This Quiet BC Mountain Just Locked In the Bottom Station for Its New Quad

Kimberley Alpine Resort has finished installing the bottom terminal for its new Tamarack four-seat chairlift, a milestone the British Columbia resort flagged on social media this week. The Leitner-Poma quad is set to replace the aging 1998 Tamarack double, with tower installation by helicopter next and a scheduled December 2026 completion ahead of the 2026-27 season.

"The new Tamarack bottom terminal is now in. Super cool looking, eh?" Kimberley posted with photos of the finished station. The new lift will climb about 360 meters of vertical in roughly eight minutes and carry 2,400 people per hour. That more than doubles the old double's 1,052 people per hour and makes Tamarack Kimberley's second quad.

Why Tamarack Ridge matters

Tamarack Ridge holds much of Kimberley's advanced terrain: mostly black-diamond runs with a mix of open and gladed lines. A higher-capacity quad on the same alignment means more skiers reach that expert side without the bottleneck of a late-1990s double. For a mid-size East Kootenay hill, that is a real product change, not a cosmetic swap.

Kimberley is owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR). In May, RCR announced four new Leitner-Poma lifts across three B.C. resorts: Fernie, Kicking Horse, and Kimberley. "This is a major investment in our B.C. resorts and shows our company's commitment to providing excellent experiences for our guests and our resort communities," RCR president and chief resort officer John Shea said in Kimberley's announcement. Senior vice president of resort experience Matt Mosteller framed the package as modernizing infrastructure around performance, comfort, and innovation.

Opening timing and pass context

Kimberley is currently projected to open December 12, 2026. The resort has not published a separate public date for when the new Tamarack will spin for guests, only that December 2026 is the completion and opening window for the lift itself. Destination skiers planning an early East Kootenay trip should watch Kimberley's channels for the lift's first load days once towers and certification wrap.

Kimberley also sits on the Epic Pass network in Ski Flock's inventory, so passholders comparing RCR B.C. days against Fernie or Kicking Horse will care when the new uphill capacity comes online on the advanced side.

For terrain, lodging in Kimberley, and getting there from Cranbrook, start with the Kimberley resort page. SnowBrains covered the terminal install at snowbrains.com.