The West Kootenay region is world-renowned for it’s quality of snow: that perfectly light and fluffy white powder that has come to be known as “Cold Smoke.” And there’s a lot of it!

In fact, an average of 12 metres or 40 feet fall in the surrounding mountains between December and April every year. The best part is Castlegar is conveniently located between two alpine destinations that were rated the best ski resorts in North America by readers of Powder magazine: Red Mountain in Rossland and Whitewater near Nelson. Each is located only a half hour drive from our city so you don’t have to choose one or the other — instead you can stay here and ski or board them both!

How to Get Here: Castlegar is centrally located within the best alpine skiing area in the world. It’s an easy half-hour drive west to Red Mountain in Rossland or east to Whitewater Ski Resort near Nelson.The West Kootenay Regional Airport is a 10-minute drive from downtown and the international airport is Spokane is a three-hour drive. Castlegar is equidistant between Vancouver and Calgary (eight-hour drive) and four hours from the Kelowna International Airport.

Weather: The skiing season usually starts in early December and extends all the way to mid-April in the higher elevations. The snow conditions in the region are the best in the world and you’ll enjoy powder that’s light, fluffy and very, very deep.

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