The History of Red Mountain Resort

Celebrating 111 years of skiing, Red Mountain Resort is Western Canada’s original ski resort.

In the Beginning

The story of Red Mountain Resort, and how a mining territory was converted into one of the great undiscovered ski destinations in the world, is a story about teamwork and community support. In short, it's about an avid group of skiers who drew from their own community's resources and used good old-fashioned initiative and elbow grease to forge a new way of life.

In 1890, deposits of gold-copper ore were found on the south side of Red Mountain in Canada 's Monashee Mountain Range. The discovery led to a major gold rush, which in turn filled Rossland with miners, mostly Scandinavians but also gold-seekers from countries around the world.

The Scandinavians brought with them their knowledge and love of skiing and soon organized the Rossland Ski Club, which held the first recorded ski competitions in Canada . The first downhill race was held on Feb. 15, 1896, from the top of Red Mountain down the south side to the present location of the Rossland Historical Museum .

The race was organized and won by Olaus Jeldness, a Norwegian mining engineer who was the leading early advocate for snowsports in Rossland. He also created and donated the elaborate Jeldness trophy for future winners of the race. The trophy is now on display in the Western Canada Ski Hall of Fame. In subsequent years, annual tournaments were held in conjunction with the Rossland Winter Carnival, an event that attracted competitors and spectators from all over Western Canada and the United States.

Red Mountain Ski Club Parade Float, circa 1940

The 1920s

As skiing technology improved, local skiers were able to experience a wider variety of the terrain around Rossland. On Red Mountain , skiers began to explore old mining and logging roads. They enjoyed skiing on trails and hills that had been packed by climbing and descending skiers over the years. In 1929, the Trail-Rossland Ski Club was founded with about 20 original members.

The 1930s

In 1933, another ski club, the Rossland Ski Club, which had been formed and disbanded years earlier, was formally re-organized. During the summer and fall of 1934, volunteers from the club cleared a jump hill, built a jump, and constructed a cabin on Red Mountain . Many competitions were held on the Rossland Ski Club hill, including the Western Canadian Amateur finals. A few years later, the two local clubs worked together to install a gas-driven rope tow at the base of Red Mountain . This tow, which significantly increased the amount and the number of downhill runs a skier could make in a day, was used extensively by members of both clubs for several years.

The 1940s

The Red Mountain Ski Club and the Trail Ski Club combined in 1947 to form the Red Mountain Ski Club. The organizations pooled their resources to build a lodge (that still serves as the main lodge in the base area today) and a chairlift to the top of Red Mountain where the rope tow previously existed. The lift was officially opened Friday, Dec. 26, 1947. Later that season Red hosted the annual Triple I International Intercollegiate Invitational ski meet.

The 1950s

The 1950s were years of steady growth both in membership of the club and visitors to Red from areas outside of Rossland. To keep up, additional terrain was cleared for ski runs including the back trail on Red Mountain . The former Trail Ski Club rope tow was moved to the west side of the slope and electrified (it was later replaced by a T-bar lift). Also in the 1950s, the lodge was completed and the ski patrol was organized at Red Mountain .

The 1960s

During the ‘60s, ski lessons were arranged for the general public, along with special instruction for promising youngsters. This was the start of the Red Mountain Racers. In 1960, the Red Mountain Ski Club installed a Poma detachable chairlift from the lodge all the way up to Back Trail. In 1961, a full-time manager was hired, and in 1965, the Granite Mountain chairlift – twice as long and twice as high as the Red Mountain chairlift – was built.
The lift more than doubled the accessible terrain at Red. The year 1968 was a big one for the Red Mountain Ski Club. In March, the club hosted the first-ever World Cup in Canada , which attracted every major racer from around the world. Rossland native Nancy Greene won her second World Cup championship at this race.

The 1970s

In 1971, a T-bar was installed, and in 1973 the old Red Mountain lift was finally replaced with a Mueller double-occupancy chairlift. In April 1976, the club authorized the borrowing of money for a triple-occupancy chairlift to be built in Paradise Basin , located on the west side of Granite Mountain .

