Alberta Expands Tourism as Castle, Fortress, and Nakiska Gain All-Season Status

Alberta is officially moving ahead with its long-anticipated All-Season Resorts Strategy, designating Castle Mountain, Fortress Mountain, and Nakiska as the province’s first all-season resort areas. Premier Danielle Smith announced the move Monday afternoon (Dec 9) on social media, calling it a milestone in the province’s push to grow tourism and modernize aging ski infrastructure.

“We are moving ahead with the All-Season Resorts Strategy by designating Castle, Fortress and Nakiska as Alberta’s first all-season resort areas,” Smith said. “This will revitalize iconic ski resorts, create jobs, and make it easier for families to stay and play in the Rockies year-round.”

Smith framed the change as an effort to balance environmental stewardship, Indigenous opportunity and economic growth. She described it as an extension of former premier Peter Lougheed’s vision for public lands in the Eastern Slopes.

A Push Toward 25 Billion Dollars in Tourism by 2035

Tourism Minister Andrew Boitchenko released a video expanding on the announcement. Alberta, he said, is taking a major step toward the province’s goal of growing tourism to $25 billion by 2035.

Boitchenko argued that the new designations will allow long-stagnant resorts, such as Fortress, to modernize while minimizing environmental impacts.

“For decades, red tape has restricted resort operations to winter alone, and limited their ability to simply maintain their existing facilities,” he said. “By enabling the restoration and improvement of these iconic ski resorts, we are championing Premier Peter Lougheed’s vision for Alberta’s Rockies.”

He highlighted the resorts’ historical roles in hosting international events such as the 1988 Olympics and serving as filming locations for productions like The Revenant and Inception.

Before any development can proceed, Boitchenko said operators must undergo Indigenous consultation, public engagement, and submit detailed applications to the all-season resort regulator. Applications must reflect environmental excellence, sustainable tourism, and the province’s goal of strengthening Alberta’s visitor economy.

Where Fortress Fits Into the Picture

While the announcement covers all three resorts, Fortress Mountain has attracted the most attention in the Bow Valley. It has been discussing redevelopment publicly for several years.

The resort’s planning materials describe “Fortress 2.0” as a project that would include:

• A new lift network

• Modern utilities and an updated base area

• A redeveloped day lodge

• Expanded winter and summer terrain

• Year-round activities

• A hotel, spa, hostel, brewery, retail space and interpretive facilities

Fortress has said that redevelopment in this location must be done with “the utmost care and attention.” The company says its goal is to preserve the wilderness character that long defined the mountain. “It is home to true wilderness, wilderness that we must do everything we can to preserve and enhance,” the resort writes.

What Bow Valley Locals Told Us

Earlier this year, Bow Valley Insider surveyed residents about whether Fortress should become a year-round resort. Out of 452 responses, 57.96% supported the idea. The poll also showed that opinions vary widely across the community.

Residents who supported redevelopment often cited pressure on existing ski areas and the need for more regional recreation capacity.

“It will relieve pressure on Banff and Lake Louise,” one respondent said. “We need more places to visit in Kananaskis.”

Others felt that reopening Fortress would restore a meaningful part of local recreation culture.

“We skied in Fortress many years ago and loved it,” another resident said. “A four-season project would be awesome, would support all.”

Many respondents also expressed strong reservations, particularly around habitat, wilderness integrity and traffic.

“It is a slippery slope to more environmental degradation. It is prime grizzly habitat,” one resident wrote.

Another said the area “is a wildlife sanctuary for a lot of animals especially bears,” adding that year-round resort development “sets a precedent to fully develop K Country instead of leaving it as a natural area.”

Some residents believed redevelopment is possible, but only with strict conditions. “As long as environmental studies are done and it is built as eco-friendly as possible,” one resident wrote. “Something new, not another traditional build that looks like Canmore threw up.”

Others opposed the idea outright. “We need to keep some wild spaces that are not available to people all year round,” one respondent wrote. “Our wildlife are living in a ghetto.”

What Happens Now

The province’s announcement signals that the regulatory framework is now active. No development approvals have been granted yet. Each resort must complete a full application process before construction can begin. This includes Indigenous consultation, environmental review and public engagement.

Bow Valley Insider will be seeking responses from developers, environmental groups, and tourism professionals to understand what the next steps could look like.

For now, the designation marks one of the most significant policy shifts for Alberta resorts in decades. The province argues that it will help keep tourism dollars in Alberta rather than flowing to British Columbia. Government officials say Albertans spent about 1.2 billion dollars more in British Columbia last year than British Columbians spent in Alberta, and they believe new all-season resorts will help reduce that gap by keeping more recreation and travel spending in the province.

As Boitchenko put it in his announcement video, “All-season destinations are all about serving community and building community. The new all-season policy will bring both social and economic opportunities to Alberta.”