Start your Red Mountain experience with a middle-of-the-road cruiser like the Back-Trail off the Red Chairlift or the Paradise Area on Granite Mountain, where you create your own line through the well-spaced pine. Then it's time to up the ante and move on to the Motherlode Chair for some deep steeps, and powder up to the waist if you're lucky enough to find a fresh snow. Orchards and Second Slide will keep you giggling and on your toes as you make your way through the glades. At close to 7,000 feet high and with rarely another skier in view, you might be certain you were planted here by helicopter or cat, but, no, this is a genuine ski area.

Lured by this deep-in-the-mountains appeal, the growing legion of loyal Red skiers would be happy if we simply forgot about this B.C. peak and wrote yet another review of Whistler. Sorry, intrepid lads, it's time other ambitious skiers knew of the 3,000-foot vertical, the 88 trails that slide down both the front and the back of Red and Granite mountains, and the unparalleled off-piste terrain we have yet to discuss. Add those 295 inches of annual snowfall and a locale far removed from the West Coast masses, and you have an off-the-beaten-track playground for advanced skiers. No wonder many of Canada's finest downhill and freestyle skiers honed their craft here.

Nestled in the West Kootenay Mountains in southern British Columbia, Red is only a ten-minute drive across the U.S. border and a 2.5-hour jaunt from the Spokane airport. It's based near Rossland, a former gold mining town that refuses to be gentrified. Think Park City, circa 1950. Red Mountain also has a lengthy skiing history, with the creation of the Red

(+) More

Start your Red Mountain experience with a middle-of-the-road cruiser like the Back-Trail off the Red Chairlift or the Paradise Area on Granite Mountain, where you create your own line through the well-spaced pine. Then it's time to up the ante and move on to the Motherlode Chair for some deep steeps, and powder up to the waist if you're lucky enough to find a fresh snow. Orchards and Second Slide will keep you giggling and on your toes as you make your way through the glades. At close to 7,000 feet high and with rarely another skier in view, you might be certain you were planted here by helicopter or cat, but, no, this is a genuine ski area.

Lured by this deep-in-the-mountains appeal, the growing legion of loyal Red skiers would be happy if we simply forgot about this B.C. peak and wrote yet another review of Whistler. Sorry, intrepid lads, it's time other ambitious skiers knew of the 3,000-foot vertical, the 88 trails that slide down both the front and the back of Red and Granite mountains, and the unparalleled off-piste terrain we have yet to discuss. Add those 295 inches of annual snowfall and a locale far removed from the West Coast masses, and you have an off-the-beaten-track playground for advanced skiers. No wonder many of Canada's finest downhill and freestyle skiers honed their craft here.

Nestled in the West Kootenay Mountains in southern British Columbia, Red is only a ten-minute drive across the U.S. border and a 2.5-hour jaunt from the Spokane airport. It's based near Rossland, a former gold mining town that refuses to be gentrified. Think Park City, circa 1950. Red Mountain also has a lengthy skiing history, with the creation of the Red Mountain Ski Club back in the early part of the 20th century. Word has it that a Norwegian miner invited his friends to the summit, got them tipsy, then strapped wooden planks to their boots and led them back down.

Indeed, you have to be a bit bold to tackle Red, but once you're out there dipping and turning out of the tree slots, you'll be hooked. That's not to say the resort is for experts only. A newer chairlift brings skiers to some great intermediate runs on the lower half of Granite Mountain. And that same Motherlode lift that takes the more advanced shredders to some of the gnarliest steeps this side of the Rockies also guides beginner skiers to easy groomers like the 4.5-mile top-to-bottom Rino's Run. There's also a six-acre terrain park that features jumps, rails, boxes, and table tops.

That's not to say everything is bliss on the mountain. The lifts can feel slow and dated and the mountain's elevation, similar to Whistler and Blackcomb, can result in rain. Yet, if you're a proven skier who happens to be here after a fresh coating, you're in for a treat. After tackling the steeps off Motherlode, grab your skins and go wherever your heart desires. Incredible backcountry runs exist at neighboring Mount Roberts and Grey Mountain. If you're feeling a bit hesitant about getting lost in the woods, go with a guide located on-mountain at the Mountain Project. Local guides can bring you on- or off-mountain to secret chutes and runs you couldn't possibly find. There's also Big Red Cats, run by pair of Aussies, who guarantee a day by your lonesome on untracked powder.

Afterward, grab a pint at Rafters, a former bunkhouse turned bar. Wine lovers should check out the Old Fire Hall Wine Bar in Rossland, housed in a renovated firehouse. They feature some of the best wines from B.C. and Washington, like award-winning cabernets and syrahs. A good place to grab a bite nearby is Idgie's, known for their blue marlin. Spend the night back at the base of Red Mountain at the six-room Red Shutter Inn. Price is $150 a night, including breakfast and use of the hot tub.

What's new: In August 2012, Red began a massive expansion with the addition of Grey Mountain, which adds almost 1,000 acres to the resort's already impressive 1,685 acres. This puts Red in the top 3 percent of all resorts in North America for skiable acres. For 2012-13, Red will shuttle skiers to the top of Grey via oversized snowmobile bus. A quad chair will be installed in summer 2013 for use the following season. When the project is completed, Grey will add 22 new runs to the Red Mountain lineup.

(-) Close