Red Mountain Resort broke new ground on its Grey Mountain expansion Thursday.
Red announced in a release it was installing a fixed-grip Poma quad chair that will be ready to ride for the coming season.
In addition to Red and Granite peaks, skiers can now access one more stellar peak, Grey Mountain, by chair lift -- with 360-degree skiing off the top.
This development of Grey Mountain marks one of the single largest expansions of an existing resort in North America in four decades.
One of the biggest contributions was acquired through funding from the Southern Interior Development Initiatives Trust (SIDIT).
“Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust supports investment in sustainable economic development initiatives throughout the Southern Interior and is very pleased to support the Grey Mountain expansion at Red Mountain Resort,” said Grace McGregor, SIDIT Chairperson in a release.
Red CEO Howard Katkov regards the expansion as not just an added beacon for visiting skiers, but ultimately a boon to all of Rossland.
“This ultimately means more jobs in the Rossland area, a more robust and diverse local economy, and more of the word-of-mouth that put Red on the map in the first place,” said Katkov in a release. “
The Grey Mountain expansion makes Red the eighth largest ski area in Canada with a 2,919 foot vertical off a Granite and another 2,831 feet off the new peak.
“This new Grey terrain alone is about the same size as a Mount Baker. It has to be skied to be believed,” added Katkov.
“There’s the same fall-line runs that Red is famous for, some new tree runs that already seem like favourites. And plenty of mellow glades on southern slopes.”