
RED Mountain
1,558 hectares, 119 runs near Rossland. Oldest resort in Western Canada, expert terrain, Ikon Pass.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Europe’s ski season is open, technically. After a record-warm summer, glaciers in Austria, Switzerland and Italy are running a few pistes apiece, Sölden, Stubai and Kitzsteinhorn started late, Titlis has pushed back to 24 October, and Zermatt reopens a few lifts on 14 October after more than two months shut. Finland’s Levi and Ruka are skiing on stored snow. Here is what is open, and what you actually get at each.

Zermatt is having another crack at a World Cup downhill, and this time nobody has to cross a border. Around 13 million Swiss francs is going into rebuilding the Gornergrat piste, including a jump fed by a roughly 300-metre in-run across the roof of the Gornergrat Railway gallery, with the Matterhorn lined up behind it for the TV cameras. First men’s race is pencilled in for March 2028, pending FIS homologation.

Lake Tahoe’s highest base elevation is paying off early: Mt. Rose has started making snow for 2026-27 after the first flurries and a cold snap. The Nevada resort is backing it with nearly US$2 million in upgrades, including a replacement snowmaking main line, a new PistenBully groomer and restraint bars on every lift. Opening day is yet to be confirmed, though Heavenly and Northstar are already eyeing 20 November.

Utah is still building flat out. For 2026-27, Powder Mountain opens a steep new Skytrac chair into more than 1,000 acres of advanced terrain, Deer Valley adds 200 acres on Hail Peak, Sundance gets a new quad and Park City adds a gondola from its new parking structure. Snowmaking is expanding almost everywhere, Eagle Point stays closed after the Cottonwood Fire, and the 2034 Games are setting the pace. Here’s what’s new, resort by resort.

Mt Hutt is getting busier, and its base lodge is about to catch up. NZ$12 million goes into a heated sun deck roughly three times the current size (430 m² to 1,300 m²), plus a new toilet block, heated steps down to snow level, extra storage and a new food and beverage outlet. Building starts after the 2026 season, with everything due for winter 2027.

Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.

Less than four months out from the Crans-Montana 2027 World Championships, the man running the organising committee has stepped down. Claude-Alain Schmidhalter resigned as Swiss-Ski vice president and OC president after being indicted over a business dispute unrelated to skiing. He denies the allegations and faces court on October 27. Interim leaders are in place for the February 1-14 event.

Kelly Canyon had a rough 2025-26, and the Idaho resort has spent the summer making sure it doesn’t repeat. Snowmaking now reaches the top of Goldrush, the terrain park is doubling in size with a stereo system, lights and a snack shack, and the car park is getting bigger. Grooming is stepping up too. Target opening is December 4, conditions permitting.
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