NEED TO KNOW
LOCATION Red Mountain is in southern British Columbia (BC), above the former mining town of Rossland
SKIABLE AREA 3 sq miles (7 sq km) SEASON Nov–Apr
ACCESSIBILITY Vancouver is 8 hours away by road and Calgary 6. The nearest airports are at Spokane in Washington and Kelowna, BC
Red Mountain is something of a testing ground – say you’ve skied here and your coolness coefficient rises exponentially (no need to mention the fact that you fell down the steep slope and bounced off the trees).
Along with its steeps and, more especially its trees, Red is also famous for the lavish helpings of British Columbian powder that it gets. There’s an apocryphal tale of the local who once found the perfect tree run here, but was never able to discover the exact line again. So blessed with perfect lines is Red Mountain, that it’s easy to believe the story.
The hill sits perfectly with the resort’s satellite town of Rossland, a characterful old gold-mining town populated by equally colorful characters. The hill is slowly being developed, but there has been a genuine effort on behalf of the owners to maintain its old-school feel.
Although growing in popularity, Red Mountain is still an overlooked destination. If you want a challenge and like to wallow in knee-deep powder, a skiing trip here is a must.
Practical Information
Getting There and Around The most convenient access is from Spokane International Airport, which is about 2½ hours south. There’s a shuttle service from Rossland.
When to Go Nov–Apr. February is the busiest. It’s quite feasible to ski well after April if you don’t mind hiking up the mountain.