Shames Mountain Ski Area

Shames Mountain, the ‘little ski area that rocks’, tucked away near Terrace and Prince Rupert, BC, was put up for sale in 2008.

[1] Another group called Friends of Shames, composed of local skiers and winter sports enthusiasts, also began to hold town hall meetings in the fall of 2009 in order to get a sense of what the surrounding communities wanted from their ski hill.

They opened lines of communication with the former owners of Shames and held meetings with lawyers and consultants specializing in alternative business models.

Individuals, local businesses and corporations bought memberships and worked together to raise awareness within the region about the general benefits of running the ski area as a community service co-op (as opposed to having it close down for lack of a private buyer).

Late in 2012, tenure of the ski area was officially transferred from the provincial government to MMC, removing the last condition of the purchase agreement with SMSC.