Pine Valley Snow Resort, 85 km north of Edmonton, began as a vision in 2006 when Dom and Gintra Kriangkum started fixing the place up on weekends between getting the kids to gymnastics and skiing at Rabbit Hill. In 2015, they moved from Edmonton to the Tawatinaw Valley to focus on the project. Dom and his family own the resort and operate the ski hill through an agreement with the county. They operate on weekends, Christmas vacation and for school bookings.
Two out of three existing T-bars service the 24 downhill runs and provide access to the Nordic trails.
Getting the tour with Dom and his daughter Pam who has been at past CWSAA fall meetings.
The chalet has capacity for up to 150 skiers and includes cafeteria-style dining.
What began as a weekend project for engineer Dom and cancer researcher Gintra Kriangkum, has become a full time venture, the perfect location for retreats, weddings and team training.
The resort provides 24 downhill runs with parking top and bottom, 27 km of sled-groomed Nordic skiing, a terrain park with half pipe, groomed with a Bombardier snowcat equipped with a half pipe grinder, and 3 lanes of walk-up tubing.
In addition to the downhill runs, the cross country ski trails run from the valley bottom to the top. Last winter, they hosted an 89-person loppet and Olympic gold medalist Becky Scott also brought a ski race here.
With this amazing gym and the fantastic dorms, any team would love to train at this facility. They recently hosted the Chinese National Artistic Gymnastics team for a week before they competed in the World Championships in Montreal.
The nearby Pine Valley Hall provides seating for 150 guests and has a huge stage for live bands. Add the dorm that houses up to 144 people, and it’s the perfect place for weddings, retreats and team training camps. They even provide themed dinners.
Good idea: Muster station.
Tawatinaw originated around 1912 as a military rail and road stop on the way to Alaska from the US and is also a historic landing trail for homesteaders between Edmonton and Athabaska as they passed by the top of the slopes.
The resort includes the chalet, a store in a relocated one-room school house, a huge gymnastics facility, and a dorm that accommodates 144 people and houses a common room, kitchen and a 30-person classroom.
