BY STEPH KEAY
HauteTRAVEL
WHEN IN ROSSLAND What’s a skier to do when in search of world-class powder without the wearisome lines? I’ll let you in on a little secret: RED Mountain Resort—just a hop, skip, and a jump north of the border. AS A FORMER SKI AND SNOWBOARD EVENT PLANNER, I ONCE ORGANIZED
way, nearing the U.S.-Canada border. Less than 10 minutes after a quick stop to
trips to western Canada’s top ski resorts. Having visited every other stop on British
stretch our legs (and to go through customs), we pull off the highway and begin
unspoiled resort”—RED Mountain Resort in Rossland, B.C., the heart of the beautiful corner, glowing warmly amid milky surroundings. Outside, the last of the day’s Kootenay Rockies.
skiers and snowboarders trickle across the grounds, carrying their equipment to
Lines and commotion fill the departures level of San Jose International Airport the slopeside hotel’s ski concierge. Inside, cozy leather couches and two ruby red when I ready myself to fly out for a weekend of hitting the slopes. Just a few hours benches, repurposed from vintage chairlifts, dot the lobby. If you’re lucky, you’ll later, I land at the Spokane International Airport in Washington, strikingly quiet and
meet Russell, The Josie’s resident canine, an impossibly large and fluffy Bernese
secluded. I step outside and take a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, cool air. Bliss.
Mountain Dog.
It’s sunny but 50 degrees, which means the winter jacket that’s been tucked away
“We’re getting seven inches of snow tonight,” the concierge confirms with excite-
in my closet gets to make a rare appearance. I board the shuttle bus that will take ment as she leads me to my room. The spacious corner suite offers a breathtaking me and my compatriots to Rossland, a little under three hours away. Our motley view of RED Mountain Resort’s three mountains—Granite, Grey, and Red—plus the crew—would-be skiers and snowboarders from Colorado, New York, Rhode Island,
Silverlode Chairlift, just steps from The Josie’s doors. Away from the constant hustle
and Vancouver—excitedly volley snow forecasts back and forth.
and bustle of Silicon Valley, a comforting sense of calm falls over me, much like the
Snow-dusted mountaintops begin to emerge as we wind our way down the high- snow that will blanket this small ski town by tomorrow morning.
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PHOTO CREDITS: COURTESY OF RED MOUNTAIN RESORT
Columbia’s famed Powder Highway, it was about time I discovered “the last great, making our way slowly past tall snowbanks. The Josie Hotel appears around a