The next year will see massive transformation and new offerings at Revelstoke’s resort for golf, lodging, dining and even skiing, a recent update to the city suggests.
Jason Kelder, president for Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR), addressed city council on Tuesday, June 23, about where things sit for future amenities around Mount Mackenzie, with the opening of Cabot Revelstoke’s golf course only a year out.
In a below-average winter of snow for Revelstoke, RMR saw patchier ski runs in opening and closing week for 2025-26 but continued growth in gondola-goers. It anticipates selling another 100,000 lift tickets annually by 2029-30, meaning it would reach more than 500,000 tickets and season passes combined per year by the end of the decade.
Down at Cabot Revelstoke, Kelder reported that about 10 of 18 holes on the golf course are ready for play. Landscaping crews are currently seeding two other holes, with RMR still anticipating an early summer 2027 opening for the full course.
Some of the greens were already finished by last fall, and as shown in recent images, have maintained good condition after their first snowy winter.
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The additional 12-hole par-3 course, called the Rail Yard, located behind the red barns off Nichol Road, is slated to open in 2028. A proposed clubhouse for the course was also pending city approval, and got the green light from council Tuesday for a development permit amendment. Kelder said it will feature a restaurant, bar, bowling and digital golf area that will be open to people staying in Mackenzie Village and elsewhere.
Even the barns, used by maintenance crews for storing material such as fertilizer, are being considered for future development to benefit visitors, Kelder said.
At a business networking event at RMR on Wednesday, June 24, Suzanne Riegel with Revelstoke Mountain Realty told attendees that Cabot Revelstoke will offer local golfing rates for Revelstoke residents. However, she couldn’t elaborate on what those rates would be and Cabot representatives visiting RMR this week weren’t available at the event. In line with other Cabot-designed courses, golfing at RMR is anticipated to generally cost between $400 and $500 per 18 holes.
Kelder took the opportunity Tuesday to address concerns that have arisen in Revelstoke about these golf courses’ environmental footprint. Kelder reported that Cabot Revelstoke is certified under Audubon International’s co-operative sanctuary program, which requires using organic herbicides and approved fertilizers.
Audubon International staff visit the course to ensure compliance with environmental standards, with certification taking between six months and three years. Golf developers must work to reduce chemical and energy use, preserve water quality, and manage wildlife habitat.
“It’s a difficult certification to achieve, and Cabot is committed and getting there,” Kelder said.
According to him, Cabot Revelstoke is not using pesticides for its course. But to maintain the slick and playable quality of the links, routine maintenance with rigorous overseeding and watering is needed to ensure the top grass germinates and outcompetes other plant species, he explained.
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The nearby Cabot Revelstoke Mountain Lodge, formerly named the Karl hotel, will be run by Northlands and is potentially opening its restaurant this winter, Kelder informed. The pro shop will change hands in winters and summers between Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing and Cabot Revelstoke, respectively.
Farther up the mountain, the Mackenzie Outpost burger shack will eventually be replaced with a larger mass-timber building offering skiers more seats and better heating inside for grabbing a bite. RMR hopes to service the new facility this fall, install it the following summer, and open in the fall of 2027.
Kelder said Ecoscape Environmental Consultants is also seeking new water sources around upper Mount Mackenzie to source more snow-making for ski runs above Revelation Lodge.
Last season in early December, “we opened a week late,” he recounted. “We had great skiing basically within 150 to 200 feet of the bottom of the lifts, so a little snow-making would’ve preserved that start date.”
Heading into summer, Kelder said RMR’s projection of ridership on its Pipe Mountain Coaster may be “a little optimistic” for the next five years. The expectation is roughly 25,000 more rides per summer by 2030, though he noted many other coaster rides have entered the market between Vancouver and Calgary since RMR paved the way with this one in 2016.
On the real estate side, the Benchland Residences under construction have sold five of eight homes, while the Benchland Condos are more than one-third sold, Kelder said. Thirteen single-family lots remain for sale in the Benchlands area.
Coun. Matt Cherry asked Tuesday for updates on increasing ski lift infrastructure. Kelder answered that “lift pricing’s very volatile” given costs for material such as steal aluminum, but RMR has received some pricing options from manufacturer Leitner-Poma.
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“The lift infrastructure we would like to build, including snow-making and the (hydrology) expansion, is in the $120-million range,” he said. “We are trying to figure out how to phase that in a way that makes sense, and candidly getting some real estate sold.”
Kelder also shared that RMR plans to return the Cube Boutique Hotel “to valued accommodation, but more towards group and student travel and event business, rather than book night by night.”
As for the former backpacker hostel, he said the intent is to maintain it as RMR staff housing, particularly to support employees working farther afield at the Sandman Hotel and Denny’s Restaurant.
“They have the same staff issues that any hotel and operator has in town, so being part of our group, I think that’s more of an elegant solution,” Kelder added.
RMR’s staff housing at the base of the ski hill hangs between 60 and 70 per cent full in summer, but fills up during winter, he said, but the resort hopes to stay ahead of demand for housing as Cabot Revelstoke Mountain Lodge and the golf course open in the next year.
Kelder said long-term rental pricing has fallen, taking demand off staff housing, but RMR will “sit and watch the market” and is considering selling several more downtown units it’s developing on Douglas Street.
At its newest attraction, the Highline suspension bridge and viewing deck that opened last August, RMR has received feedback on its lack of wheelchair access and “not the easiest walk” for visitors, Kelder told council.
The resort plans to build another trail running under the gondola to access Highline, to increase accessibility for mobility devices and events. This is slated for construction in 2027 and opening in summer 2028, he added.
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Responding to Coun. Aaron Orlando’s questions, Kelder acknowledged concerns from the public about a recent odour lingering around nearby Arrow Heights. However, he said he never personally smelled it on the golf course, and wouldn’t speculate on its origins.
“It would be very hard to attract a golf customer to golf on a golf course that smelled like somebody assumes our golf course smells like,” Kelder said. “Some of it has to come down to the common sense.”
He reassured that the resort also tracks water quality and runoff in adjacent areas such as Williamson Lake using monitor devices. Kelder said only one water turbidity issue has so far arisen for the course, due to someone building a home on adjacent land off RMR property.
Additionally, public concerns this spring echoed by city council about Cabot Revelstoke’s development causing an algae bloom in the lake were deemed unfounded by Interior Health. Kelder said the health authority found the only “bloom” was a spring “pollen event,” with temperatures too cold for algae development, and resolved not to investigate.
“Sometimes we’re quiet, and maybe we should be louder, but keeping the conversation going I’m not sure is always the best solution,” he said.
RMR stays open for the summer season until Sept. 27, now offering Revelstoke locals discounted gondola rates of $15 per ride.