Harper Mountain is located above Paul Lake near Kamloops BC. It is a 2nd generation family run area owned by Norm and Lisa Daburger. It was started in 1973 by Norm’s parents Max & Elizabeth Daburger and Peter Huser. The Daburgers emigrated to Canada in their teens from Bavaria, and Huser from Switzerland. They were contractors in Kamloops, and were motivated by the idea of building a ski area, and believed that running a ski area could create year round employment for their summer construction employees.
The ski area first started with a Tbar and handle tow. The Doppelmayr triple chair was built in 1977.
Night skiing was introduced in the early 1980’s.
Intentionally, Harper was build on north facing slopes that preserves quality snow. It also benefits from being in the lee of prevailing winds.
Harper was one of the first areas to embrace snowboarding in its infancy. Norm recalls his dad explaining that he would happily sell a lift ticket to anyone. Max also knew that Harper had lots of room, and folks on snowboards tended to play in the powder rather than the groomed slopes.
Norm Daburger was one of the first people on the chairlift on its opening day in 1977. He would like to say “the” first person on the lift, but he explains that he got out muscled by his older brothers.