Whenever journalists visit somewhere new, they try to capture the flavour of the place, both literally and figuratively. But when you enter a community as colourful and tight-knit as Rossland, you run the risk of asserting yourself in a way that hasn’t been earned.
Located just 10 minutes from Trail, or a seven-plus hour drive from Vancouver along the Crowsnest Highway, Rossland has 4,140 year-round residents and is best known for the pristine powder of Red Mountain ski resort.
The vibe of the town is similar to a back-in-the-day Whistler and local legends and stories, like that of a flying steamshovel and an octogenarian snow bunny, bolster the community’s modern identity.
They’re fiercely protective of the chill upbeat vibe they’ve worked to cultivate.
Case in point? A local explicitly asked me not to say anything about Rossland upon hearing I was a journalist. “We’re full enough,” she said.
Even before the resort was established, people have been skiing on Red Mountain. Miners arrived in the 1890s to seek their fortune and made the trek up without lifts, zooming back down on skis.
Olaus Jeldness reportedly arrived in Rossland as a miner from Norway (via the U.S.) and co-founded one of the most prosperous mines in the region. He also developed a reputation as a daring skier with 3-metre-long skis.
In 2019, when Red Mountain welcomed The Josie, a new Autograph Collection slope-side boutique hotel, it named the in-house restaurant after Jeldness’ most profitable mine: the Velvet.
Jeldness would hold “tea parties” on top of Red Mountain and the one after his sale of the Velvet was supposedly the most memorable, making it a fitting name for the restaurant.
The Josie Hotel blends contemporary architecture with the old-school hospitality you come to count on in Rossland. There are two red chair lifts suspended in the lobby, a customary welcoming ski chalet fire, and artful chandeliers that can’t decide if they’re an homage to the antlers of local wildlife or the branches of the gladed ski runs.
In the winter, the 106-room pet-friendly hotel caters to ski-in ski-out snow sports and in the summer bikers, hikers and fly fishers can take advantage of direct access to the trails.
Cedar barrel saunas with a view of the slopes offer a great way to unwind at the end of the day, as does the Velvet’s 180-degree mountain view patio and extensive cocktail list.
The restaurant’s lounge features both a 360-degree bar (open late) and a glass-walled kitchen with a menu that celebrates the scenery in its own way by focusing on local farmers, producers and vintners. The food is seasonal yet eclectic, daily features can range from Italian cioppino to Korean bimimbap.
The same year The Josie opened (a hop, skip, and a jump from the border), USA Today named it the second-best ski resort and last year Condé Nast Traveler included it in its international aprés ski guide.
So, to the local who asked me to keep this quiet, I can only apologize. I had to talk about Rossland, it’s a charming hidden gem in BC’s Kootenay region that’s definitely worth a visit. —Allie Turner
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