Plans for large Revelstoke heli-ski lodge rejected following public opposition<\/p>\n
Published 6:03 pm Tuesday, August 25, 2026<\/p>\n
A Revelstoke heli-skiing company won\u2019t be proceeding with long-sought plans to rezone and transform a rural lot north of town into an all-season lakefront lodge.<\/p>\n
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) has denied Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing (STHS) a third reading on its Mars Creek Wilderness Lodge proposal, which required a zoning bylaw and official community plan (OCP) amendment for Area B.<\/p>\n
STHS\u2019s application for the property \u2014 65 hectares located at Mars Creek off Highway 23 and Lake Revelstoke, about 45 kilometres from Revelstoke \u2014 originally came to the CSRD in December 2023.<\/p>\n
The parcel has been privately owned since 1990 and was obtained by STHS from Buddy McKenzie, but the company hoped to switch the property from a small-holdings residential space to a commercial resort lot for development.<\/p>\n
READ: Selkirk Tangiers nears 2nd reading on heli-ski lodge north of Revelstoke<\/a><\/p>\n If approved, the planned resort would\u2019ve included 100 guest units, 50 staff units, 12 camping spaces, a spa, wellness centre, apr\u00e8s bar and dining facilities, as well as a 10-berth marina and boat launch. It also promised to accommodate other activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, biking, hiking, fishing and kayaking.<\/p>\n The resort would\u2019ve been the biggest development of its kind between Revelstoke and Mica Dam.<\/p>\n STHS flies guests to more than 400 ski runs across 200,000 ha of backcountry tenure in the Columbia Mountains. The concept of the lodge was primarily meant to provide faster access to these runs, while also reducing air traffic congestion in Revelstoke by relocating some helicopters out of town.<\/p>\n Last summer the company told Black Press Media it didn\u2019t intend to add helicopters or expand heli-ski tenure farther into the Selkirk or Monashee mountains, and wanted to preserve the look and feel of the forested Mars Creek lot.<\/p>\n After a quiet public information session, the proposal passed first reading back in August 2024, then second reading last March.<\/p>\n However, things had gotten loud this past winter when sledders who saw the rezoning application notice at Mars Creek voiced concerns to the BC Snowmobile Federation, and rallied support on social media to counter potential expansion of heli-ski tenure into snowmobiling lands.<\/p>\n