HIGHLAND SKIING
In 2019, when it was revealed that Cape Smokey ski hill in Ingonish, Cape Breton, had been sold to a U.S.-based investment group, optimism was high. The group, with ties to the Czech Republic, had a solid track record of unique and ambitious adventure tourism products in their home country and throughout Europe. Plans see the barely operational ski hill transformed into a world-class, four-season destination, complete with Atlantic Canada’s first gondola and a mountaintop adventure tower with a treewalk and panoramic ocean views.
Ski Canada checked in with Project Manager Martin Kejval to see how things were going and how the company has dealt with the challenges of COVID on a major build. “We are 110 per cent going to have skiing from the top of Cape Smokey this winter,” said Kejval. While he acknowledged that a global pandemic has had an impact on their construction schedule of the LeitnerPoma gondola, Kejval said confidently, “The main haul rope has been spliced, the drive station is nearing completion and we’re on track to be open by the end of August.” The second stage of the project, the Treewalk, begins construction next spring.
Kejval is hoping that the local business community, which is geared more toward summer tourism visits, will pivot to a year-round model, giving accommodation and dining options in the winter months. For instance, in the coming winter, the first-class Keltic Lodge has committed to remaining open for visiting skiers. The combination of one of Nova Scotia’s finest and most historic properties, and the first gondola in the province, should see skiers flocking to northern Cape Breton to rediscover Cape Smokey.