Words: Nate D
Photos: Stephen Shannon & Jeff Baker

It’s always good to go ride some powder, to step away from the person that walks and talks and eats and watches TV and does all of those things in life that everyone else does. It’s even better when you get to do that with your best friends…

Every season it seems to be harder and harder to get out there and do what I love with the people that mean the most, the people I used to ride with a hundred days a year… the people who made me love snowboarding the way I do today. Granted, I do get to travel the world and shred with some of today’s most radical hotdogs–it’s just not the same. So when the opportunity does arise and the stars align, every once in a while I get to look over after I strap in and see someone who I will have just as much fun watching come down the slope as I will riding it myself.

Jeff Baker–editor, publisher, shredder.

Mike Maikovich–carpenter, travel buddy, shredder.

Christian Cabanella–heli pilot, guide, shredder.

Nate D–writer, weasel, shredder.

Interstellar phenomenon’s aside, 2012 must be creeping close because the universe smacked some smiles on us that will last a lifetime at Red Mountain last week. What’s that? You’ve never heard of Red? If this in fact true, let me assume you have never heard of “powder” either. If one thing needs to be known about this little corner of southern British Colombia, it’s that it’s home to the best tree riding in the world. Yep, I said it. And if you find a need to challenge that claim, I can guarantee you have never been there before… but for someone who hasn’t heard of powder, it makes sense that “tree riding” would make zero sense as well.

Local kid Tommy Pittman showed us where the goods were.

Mitch Pittman getting a pillow of his own.

The terrain is just awesome. Tommy Pittman gets some.

From Spokane in northeastern Washington, Red Mountain is only a three-hour drive to the town of Rossland, while the resort sits just five minutes up the road. This is quintessential BC–everyone is friendly, it’s constantly snowing and it’s harder to find triple A batteries than it is a sack of weed. It’s a pretty cool little town to say the least. As far as the resort goes, this isn’t a mega complex or anything even close, basically there are two lifts that you can hit on a pow-day yet the terrain you can access seems almost never ending. It may have something to do with the fact that from the top of Granite Peak you can roll 360 degrees in any direction and find all kinds of appetizing features. In terms of freeriding, this place has more in any given 100 meter section that you will find at most resorts three times its size. That being said, anyone can cruise here and get into some business with little effort.

The slopeside accommodations at Slalom Creek were almost as epic as the snow.

Don't you just love these days?!

Bronco bumps everywhere.

The family style atmosphere that defines this resort experience is highlighted by one of Canada’s oldest ski lodges complete with one of the most inviting après hangouts called The Rafters, which keeps the wheels spinning long after the lifts close, if you catch my drift. And in my opinion it’s things like that which make an experience like this even better. When you can assume that you will actually be able to afford lunch at the cafeteria and what’s more, you can eat in peace without some Starbucks mom blowing the scene bitching about how they didn’t have some Carmelacchio flavor chia latte. They serve coffee at Red one way–black. Keeping a good balance of staying with the times but truly embracing the past and not let things get away from them, is what keeps this place so legit.

The lodge... rugged elegance.

Maikovich riding like a jedi.

Not too concerned about my portfolio at this point.

So while these pictures may show you how their legendary deep snow and how awesome the terrain is, they are only part of the picture when talking about Red Mountain. Check their website here and see what you can get into…good friends recommended. The season is just getting started my friends.