Find Your Line
Winter in the South Kootenay is all about options. Carve groomers, chase untouched powder, experience cat or heli-ski adventures, explore kilometres of Nordic trails, or earn your turns in the legendary backcountry. Thanks to the region’s varied elevations and snowfall, you’ll find everything from family-friendly ski days to bucket-list powder experiences, all within a short drive.
Base yourself in the South Kootenay and you’ll have easy access to world-class downhill skiing, backcountry touring, snowshoeing, fat biking and even neighbouring Powder Highway destinations, making it easy to fill every winter day with a different adventure.
Snow days done right.
Red Mountain Resort
With more than 3,850 acres of skiable terrain, 119 runs and a 1,613-m vertical drop, RED Mountain Resort is anything but your average ski hill. Multiple peaks offer 360-degree descents, so there’s no front side or back side to get stuck on. Follow the sun, find your own line and let everyone in your crew ski at their own level — from mellow groomers to steep chutes and deep powder.
Rentals and lessons are available, and RED’s free Snow Hosts can show you around, share a few local tips and point you toward some of the mountain’s secret stashes. Want to take your powder day up a notch? Pay-per-run cat skiing on Kirkup Mountain gets you even deeper into the good stuff.
A must-visit for anyone looking for a ski experience that’s a little different.
Cat & Heli-Skiing
Ready to leave the lifts behind? Big Red Cats puts you in the driver’s seat and takes you deep into more than 20,000 acres of backcountry terrain across eight peaks. With groups geared to different ability levels, you can spend the day chasing everything from mellow powder fields and gladed runs to steep chutes and pillow lines.
For those looking to take their winter adventure to the next level, two heli-skiing options are within easy reach of the South Kootenay. Just 45 minutes from Rossland, Snowwater Heli Skiing offers access to deep untouched powder and a remote mountain lodge experience. A little farther afield, Stellar Heliskiing operates out of Kaslo, where small groups access more than 125,000 acres of untouched terrain. Both are close enough to add some serious deep-powder days to a Kootenay winter road trip.
Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is a South Kootenay winter staple, with a few great options to explore. Black Jack Ski Club in Rossland offers an extensive network of groomed trails with terrain for both classic and skate skiing. Get in a quick afternoon ski or experience a full day in the snow, with warming huts along the way. Black Jack also has a dedicated dog loop for four-legged trail buddies and lit trails for getting out after dark, unless you prefer to ski under the moonlight! Just up the road, the Paulson cross-country ski trails are maintained and operated by the Castlegar Nordic Ski Club, offering another peaceful network of trails through the mountain landscape, also complete with a warming huts for a mid-ski break. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you might want to explore the trails in the Rossland Range.
Backcountry
For those who like their winter days a little more wild, the Rossland Range and Kootenay Pass offer plenty of backcountry terrain to explore. The Rossland Range offers a mix of glades and powder-filled lines, plus a network of backcountry cabins that make multi-day adventures possible. Kootenay Pass is a legendary backcountry destination, with deep Selkirk snow and expansive terrain attracting experienced skiers and splitboarders from across the region. Go beyond the boundaries, earn your turns and find your own line — just make sure you’re prepared for the terrain and conditions, including avalanche awareness.
FAQs
Ski season in the South Kootenay generally runs from mid-December through April, with higher-elevation terrain (such as the Strawberry Pass and Kootenay Pass) often getting going earlier and holding snow later into the spring.
Check the local highway cams for snowfall on the passes, or the snow reports at the local resorts. Daily grooming reports for Black Jack Ski Club can be found here.
If you are heading to RED, the Centennial Trail links the heart of town to Red Mountain Resort, making it simple to walk, ski, fat bike, or even jog your way there. Big Red Cats has their office at the base of RED, so pop in to see if Cat Skiing if for you. Black Jack Ski Club is just across the street from RED, and is perfect for quick runs or laps with your dog or a night ski.
If you don’t want to use body power to get around, you can hop on the free RED Mountain Express Ski Bus. More details and daily schedule can be found here.
Flying in? Convenient shuttle services from nearby airports make it easy to get from plane to powder without skipping a beat.
Getting geared up for a South Kootenay winter adventure is easy, with local shops and outfitters offering rentals, equipment and expert advice for everything from downhill skiing and snowboarding to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and backcountry adventures.
Whether you need a full setup, a few last-minute essentials or want to upgrade your gear, you’ll find options throughout the region. Check out the local listings page to find shops, rental providers and outfitters across the South Kootenay.
The Powder Highway is a legendary winter road trip through B.C.’s Kootenay Rockies, linking some of the best skiing, riding and mountain towns in the country. And the South Kootenay puts you right in the mix.
Start in Rossland at RED Mountain Resort, with massive terrain, deep powder and five skiable peaks or make a day of it at Big Red Cats. From there, the Powder Highway opens up a whole region of possibilities, with Whitewater, Fernie, Panorama, Kimberley, Kicking Horse and Revelstoke all connected by the route. Add heli-skiing, cat-skiing, backcountry lodges and a string of genuinely cool mountain towns, and you’ve got the ultimate Kootenay winter road trip.
Why not take the long way home?