Massive new ski resort spanning 11,500 acres proposed near Chilliwack

An ambitious new all-season mountain resort is being proposed just off the Trans-Canada highway in Chilliwack.

Bridal Veil Mountain Resort (BVMR) would cover 11,500 acres of mountain recreation terrain, spanning across Mt. Mercer, Mt. Thurston, and Mt. Archibald.

Featuring hotels, restaurants, a grocery store, and resort homes, the project is proposed as a year round destination resort similar to Sun Peaks and Big White.

According to the news release, ski runs would average 2,300 ft of vertical ski area and the resort could handle roughly 11,000 skiers at a time.

Visitors would travel from Hwy 1 to Valley Base Village where they park their vehicle before boarding one of two gondola lines to reach the alpine village areas.

From there, visitors will have access to year-round recreational activities ranging from skiing and snowboarding to hiking and mountain biking.

Whistler-based Brent Harley and Associates (BHA), an experienced mountain resort planning and design firm, are behind the project.

An "expression of interest" EOI application has been submitted to the provincial government’s Mountain Resorts Branch.

The EOI is the first of three stages in the provincial government’s all-season resort development process.

Both the City of Chilliwack, Fraser Valley Regional District and local First Nation's groups will have to also approve the project.

A consultation process with the Stó:lō communities is currently underway.

At full build-out, it's believed the resort could generate $252 million in regional visitor spending and $35 million in tax revenue annually.