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Locke said there’s no evidence the ski hill needs to expand to remain viable.

“It’s not about needing to expand,” said Dan Markham, a spokesman for Lake Louise ski resort. “It’s more about being prepared to expand at the time should the market demand for that.

“In the years to come, there could be opportunities where the market demand could get higher.”

Locke said the proposed expansion plans into the undeveloped areas range from palatable to shocking.

“The idea of expanding into Hidden Bowl is shocking,” he said. “This is a wilderness area out of the sight lines of the current ski hill. It should stay that way.”

He suggested allowing skiing without lifts in West Bowl isn’t as problematic, but the other areas also raise concerns.

“There is no need to carve up Richardson’s Ridge which is currently in a wild state and beautiful just as it is,” he said. “Keep it unimpaired for future generations.”

Melanie Kwong, superintendent of Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay national parks, said they are trying to reach a balance between the environment and the future viability of the ski area.

“We’ve been talking with the ski area since their last plan in 1981,” she said, noting the resort has put forward a number of different proposals related to the undeveloped areas. “We were always very insistent — because of what they represented and the wildlife corridor habitat that it created for very sensitive species — that we would not consider developing there.”