Red Mountain Resort

It is a ski resort located near Rossland city in the region of Western Kootenay in British Columbia province. The resort is just a few kilometers north of Canada's border with the United States. The resort was named after one of the mountains in the area. The ski resort is also a popular skiing destination, especially for people who like to ski on light and dry powder snow. It has been the venue for the national downhill championships, as well as the favorite destination of Olympic winners Nancy Greene and Kerrin Lee-Gartner. The resort is open the whole year with facilities for biking and hiking during the summer months. In fact, Rossland is considered the Mountain Biking Capital of Canada since the 1990s. During the winter season, the resort is open to the skiing public in the winter months from December to March.

The resort is one of Canada's oldest ski resorts. Rossland was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century. It actually was one of the biggest cities in Western Canada because of the influx of people who were interested in prospecting for gold in the area, many of whom were Scandinavians. They soon formed the Rossland Ski Club and organized some of the first ski contests in the country. Ski tournaments, particularly downhill racing, have been held in the resort since, many of which attract participants and spectators from other parts of Canada and the United States. The resort continued to expand through the years and had always made an effort to keep up-to-date with skiing technology.

Annual snowfall in the area averages at 300 inches or 750 centimeters. Its highest accessible point is at 880 meters (about 2,900 feet). Red Mountain Ski Resort covers a skiing area totaling 1,686 acres or seven square kilometers. Red Mountain, along with nearby Granite Mountain, makes the resort hold the most challenging ski terrains in Canada. It also has slopes and trails for all skill levels but it has a lot more hills and terrain meant for intermediate and expert skiers.

There are mixed opinions about the resort. Like the other skiing places in the West Kootenay region, Red Mountain is blessed with slopes have very good powder snow conditions and large amount of snowfall every year. Many of he resort's guests commented on the variety of slopes that are friendly to all skill levels, whether they are beginner skiers or are more adept at skiing. Some of the ski runs, however, do not have clear signs so it's easy for skiers to go to slopes that require more skills than they have.

The resort also has the advantage of not being as well-known as, say, Fernie or Whistler, so there are fewer crowds and shorter lines to use the resort's amenities. However, it was ranked as one of the top ski resorts in the Toronto Sun newspaper January issue, so the resort's below-radar status might change soon. There is nary a complaint regarding the accommodations, in particular, with all the staff friendly and helpful.

Although the resort boasts of having more terrain meant for advanced skiers, its location is a hit for those traveling with people with beginner skills. Many visitors consider the resort as a family-friendly resort more than any of the nearby ones.