SnowStash
ForecastsCompareNews
SnowStash Logo

Live snow, webcams and expert resort guides for the world's mountains - plan your next day on snow.

hello@snowstash.com
Download on the App Store

Destinations

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Europe
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • United States

Company

  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Privacy Policy

Explore

  • Compare Resorts
  • News & Updates
  • Snow Forecast
  • Mobile App

© 2026 SnowStash. All rights reserved.

    Alberta, Canada · Indy / Mountain Collective

    Marmot Basin

    696 hectares, 91 runs in Jasper National Park. High elevation, uncrowded terrain, Indy Pass access.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    Opens
    21 Nov 2025
    Closes
    5 Apr 2026
    Days open
    135
    Annual snow
    5m
    The Overview
    MF
    Michael Fulton
    Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

    Marmot Basin's summit reaches 2,612 metres, dropping 914 vertical metres to a base at 1,698 metres across 91 runs spread over roughly 696 hectares within Jasper National Park, Alberta. Terrain splits 30 per cent each for beginner and intermediate, 20 per cent each for advanced and expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 4.5 metres. The resort carries Indy and Mountain Collective affiliation. Seven lifts, including four quad chairs, one double chair and one triple chair, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift.

    Marmot Basin holds a genuinely distinctive place among Canadian Rockies resorts as Jasper National Park's sole ski area, sitting among the highest base elevations of any resort in Canada. This considerable elevation, combined with comparatively light crowds relative to the busier Banff-area resorts, has built Marmot's reputation as an uncrowded, high-alpine alternative within the Rockies.

    Joe Weiss first guided cross-country skiers into Marmot Basin via Whistlers Creek in the 1920s, and the first trail was blazed from the Athabasca Valley the following decade. The British Army used the basin for alpine training manoeuvres in 1942, before operator Toby Rayner built the first tow rope in 1961 out of spare parts salvaged from an old British Army truck.

    Marmot Basin Ski-Lifts Ltd officially launched operations in Jasper National Park in 1964. The ski area remains owned and operated today by Rocky Mountain Skiing Incorporated, on land leased from the federal government of Canada. Adult daily tickets run at a flat 149 Canadian dollars.

    914m
    Vertical
    91
    Runs
    1,720 acres
    Skiable
    5m
    Annual snow
    Indy / Mountain Collective
    Pass
    The Terrain

    91 runs across 1,720 acres skiable

    Marmot Basin spreads 91 runs across 1,720 acres skiable of terrain. It leans beginner at 30%, with 27 beginner runs to find your feet and 36 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.

    Terrain split
    91
    runs
    91 runs across 4 grades
    Beginner27 runs · 30%
    Intermediate27 runs · 30%
    Advanced18 runs · 20%
    Expert18 runs · 20%
    Time it right

    When to visit Marmot Basin

    The 2025-26 season at Marmot Basin ran from 21 November 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 4.5 metres at the resort's considerable elevation. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather in Jasper National Park.

    Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Marmot's evenly balanced terrain. As an Indy and Mountain Collective resort, Marmot draws pass-holding visitors alongside travellers seeking Jasper National Park's comparatively uncrowded alpine scenery relative to the busier Banff corridor.

    Marmot's considerable elevation and family-friendly terrain mix continue to support strong visitation throughout the season from across Alberta and beyond. School holiday periods bring family visitation given the resort's evenly split terrain across all ability levels.

    Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Marmot Basin continues to build on more than six decades of history since its 1964 founding as Marmot Basin Ski-Lifts Ltd, itself following decades of informal skiing dating to Joe Weiss's 1920s guided tours. The resort's high elevation and Jasper National Park setting remain central to its enduring appeal.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    21 Nov 2025
    Opens
    5 Apr 2026
    Closes
    135
    Days open
    5 m
    Annual snow
    Getting there

    Getting to Marmot Basin, and where to stay

    Marmot Basin sits within Jasper National Park, Alberta, with a base elevation of 1,698 metres and a summit at 2,612 metres across a 914-metre vertical drop over roughly 696 hectares. This considerable base elevation places Marmot among the highest-base ski areas in Canada.

    The town of Jasper, a genuine national park community, offers extensive lodging, dining and services within a short drive of the resort, providing a considerably quieter alternative to the busier Banff townsite further south.

    Alberta Highway 93A and the Icefields Parkway provide direct access to the resort from Jasper. Winter driving conditions on these routes can include snow and ice, and the resort's location within a remote national park means travellers should carry appropriate equipment.

    Edmonton International Airport, roughly a four-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Jasper's considerable distance from major population centres drawing a genuinely dedicated visitor base seeking a quieter Rockies experience.

    Where to stay

    Search all stays →

    Hotels and lodges near Marmot Basin, powered by Stay22.

    Latest News

    From the SnowStash desk

    View all news →
    Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028

    Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028

    Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.

    31 Aug 2026
    Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

    Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

    An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

    28 Aug 2026
    Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

    Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

    A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

    27 Aug 2026
    Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

    Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

    Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.

    26 Aug 2026
    Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert

    Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert

    A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.

    26 Aug 2026
    Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business

    Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business

    Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.

    25 Aug 2026
    Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

    Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

    I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.

    23 Aug 2026
    Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

    Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

    The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.

    23 Aug 2026

    Marmot Basin Lift System

    Marmot Basin runs seven lifts: one double chair, four quad chairs and one triple chair, serving 91 runs across roughly 696 hectares within Jasper National Park, alongside one surface lift. This network traces back to the resort's first tow rope, built in 1961 from spare parts salvaged from an old British Army truck.

    That improvised early lift gave way to considerably more substantial infrastructure following Marmot Basin Ski-Lifts Ltd's official 1964 launch, with quad and triple chairs installed across subsequent decades of operation by Rocky Mountain Skiing Incorporated.

    The four quad chairs now distribute skiers evenly across Marmot's balanced terrain mix, split evenly between beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert sections, while the double chair and triple chair provide additional capacity across the mountain's varied elevation.

    Under ongoing operation by Rocky Mountain Skiing Incorporated on land leased from the federal government, continued investment has supported this seven-lift network. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Marmot's well-balanced lift network remains suited to its identity as Jasper National Park's sole, high-elevation ski destination.

    7lifts across 4 types
    4
    Quad Chairs
    1
    Triple Chair
    1
    Double Chair
    1
    Surface Lift

    Marmot Basin lift system

    Marmot Basin is served by 7 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.

    More Marmot Basin intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.