Recreation-minded Albertans in search of resort property have been snapping up real estate at Canada’s newest four-season destination resort near Golden, B.C.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, which opened its doors to skiers and snowboarders in December and is now wrapping up its inaugural summer season, is preparing to bring on new residential developments after its Whispering Pines townhome complex and Purcell Woods residential community have all but sold out.

As of late last week, only one of 22 luxury townhomes and none of the 29 private, single-family lots were still available at the resort, about 100 kilometres west of Banff. However, a variety of new properties will be announced during the winter 2001/02 season, said spokeswoman Jodi Johnson.

The Purcell Woods lots, which went on sale in mid-July, range in size from 6,000 sq. ft. to more than 11,000 sq. ft and can accommodate a 2,400-sq.-ft., fully-serviced, three-bedroom resort home plus a 538-sq.-ft. garage. Lots range from $99,000 to $150,000.

Whispering Pines luxury townhomes are designed to be home away from home.

The Whispering Pines luxury townhomes feature floor plans of 1,233 sq. ft. to 1,984 sq. ft. Each unit comes with an enclosed garage, cedar deck and hot tub capability plus optional furnishing packages. Prices range from $279,900 to $449,900.

An established set of design guidelines and a maximum four-year building timeframe will ensure the development remains consistent throughout, said Craig Mackenzie, manager of real estate sales and marketing. Buyers have flocked to the area from across the province and around the world, he said.

Set amid tall stands of Douglas Fir trees with views of the Rocky and Purcell mountain ranges, the housing developments are within walking distance of the resort’s future village and a 15-minute drive from the 18-hole championship Golden Golf & Country Club.

The resort’s master plan calls for a variety of other developments over the next five years that will include 3,000 beds of on-hill accommodation and a central village plaza with retail shops and eateries. Unlike many other mountain communities which have fought new commercial development, the majority of Golden’s 4,000 residents have embraced the resort for its economic spinoffs including new jobs and an anticipated influx of tourists and new residents.

An estimated four million people pass by the town each year along the TransCanada Highway.

To date, more than $30 million has been invested in the $250-million resort, which boasts the highest vertical drop in the Canadian Rockies and more than 4,000 acres of ski terrain. Kicking Horse is also home to Canada’s most elevated restaurant – the mountaintop Eagle’s Eye — and Canada’s first level, walk-in gondola, the Golden Eagle Express.

Web Watch:
www.kickinghorseresort.com