Ski and ride the newest terrain in Western Canada for 2026
Imagine skiing never-before-skied terrain. The possibility is there. With new ski terrain opening up at ski areas from Troll Resort to Castle, to Lake Louise or SilverStar, you could experience that sensation, the rush of a first descent—whether it's first ever, a personal first or first time this season.
Skiing or riding new terrain is not about bragging rights, although that can be a perk. It's about getting out of the familiar lines you know and into surprise territory.
As skiers and riders we know that the best line we've ever skied is always the next one. And thus we bring you…
New Alberta, BC ski terrain you need to ski
The last couple years have seen substantial developments in Western Canada as Alberta and BC ski resorts expand terrain and add new lifts to access it. Here are five recent additions you'll want to add to your bucket list.
Richardson's Ridge, Lake Louise
Looking into the back bowls at Lake Louise.
Who could miss Lake Louise's record-breaking start to 2025-26? With 500cm and counting, Louise is hot this year. That included opening Richardson's Ridge months earlier than planned.
In the last couple years, Lake Louise has jumped up its intermediate terrain offerings, which is great news for intermediate skiers and riders. But it's also great for advanced riders, who will see the rest funneled away from more complex terrain.
First Juniper Chair, now Richardson's Ridge. Richardson's Ridge features a new high-speed quad to access the terrain, with over 200 acres featuring five new beginner and intermediate runs and a new section of cruisy, fun glades.
SnowSeekers' own Jim Barr reported on the goods back in December, here.
Dandy Glades, SilverStar Mountain Resort
SilverStar's backside gets a new addition, Dandy Glades, this winter.
Off SilverStar's backside, between Aunt Gladys and Dandy runs, SilverStar is adding 22 new acres of playful gladed terrain. The backside of the mountain is where much of the steeper, more technical terrain lives.
For more tips to SilverStar's terrain, check out these five runs with a "Silver" lining.
Another lesser known thing about SilverStar is its cross-country ski trail system, which includes gondola-accessed nordic trails and the "Summit Send'r" highlighted here.
Stagecoach Express, Castle Mountain
Photo:
Nick Nault
Castle's new high speed quad will open up previously cat-skiing-only terrain.
Castle's first high speed quad will run 1423m with 558m of rise (elevation gain), increasing terrain access by 25 per cent, with approx 20 new primarily intermediate & advanced runs. That's huge!
This includes terrain that was formerly snowcat-access only via the Powder Stagecoach (from which the new chairlift takes its name).
From past visits, our SnowSeekers team can vouch it's terrain worth skiing. Watch for a full story on this to come, in the next month.
Pinegrove area, Troll Resort
An aerial preview of the Pinegrove expansion, pre-season. The first four of 19 runs open in 2025-26, and more to come!
Troll Resort is "bigger than you think" and getting bigger. Work is underway to open an entirely new mountain face onto the resort, with the first four trails open this 2025-26 season.
In all, as many as 19 new trails are planned. Read more about Troll under our #skinorthbc expedition.
West Bowl, Sun Peaks
The return of West Bowl opens more options for those deep days at Sun Peaks.
This is not "new" terrain per se, but it is newly accessible again. Added in 2024-25, still fresh enough to warrant a feature. If you haven't checked it out, the addition of a quad into West Bowl replaced the t-bar that had been out of commission since 2021.
The new lift is 800 metres longer, opening up 169 acres of mainly intermediate skiable terrain.
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Marmot Cirque
The Cirque is back for the 2025-26 season! This advanced section of terrain first opened in the 2022-23 season, but didn't open the next two seasons. So while it's not brand new, it is still new to many.
Looking down Marmot 2, part of Marmot Basin's new Cirque expansion.
Your insider's tour to more of Marmot's expert terrain is here.
What's next?
Fortress Mountain in Alberta could be back on tap for skiers and riders, having recently received Alberta government approval to open as a four-season resort. This may well include bringing back winter lift skiing and riding after years of cat-only operations.
You can bet our SnowSeekers team has these on our radar for riding and will be bringing you updates and terrain previews soon.
Meantime, if you manage to hit any of these hot new spots, be sure to tag us @snowseekers so we can share your adventures.
