Looking for snow and the proverbial winter wonderland? Rossland certainly fits that bill. Its high elevation affords a reliable (and typically epic) snowfall each winter, and the community's close proximity to Red Mountain Resort's 87 runs means that skiers and snowboarders will find plenty of powder to enjoy here. Red Mountain Resort, (known locally as "Red"), is just a two-minute drive from town and is home to the Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships and the Red Line Snowboard Challenge. The resort's two mountains, Red and Granite (the bigger of the two), boast 2,919 vertical ft/890m across 1,685ac/682ha of ski terrain. A further 2,500ac/1,012ha of backcountry territory also awaits.
Family, Advanced and Expert Runs
Red's great for the family – there are groomed beginner and intermediate runs, a ski/snowboard terrain park, rentals, lessons and plenty of winter activities such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on offer. But visitors looking to push themselves further will find phenomenal advanced or expert skiing. Red boasts a vast amount of open glade, funnels, tree-lined and backcountry runs that twist and turn down steep chutes covered in champagne powder. There's even snow-cat skiingoptions available for those seeking a more exhilarating adventure.
And while BC in general can stake its claim on a fair share of ski accolades, Ski Canada Magazine has rated Red for its "Best Steeps, Best Trees, Best Powder", while Forbes Traveler called it "one of North America's top ten expert ski resorts." Impressive awards indeed.
Red Mountain History
Rossland's ski history dates back to 1897, when Norewgian, Olaus Jeldness introduced skiing (and the Rossland Winter Carnival) here. Red Mountain remains one of the oldest ski hills in Western Canada – the first chairlift erected on the hill was built out of old ore carts used for mining! To find out more about Rossland's ski history, the Rossland Historic Gold Mine Tour & Museum, located on Highway 3B, has a "Ski Wing" that features the history of skiing and ski champions in the Rossland area. Note that the Museum hours are limited in winter, so check with the Visitor Centrefirst for opening times.
Rossland Local Skiing Stars
Local athletes who spent time on Red Mountain include Nancy Greene Raine (Olympic Gold Medallist and World Cup Champion), Kerrin-Lee Gartner (Olympic Gold Medallist), and forefather Olaus Jeldness who was the First Dominion Champion in 1900. Red has also contributed more national ski team members than any other hill in Canada and sponsors six professional, amateur and championship downhill, cross-country, freeskiers and boarders.
Practical Points
- The ski season at Red Mountain runs from early December to mid-April, depending on weather conditions.
- Red Mountain offers family, student and various lift ticket options.
- The Red Mountain Snowsports School offers a variety of lessons and group packages for children, teens and adult boarders and skiers.
- A Quad chairlift was added to Red Mountain in 2007.
- Red Mountain also offers numerous ski-in, ski-out residences and accommodations.