The memories of that room. lol.
I love this vid,,, I went there with my friends growing up all the time
I only ever got to go to Fortress once before it closed, don’t remember much besides it being unbelievably cold. Grew up on Nakiska and we always figured Sunshine was a better hill that was about the same drive away, although I suspect it was also that dad wasn’t a fan of driving the access road. Probably a lot of folks like us that wound up going anywhere except Fortress before it died.
I remember my father only ever skied Fortress. He's told me many stories, which include the treacherous access road, sleeping in the lodge, and almost derailing the Farside chair.
On another note, I have a full 20+ minute video of the complete history of Fortress. I'm sure you'd appreciate it.
Any updates on the the opening ? Are there lifts still there ?
We stayed on school trips
As well-bunks / dorm style.
If the roof hasn’t let go and caused major water damage, almost anything can be saved, at a cost of course
Charlie Locke was a dangerously cheap man. He was instrumental in driving the resort into the ground.
meh, Nakiska killed it, became too expensive to run and staffing was a problem . Plus the access road wasn't up to current standards .
You can't run a ski hill on 500 skiers a day.