Inception of a New Fortress
There’s some serious Hollywood filming afoot in the foothills.
There’s been some serious buzz centered around some structures visible on one of the ridges above an old ski resort. Working in the Boutique Hotel industry is a surprisingly effective way to hear about local news and gossip. It’s actually quite nice; keeping on top of local events helps with guest relations and is a good way to identify opportunities and hazards.
This fall the buzz in Calgary is all about the newest film being directed by Christopher Nolan, the man behind Batman: The Dark Knight. That movie is called Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. After spending the entire morning trying to get some fresh details on the production, all I’ve come up with is A: It’s a science fiction action movie about a CEO who becomes involved in some sort of blackmail plot “set within the architecture of the human mind", and is scheduled to be released in July 2010; and, B: a good portion of it is being filmed at the much-missed former ski resort called Fortress Mountain.
The buzz in Calgary is being fueled by rumors that the presence of this $200 million movie might be enough to get the resort reopened.
Fortress Mountain Ski Resort was closed due to a combination of a lack of maintenance and a failure of taxes and bills being paid. Banff Rail Co., the new owner, and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, the previous owners, never did manage to completely fulfill the terms of its lease and the Resort has remained closed for the last two winters.
The resort was regarded as a hidden gem by locals in Calgary and its closure has prompted the inception (yes, the pun is totally intentional) of a number of petitions for its reopening. However, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. As of September 2009, Sustainable Resource Development Alberta has confirmed that potential new owners are negotiating with Banff Rail to take over the resort’s lease.
The new ownership group is thought to be headed by Joey O'Brien, who happens to be the former owner of Ski Martock in Nova Scotia, and COO for Alpine Canada.
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