Skiers Seeing Red (Mountain) Rossland, B.C., Boasts Terrain For Everyone

Built in the caldera of an ancient volcano, this rustic town’s fortuitous location made it one of North America’s gold-mining capitals in the first decades of this century.

Now, Rossland’s fortunes are tied to another plentiful natural resource - the snow that falls on the Red Mountain ski area. But the town’s mining heritage still manifests itself, sometimes in curious ways.

On one bitterly cold night not long ago, after a surprisingly good meal at the tiny Mountain Gypsy restaurant, I stepped across the street to the Flying Steamshovel pub.

There, I was introduced to a game called Noglin, apparently unique to Rossland.

Participants surround a wooden stump. Armed with nails and a geologists hammer - blunt at one end, tapered at the other - they take turns trying to drive their nail into the stump with the skinny side of the hammer.

Whoever takes the longest to pound their nail flush into the stump buys the others a round of drinks. It’s a skill easier described than perfected, however, and more whacks than not end up missing the nail altogether and leaving the hammer quivering in the stump.

Of course, if the game moved swiftly, it wouldn’t be as much fun, and during the long Canadian nights, locals are in no hurry.

It’s that laid-back attitude that helps give Rossland, a town of only 3,500 people, and Red Mountain their funky charm.

Three hours north of Spokane on Highway 395, Rossland and Red Mountain remain isolated from the flash and sophistication of Canada’s premier resorts.

There are no gondolas, high-speed quads or terrain parks. Nor will you spot many celebrities on the slopes or in the handful of bars.

What you will find is a swarm of young skiers and snowboarders who have pulled up roots from across Canada in search of Red’s plentiful powder. They’re joined on the slopes by families from the nearby towns of Trail and Castlegar, and by crusty locals who make up the Old Bastards Ski Club.

Despite having only five ski lifts, Red Mountain is big enough for everyone, with 1,200 acres of skiable terrain. In fact, the mountain is so big and so sparsely populated that I often had long runs completely to myself.

Cross-country skiing can be found on 25 miles of trails at the nearby Black Jack Cross-Country Ski Club.

Red’s layout actually encompasses two mountains - Red itself, and the larger Granite Mountain, which offers skiing on nearly 360 degrees of its slopes.

While the steeps on Red are exhilarating, the area’s drawing card is the tree skiing on Granite.

Because the terrain grows steeper as you work your way around the mountain, Granite’s endless glades can accommodate skiers of almost any ability, and Red Mountain claims it has the best intermediate tree skiing of any resort, period.

I’m willing to believe it.

In the Paradise section, where I went searching for the sun on that cold weekend, the pitch was moderate and the fresh snow abundant. I took run after run, each time navigating a new route through the lodgepole pines, each time with a silly grin on my face.

Although beginners and intermediates will feel at home, Red Mountain has carved a reputation for itself among experts looking for steeps and big snows.

A recent article in Skiing magazine’s Australian edition only enhanced Red’s tough-guy image by labeling it the No.1 hard-core ski area in the world.

As a result, Red draws legions of skiers from Down Under, and they, as well as the numerous visitors from Great Britain, reinforce the subtle sense of foreignness you get when you visit Rossland.

Although only six miles from the United States border, the town is firmly planted in Canada, and the reminders are everywhere, from the Celsius-only thermometers (useful when you’d rather not know how cold it is) to the women’s curling tournament on television. And while most stores and restaurants will gladly accept American dollars, be prepared to get “loonies” in change.

(A quick note on the Canadian dollar: The exchange rate, while always in the favor of Americans, varied widely in Rossland, and I got anywhere from $1.35 to $1.50 for a U.S. dollar. Make sure you ask. And, if possible, use a credit card, which generally guarantees you the most favorable rates.)

Red Mountain bills itself as one of the last great undiscovered ski areas. But expansion plans are in the works that could triple the number of skiable acres, and construction is scheduled to begin this summer on a new 100-room hotel and condominium at the mountain’s base.

Still, given Red’s remoteness, it’s unlikely that it will become the next Whistler or Vail.

That was apparent on a Friday night as I hung out in the bar of the Uplander Hotel, listening to a funk band with a hoard of shaggy, fleece-wearing ski bums.

I struck up a conversation with a 30ish skier named Lawrence, a local who fled Toronto years ago and now walks dogs to help pay his $200 a month in rent.

Rossland and Red Mountain, he said, was a destination for anyone looking to flee the corporate attitude that is becoming increasingly prevalent at ski areas.

“There’s a pretty happy anarchy in this place,” he said.

If you go For information about Red Mountain, call (250) 362-7384. The Uplander Hotel ((800) 667-8741) in downtown Rossland is centrally located and has two restaurants and a bar. Rooms are $56 per room for double occupancy. Closer to the mountain are the comfortable Ram’s Head Inn (room, lift ticket and breakfast packages start at around $62 per person; (250) 362-9577) and the tiny Red Shutter Inn (rooms are around $42, including breakfast; (250) 362-5131), which has just six rooms, but you can ski to the door.