The history of downhill skiing on Pigeon Mountain dates back to 1961, when Pigeon Mountain Recreations Limited was formed with the goal of developing a new ski resort close to Calgary. In 1962 the group received all their permits and installed two Poma detachable platters. The main platter rose around 400 vertical feet and serviced the longest runs, while the second Poma served the beginner slope by the lodge. The ski area initially boasted four main runs ranging from beginner to intermediate terrain. The initial development was supposed to see two more Poma lifts and a double chairlift to continue to rise up the mountain. Pigeon Mountain constructed a 4,200 square foot lodge built using local timber, which remained the centre of Pigeon Mountain's ski operation and still stands to this day.

Pigeon Mountain was chosen as it provided easy access to Calgary and was outside Banff National Park. By December of 1962, Pigeon Mountain officially opened to the public. The ski area hired young Jack Bright as the general manager. When it first opened it was touted as the next great Canadian ski resort, comparable to Lake Louise. Reportedly, locals had voiced concerns over insufficient snowfall and warm winds, or Chinooks, in the winter. Management dismissed all these fears as groundless, even stating that all the prophets of doom proved to be wrong.

Pigeon Mountain was truly aimed at first-time skiers. The mountain had a very fine ski instruction program and even offered a daycare with skiing lessons for very young children, which boosted the mountain's reputation as a great place to learn the sport.

Pigeon Mountain's first ski season was a disaster. The mountain was only open for around one and a half months before warm weather closed the ski resort. To combat this, Pigeon Mountain ordered 10 Larchmont snow guns for the upcoming ski season. In 1964, the ski area installed a third Poma lift that ran directly beside the existing main platter. The ski area experienced a few good snow years in the 1960s, with the closing record being mid-April in 1963. Pigeon Mountain regularly drew crowds of between 600 and 800 skiers on any given weekend. The Hudson's Bay Company also offered coupons and free bus rides from Calgary to Pigeon Mountain, and this program saw Pigeon Mountain teach huge numbers of new skiers how to ski. Jack Bright was truly an amazing ski marketer and he was able to draw skiers from as far away as Manitoba to come ski Pigeon Mountain.

Pigeon Mountain really didn't expand much throughout its early years. Despite all the development plans, the resort widened new runs and cut bypasses on steeper trails, but overall the trail layout remained mostly unchanged. In 1967, Bright left Pigeon Mountain, lured by a potential ski development near Garibaldi. Right after he left, the original Poma platter suffered a terrible malfunction when a cable on the lift flew off the pulley, launching two young skiers into the air. Tragically, one of them passed away. While a public inquest found that the ski area was not at fault for the accident, it put a stain on Pigeon Mountain's reputation in the local community.

With Jack Bright gone, the ski area really struggled during the 1968 ski season. A warm winter caused the resort to close early and lose quite a bit of revenue. In the summer of 1969, vandals broke into the lodge, removing rental ski equipment and trashing the kitchen. This all caused Pigeon Mountain to close in 1969. While there were talks originally about a new operator for Pigeon, the ski area sat dormant for nine years.

In 1977, Calgarian George Camp purchased all assets of Pigeon Mountain and planned a complete reopening. Reportedly all the lifts and lodge were still on the mountain, relatively undamaged. George Camp installed a newer SMI snowmaking system and resurrected the beginner Poma and one of the parallel platters. Additionally, a GMD Müller double chairlift was installed, replacing the original Poma that had suffered the malfunction. Camp intended Pigeon to become the next big learning centre for Calgary, with lower ticket prices providing a relaxing and more affordable alternative to the bigger mountains.

Pigeon Mountain only lasted for three seasons under George Camp before finally closing for good after the 1980 ski season. Reportedly the warm winters proved to be a challenge for George Camp, and the ski area struggled to make a profit. The provincial government rejecting Camp's request to build over 200 condominium units on the mountain was also a factor in the closure.

As the 1988 Winter Olympics were approaching for Calgary, a new ski area site was needed to host the downhill events. Many locations were candidates, including Pigeon Mountain. While George Camp tried his best to incorporate Pigeon Mountain into the Olympics, it never happened. A few years later he sold his lease to a company who developed around 25 cabins on the lower slopes of the mountain. The chairlift was removed and sold to Canyon Ski Resort, where it still operates. While there was a brief mention in 1998 of bringing back Pigeon Mountain for a potential Calgary 2010 Winter Olympics bid, that's about all that ever got mentioned of the ski area.

While Pigeon Mountain gets harder and harder to see year after year, you can still make out the runs. There's obviously no interest in bringing back the twice-failed resort, but it is an interesting bit of history for the Alberta ski market.