New quad chair launches Discovery Zone at Panorama

Panorama will now offer a special lift ticket just for the Discovery Zone. — Photo courtesy Panorama Resort

The Discovery Quad is a major part of a move to deliver enhanced experiences to new skiers and snowboarders in a safe area all their own.

The new Discovery Quad, new Little Ripper Carpet, Red Carpet and Silver Platter make up the New Discovery Zone and learning centre. To entice beginners onto the mountain, Panorama will now offer a special lift ticket just for the Discovery Zone. Situated only steps from the base, this area will connect riders with runs ideal for novice to intermediate skiers.

“The name Discovery is perfect for a lift and terrain designed for people skiing and riding for the first time. The zone is all about a stress-free introduction to the snow and from there a life-long passion for the mountains. It’s also a nod to the early pioneers who discovered, explored and settled the Canadian Rockies,” says Marke Dickson, director of sales and marketing, Panorama Mountain Resort.

The Discovery Quad is a top drive, bottom tension quad chairlift made by Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group of Austria. It has 11 towers and 56 four person carriers. Its vertical rise is 165.5 metres (543 ft) with an incline length of 813 metres (2,667 ft). The operating lift speed is 2.03 metres (6.66 ft) per second with a carrying capacity of 994 passengers per hour.

The Panorama Snow School has introduced new offerings to enrich the learn-to-turn experience. The new Discovery Kids Program includes a Discovery Zone lift ticket, full day lesson and lunch for $129/day.

“Learning to ride has never been simpler. The new Discovery Zone will offer the beginner to intermediate skier the smoothest progression possible into the world of confident and enjoyable alpine skiing. With the addition of the new Little Ripper carpet and the Discovery Quad, Panorama now offers one of the best learning environments in North America,” says Jason Simpson, director, mountain sports, Panorama Mountain Resort.

The main trail from the top of the Discovery Quad is Stringer. Over the summer months this trail was merged and reworked to integrate Ski Tip Way. The result is a widened and re-shaped trail that is sculpted for maximum fun. The trail has also been equipped with state-of-the-art snowmaking which will ensure great coverage from opening day through until closing day. The location of the new lift will also enhance the ski-in/ski-out flexibility of Panorama’s newest real estate development, Trappers Ridge.

The resort engaged the surrounding communities in the project as local students from the Columbia Valley were invited to submit a name to be used as inspiration for the new enhancements to the Discovery Zone. Nat McGrath of Invermere submitted the name ‘Little Ripper’ which has been adopted for the new carpet style conveyor lift that was installed. The McGrath family received a season pass and Nat will be the first person to try the new lift on opening day.

The resort also asked students for a creative art piece that tells the story of the experience in the new Discovery Zone. From the submissions, the resort chose two pieces as the ‘most inspired work of art’. Joshua McCann and Yana Hovakimyan have won a Panorama SnowCard and the use of ski or snowboard rental equipment for the 2014-15 season.

To find out more visit the Panorama Resort website.