RED Mountain Resort is a ski resort in western Canada, located on Granite, Grey, Kirkup, and Red Mountains[2] in Rossland, a former gold mining town in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. RED Mountain is one of the oldest ski hills in North America, with a history dating back to the creation of the Red Mountain Ski Club (RMSC) in the first decade of the 1900s. RED Mountain is located in the Monashee Mountains just north of the U.S. border. Like other ski hills in the British Columbia Interior, it has a reputation for light, dry powder, with yearly snowfall of 750 cm (300 in).
| Red Mountain Resort | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Red Mountain Resort Location within British Columbia  Red Mountain Resort Red Mountain Resort (Canada) | |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest major city | Rossland, British Columbia |
| Vertical | 887 m (2,910 ft) [1] |
| Top elevation | 2,072 m (6,798 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,185 m (3,888 ft) |
| Skiable area | Lift-served 2,682 acres (10.9 km2) Total 4,200 acres (17.0 km2) |
| Trails | 110 named - 16% Beginner |
| Longest run | 7 km (4.3 mi) - 47% Intermediate  - 37% Expert |
| Lift system | 6 chairs - 2 quad - 3 triples - 1 double 2 surface lifts - 1 T-bar - 1 magic carpet |
| Lift capacity | 7,500 /hr |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowfall | 750 cm (300 in) |
| Snowmaking | Yes |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | redresort.com |
RED Mountain Resort is known for having a variety of challenging expert terrain and for being geared towards intermediate and expert level skiers and riders.
The ski area's base elevation is 1,185 m (3,888 ft) above sea level and has 887 m (2,910 ft) of vertical. Its three main summits, Red Mountain, Granite Mountain, and Grey Mountain are serviced by six chairlifts, a T-bar, and a magic carpet and its fourth summit, Mt Kirkup, is in-bounds cat ski accessible (for just $10/run), all adding up to access 3,850 acres (15.6 km2) of skiable terrain on 119 marked runs.
Access edit
RED Mountain is served by resort-owned shuttles from small airports in Trail and Castlegar. Shuttles also operate to the nearest international airports in Spokane, WA (2.5 hrs.) and Kelowna (3.5 hrs.).
History edit
In the summer of 1958, a new slalom slope was cleared by the RMSC for racing practice. Work was delayed until the fall due to threats of forest fires.[3] At the time, Red Mountain had just one chairlift, the Red Chair, western Canada's first in 1947.[4] During the 1958-59 season, daily lift tickets were $3.50 for the general public and $2.25 for RMSC members (or 40 cents for a single ride).[3]
In 1968 the Red Mountain Ski Club hosted the first-ever FIS Alpine World Cup in Canada including both a Men's and Women's Giant Slalom and Slalom.[5]
In the summer of 2013, a third peak was added, Grey Mountain, adding 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of terrain and 22 named runs.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Red Mountain Resort. "Trail maps". Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ "Red Mountain (recreational facility)". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ a b Williams, Dick (November 20, 1958). "New slalom practice slope improves Rossland ski area". Spokesman-Review. p. 19.
- ^ redresort.com - history - accessed March 7, 2012
- ^ "History".