Panorama Mountain Expansion

TWO NEW QUADS FOR PANORAMA IN DECEMBER

2003Panorama Mountain Village, BC - The largest lift expansion in Panorama Mountain Village's history is the next phase of development for this British Columbian resort. Two, new, state of the art, Doppelmayr quad chairlifts will replace a double chair and two t-bars, making Panorama a t-bar free zone!

A new detachable high-speed quad will replace the Horizon Double Chairlift and Champagne T-Bar while another new fixed-grip quad chair will replace the Summit T-Bar. Full construction will commence at the end of the ski season with the new lifts operating by opening day in December 2003.

The high-speed, quad chairlift will move skiers and snowboarders almost two kilometres with an express ride time of just over six minutes - virtually three times as fast! Uphill capacity for this lift is 1,800 skiers per hour. The fixed-grip quad chairlift will extend almost a kilometre in length from the Schober's Dream area to the summit. This quad will provide skiers and snowboarders with a quick and comfortable ascent of over 900 metres in just over six minutes and has the capacity to move over 1,000 skiers per hour to the summit. With these new lifts, skiers and riders will be able to travel from the base area to the summit of the fourth largest vertical in North America in around 20 minutes. For those looking to get into Taynton Bowl, Panorama's newest terrain expansion, this is really good news. With a faster route to the top, expert skiers and riders will be able to enjoy more of the glades, chutes and bumps to be had in this northeast-facing powder haven. "With the addition of these chairs, we will also be putting in additional snowmaking equipment on the runs adjacent to the new quads to ensure we have adequate snow coverage on all of the elevation serviced by the new quads. For next year, there will be 3,500 vertical feet of terrain serviced by snowmaking equipment," says Gord Ahrens, Panorama's Vice-President and General Manager.

"These new chairlifts represent one of the most exciting new stages in our overall resort development Master Plan," says Ahrens. "This project exceeds six million dollars and underlines our commitment to offer the kind of mountain experience that will bring visitors back again and again."

Only two hours southwest of Banff, Panorama Mountain Village is a summer and winter destination resort located in the Canadian Rockies. More that 4,000 vertical feet of terrain ranging from powder bowls to smooth corduroy cruisers and luxury ski-in/ski-out accommodations make Panorama the perfect winter destination. Panorama is owned and operated by Intrawest, the leading developer and operator of village-centred resorts across North America. For more information on vacations at Panorama Mountain Village, call 1-800-663-2929 or visit our web site at www.skipanorama.com.