Transition from a Ski Club to Private Ownership
Brain O’Flanagan and Eric Skat-Petersen signing the contract at the top of Red Mountain
Snow Host jacket circa the 1990s featuring the new Red Mountain Resorts logo.
After a century of ski hill improvements, hosting competitions of all styles and at all levels, and developing racing programs, the Red Mountain Ski Club (RMSC) had accrued a large amount of debt. Maintaining the existing infrastructure and developing new facilities as a volunteer club became increasingly difficult. Thus, in 1987, after 42 years of heart and soul, they started actively seeking a buyer for the ski area. In February 1989, they received two offers: one from Sport Tours and one from Eric Skat-Petersen. Initially, RMSC rejected both offers because they lacked security for the performance of their post-sale undertakings. However, on May 3, 1989, the club selected Eric Skat-Petersen and his backers from Ontario (Michael Robbins, David Butt, Ollie Kokkinen, Hank Cuttell and Glenn McMann) with an 82% majority. And with that, RMSC transferred their assets to Eric Skat-Petersen, and the RMSC dissolved its operations.
Aerial View of Red and Granite Mountains showing a number runs cut by the RMSC. This photo was used to create the trail map for Red Mountain Resorts.
While many things changed with the privatization of Red Mountain, the RMSC legacy remains. The club successfully built the first chairlift in western Canada that still operates today. Their hard work is seen in dozens of ski runs still used today. The Red Mountain Racers continued to shape young skiers from age 5. They even produced National Team members well into the 2000s. Ultimately, the club’s volunteer-spirit entrenched a love for skiing in the area and successfully supported Rossland’s transformation from a mining town into a ski destination!
Why have so many great ski racers and coaches come from Red Mountain? Rossland skiers share their perspectives (captions available in both EN and FR). View this video with a transcript (EN).