Calgary 
Nestled in the Canadian Rockies, Fortress Mountain Resort, an hour from Calgary, boasts a magical terrain with around 750cm annual snowfall.
Credit: White Mountain Adventures
The gorgeous scenery in this part of Alberta includes snow-capped rolling hills and mountains and a variety of wildlife.
Currently undergoing its largest renovation in 56 years, it promises new lifts and facilities, aiming to rejuvenate its legendary ski experience.
While closed for lift services, snowshoeing, downhill skiing and snowboarding adventures available at Fortress Mountain Ski Resort are unlike any others in the province. Its stunning natural beauty has also attracted Hollywood, hosting films like The Revenant and Jumanji.
And now, it is the only other place for snow-cat skiing in Alberta!
These adventures involve meeting up at Fortress Ski Resorts Basecamp and using their snowcat vehicles to access rather hard-to-reach parts of the mountain. So, unlike a regular mountain hill, Fortress offers skiers and snowboarders the chance to hit untouched powder for the day.
The cat skiing at Fortress is for stronger skiers and snowboarders with experience on mountain runs. When it comes to Fortress’ snowcat adventures, safety always comes first. All guests will get a safety orientation. For those looking to experience unspoiled with little or no experience skiing experience, the resort offers snowshoeing.
KPOW Cat Skiing Adventures
KPOW, or Kananaskis Powder, is the company which operates the vehicles that transport adventurers to the top of the mountain. Together, their vehicles and the Fortress Staff bring your downhill adventures to snowy wilderness areas. From here, enjoy roughly 10-12 runs throughout the day.
All cat skiing days include a hearty lunch of soup and sandwiches or wraps, sweet snacks, coffee, hot chocolate, and more. But this is an adventure company, and they offer some incredible ways to enhance your meal experience with more dining adventure packages. Choose between BBQ Burgers, a chicken and pork BBQ, or a Great Canadian BBQ. These barbecue meals are prepared in select locations on the hill, depending on the day’s weather.
Snow Cat Snowshoeing Adventures
These same cat vehicles transport snowshoers to Fortress Ridge, a beautiful backcountry part of Kananaskis. The adventure starts from the resort’s former ski area, where you’ll spot a few abandoned buildings. These guided snowshoe hikes include a hot beverage and freshly baked cookies at the halfway point. The soup and sandwich lunch are available as an add-on for the snowshoe adventures. Available until late March, the trip spans about 5 to 7.5 hours, depending on your starting point.
Planning your trip – Fortress Mountain Resort Winter Adventures
What: Fortress Ski Area is currently under redevelopment, but is open for cat skiing and cat snowshoeing. These are vehicle-assisted adventures instead of chairlift adventures, enabling the KPOW cat vehicles and Fortress staff to find visitors’ prime areas for untouched ski and snowboard hills or snowshoe paths.
Skiing: $575-$680 per person for cat skiing
LOW SEASON: Dec. 11th, 2025 – Jan. 17th, 2026
Single Seat: $585
Full Cat booking (up to 14 guests): $7020
Add 15th seat to a Full Cat booking: $350
HIGH SEASON: Jan 21st 2026 – End of season
Single Seat: Wednesday $690 / Thursday $675 / Friday & Saturday $655
Full Cat booking (up to 14 guests): Wednesday $8280 / Thursday $8100 / Friday & Saturday $7860
Add 15th seat to a Full Cat booking: $400
*All pricing is +5% GST
Accommodations near Fortress Mountain Resort:
Fortress Mountain Ski Resort has worked incredibly hard at restoring and updating this classic Alberta ski hill. They are working on a new lodge for all your après ski needs! They are in phase one of redevelopment, which will later see phases that add overnight accommodations.
While the resort works hard to create a cozy place for skiers to stay, the area still has plenty of accommodation options. Kananaskis Village is a 30-minute-or-so drive from the resort with three hotels. Plus, Canmore is only about 30 minutes further north on Highway AB-40.
Location and how to get there: use the Kananaskis Trail/Highway AB-40 and turn west on the Fortress Access Road to reach the basecamp
