RED Mountain
1,558 hectares, 119 runs near Rossland. Oldest resort in Western Canada, expert terrain, Ikon Pass.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
12 Dec 2026
Closes
4 Apr 2027
Days open
113
Annual snow
8m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Red Mountain's summit reaches 2,075 metres, dropping 890 vertical metres to a base at 1,185 metres across 119 runs spread over roughly 1,558 hectares near Rossland, British Columbia. Terrain splits 34 per cent intermediate, 26 per cent expert, 23 per cent advanced and 17 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 7.6 metres. The resort carries Ikon Pass affiliation. Eight lifts, including two quad chairs and one double chair, serve the mountain alongside three triple chairs, one surface lift and one t-bar.
Red Mountain holds the distinction of being the oldest ski resort in Western Canada, tracing its origins to gold and copper mining in the 1890s, and later became the first ski area in history to fund ownership through public crowdfunding. Its considerable expert-weighted terrain and genuinely community-rooted history have built Red's reputation as one of the more independently minded major resorts in British Columbia.
Gold-copper ore deposits were discovered on the mountain in 1890, triggering a gold rush that filled Rossland with prospectors, many of whom skied the slopes in their spare time through the late 1800s. A gas-fuelled rope tow was built in the 1930s, followed in 1947 by the first true chairlift installed anywhere in Western Canada. Red started as a community-owned ski club and hosted Canada's first World Cup ski race in 1968, won by local racer Nancy Greene.
The mountain was sold to a group of private investors in the 1980s, before the resort launched its 'Own The Mountain' crowdfunding campaign in August 2016, raising more than 2.5 million Canadian dollars from over 700 individual investors over the following three years. Adult daily tickets run from 115 to 135 Canadian dollars.
890m
Vertical
119
Runs
3,850 acres
Skiable
8m
Annual snow
Ikon
Pass
The Terrain
119 runs across 3,850 acres skiable
RED Mountain spreads 119 runs over roughly 1,558 hectares outside Rossland, with 890 metres of vertical across three peaks: Red, Granite and Grey. The grading sits at the steeper end of the scale, with 26% expert and 23% advanced runs, alongside 34% intermediate and 17% beginner. Much of the skiing is natural and ungroomed, with tight trees and rolling pitches rather than wide manicured boulevards. About 7.6 metres of snow falls each season, and the interior cold keeps it light, so the glades are the main attraction here rather than any single run, and locals tend to ski by aspect and snow quality.
Granite Mountain can be skied on all sides, giving a choice of aspects that matters on sunny or windy days, while the gentler Paradise side offers green runs, blue cruisers and a few black tree runs. Grey Mountain, added in 2013, brought extra intermediate and advanced terrain, and a cat shuttle serves gladed lines on Mt Kirkup. RED suits advanced skiers who want steep trees and steeper faces without crowds, and it still has enough mellow terrain for competent beginners and intermediates to explore at their own pace without feeling out of place.
Terrain split
119
runs
119 runs across 4 grades
Beginner20 runs · 17%
Intermediate40 runs · 34%
Advanced27 runs · 23%
Expert31 runs · 26%
Time it right
When to visit RED Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Red Mountain ran from 6 December 2025 to 3 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 7.6 metres. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather near Rossland.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Red's heavily expert-weighted terrain. As an Ikon Pass resort, Red draws pass-holding visitors alongside dedicated skiers specifically seeking the mountain's considerable natural, ungroomed terrain.
Red's community-rooted ownership structure, including the 2016 crowdfunding campaign that brought in more than 700 local and international investors, continues to shape a genuinely distinctive visitor experience each season. School holiday periods bring some family visitation to the resort's more moderate terrain, though the overall visitor base skews toward experienced skiers.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Red Mountain continues to build on more than 13 decades of history since gold-copper mining began on the mountain in 1890, and nearly eight decades since installing Western Canada's first chairlift in 1947. The resort's status as the region's oldest ski area remains central to its identity each season.
Season 2026 - 2027
12 Dec 2026
Opens
4 Apr 2027
Closes
113
Days open
8 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to RED Mountain, and where to stay
Red Mountain sits near Rossland, British Columbia, in the West Kootenay region, with a base elevation of 1,185 metres and a summit at 2,075 metres across an 890-metre vertical drop over roughly 1,558 hectares. This setting places the resort in a historic mining region in the province's southern interior.
The town of Rossland, a genuinely historic former gold-mining community, offers lodging and dining within a short drive of the resort, retaining considerable character from its 1890s mining boom.
British Columbia Highway 3B provides direct access to the resort from Rossland. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, and the resort's remote West Kootenay location means travellers should allow additional time compared with the more centrally located BC resorts.
Castlegar Airport, a manageable drive from the resort, offers the nearest regional air access, while Spokane International Airport in Washington state, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, provides an alternative gateway for visitors travelling from further afield.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near RED Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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