The 1980s

As Red kept expanding throughout the years, its facilities needed continuous improvement. By the fall of 1987, the Red Mountain Ski Club's debt totaled $1,105,000 and it became obvious that a major injection of capital was required. Thus, in 1988, the club was put up for sale. On May 3, 1989 , the club accepted an offer from Eric Skat-Peterson ('Skat'), who led a group of six Canadian private investors in the purchase.

The 1990s

In 1991, the new ownership group financed the construction of the Paradise Lodge. And, four years later, Skat and his partners replaced the Granite chairlift with the Silverlode and Motherlode triple chairs.

A New Century

In June 2004, Red was again sold, this time to a private investment group led by Howard Katkov of San Diego , California. The Red Mountain Ventures master plan is to construct up to 1,400 on-mountain dwelling units and 70,000 square feet of commercial space at Red over the next 10 to 15 years.

A number of exciting additions are currently underway at Red Mountain Resort and the surrounding base area with the following items scheduled to open for the 2007/08 winter season:

New Chairlift & Expanded Beginner Terrain: Opening December 2007 is the Dopplemayr CTEC Quad Charlift. The quad chairlift replaces the current Silverlode chair. It will also be aligned to access the new beginner and intermediate terrain which spans over 100 acres.

Terrain Park: Get ready for Red’s newly and improved terrain park. Summer grooming and grading has enhanced the park’s terrain. New features include a sound system, new jumps and a skier/boarder-cross.

Magic Carpet: The magic carpet will be extended and moved behind the Kindercare building and The Mountain Project headquarters. This improved magic carpet will allow for a more gradual slope for beginners and easy access from the Snowsports School. In addition, the T-bar will continue to be easily accessible from the top of the magic carpet.

The Mountain Project: Red Mountain Resort launched The Mountain Project in January 2007, a new platform for the development of products for outdoor disciplines and for redefining what it means to live within one of nature’s greatest playgrounds. The Mountain Project at Red is a multi-year program which brings together all aspects of mountain life into a single, integrated environment. TMP was conceived to foster dialogue and incubate community among athletes and artists, guides and enthusiasts, designers and users, with the aim of cultivating and sharing knowledge, supported by the amenities of a four season resort. The Mountain Project represents the first time in snow industry history that a resort has planned its operations end-to-end under a single value-based initiative. In essence, TMP turns the people of Rossland and visitors of Red Mountain Resort into a unique focus group for equipment innovation and the sustainability of one of North America’s most authentic mountain communities.

Snowsports School Relocation: Relocated to The Mountain Project headquarters the Snowsports School will provide accessibility not only to great instructors but also to a wide variety of outbound guiding options, avalanche control classes, and to a testing center of the latest gear.

Snowshoe loop: The newly enhanced snowshoe loop provides a wide variety of activity for athletes of all levels. Take a peaceful hike on Red Mountain Resort’s snowshoe loop and enjoy the beautiful outdoors for which Rossland is famous.

Developments: Scheduled to open its doors for the 2007-08 winter season at Red is the luxurious Slalom Creek condominium complex. Slalom Creek will add 67 ski-in/ski-out condominium units at the base of Red and will feature well-appointed 2- and 3-bedroom units ranging from 1,200 square feet to 1,500 square feet (111 square meters to 140 square meters). Slalom Creek will also include spacious common areas and a private, secure 85-stall underground parking garage making it easier for residents and their guests to enjoy Red's world-renowned terrain and host of on-mountain destination activities.

Bringing additional units to the base area by the end of 2008, the Morning Star development will feature 18 luxury suites while TMP Compound will bring an additional 24 units to the base with a strong focus on green building techniques. For more information visit: www.liveatred.com and www.tmp-r.com

New Tour Packages: Red Central Reservations is your One-Stop-Shop for all of your holiday fun. Choose from a wide variety of tour packages as well as ski and stay packages this winter. Enjoy Red’s famous powder with intermediate or advanced Cat Skiing tours, or sign up for an out-of-bounds experience with Backcountry Guiding. If you are learning how to ski or snowboard or would just like to tune up your skills then book a lesson with one of Red’s many certified instructors. All of your trip details are only a phone call away: 1.877.969.7669, www.redreservations.com

Stayed tuned for many more exciting developments at Red Mountain Resort!