When you come to RED, you become part of the rich history of North America’s oldest resort. Settlers to the Kootenays came for the gold, silver and copper, but those who stayed a while, including Norsemen like Rossland icon Olaus Jeldness—the founder of competitive skiing—mined the four spectacular seasons of mountain life.
Those who followed in the footsteps of RED settlers have made the Kootenays an award-winning year-round playground for lovers of the outdoors, from skiers to golfers to hikers and paddleboarders, from trail runners who sweat to the summits and mountain bikers who fly to the base. And friends who celebrate on Rossland patios, cheering everyone on. Winter and summer, there’s a RED for you.
Our mountains—RED, Granite, Grey and Kirkup—offer endless gifts of nature—from marked runs to backcountry stashes, bowls and powder pillows that locals spend a lifetime exploring. Now the Topping Chair expansion brings RED into the big leagues, size-wise: the top 10 in North America. But don’t just ski or board: with 750 cm (300 inches) of snow, there’s sublime cross-country, fat-tire fun, snowshoeing and a hundred other ways to love the mountains.
Spring skiing, of course. But there’s a thriving arts and culture scene downtown, with local galleries and boutique shops waiting to be explored, offering all manner of paintings, pottery, fiber art, wood, and assorted other inspired quirk. Time to think about an easy first bike ride, maybe on the Columbia and Western Rail Trail (CWRT) a world-class ride on an abandoned Canadian Pacific Railway line.
Trails up the mountainsides. Trails in the backcountry. Mountain biking trails like the bucket-list Seven Summits. 150 miles of hiking trails to great scenery. Trails that start downtown. Actual roads for lovers of skinny tires. Water play and fly fishing, kayaking and current-surfing on lakes and rivers of every description. Les Furber-designed golf that rewards with superlative viewpoints.
Rossland is stuffed with festivals year-round, and Golden City Days is the summer closer. There’s still lots of sunny days and time for more riding, hiking, fishing, golfing, SUP-ing, and sitting outside downtown listening to live music with a Four on the Floor IPA chilling your hand. Soon, it’ll be time to tune all the snow stuff.
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