Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Revelstoke: the back story
The back story
About Revelstoke: the back story
Revelstoke grew up with the railway in the Columbia valley between the Selkirk and Monashee mountains. Its first fame on snow came from the ski jump on Mount Revelstoke; Mount Mackenzie opened as the town’s ski hill on Boxing Day 1963, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened there in 2007 with 1,713 metres of lift-accessed vertical.
A railway town
Revelstoke sits on the Columbia River where the Trans-Canada Highway crosses from the Monashee Mountains to the Selkirks and Rogers Pass. The Revelstoke Railway Museum tells how the Canadian Pacific Railway was built and run through these mountains, a pivotal chapter in the making of Canada.
The great ski jump
In the early days skiing meant ski jumping. Local boosters of the Revelstoke Progress Club, formed in 1912, helped bring about Mount Revelstoke National Park, proclaimed open on 28 April 1914, and the natural ski jump on Mount Revelstoke became internationally known as one of the biggest and best; competitions were held there from as early as 1915 until the late 1960s.
1,713 metres: the most lift-accessed vertical in North America.
A rope tow on Mount Mackenzie
On Boxing Day 1963 Mount Mackenzie opened to the public as the town’s new ski hill, with an 800-foot rope tow and an A-frame cabin at the base for coffee. Meanwhile helicopters were opening the deep snow of the surrounding ranges: Selkirk Tangiers has guided heli-skiing from Revelstoke since 1978.
The big mountain
Revelstoke Mountain Resort opened on Mount Mackenzie in 2007, with more than 2,000 skiers and riders on opening day. Today it has 3,121 acres, an average of 10.5 metres of snow a year, a longest run of 15.2 km and 1,713 metres of lift-accessed vertical, the most in North America. Above the lifts, skiers bootpack to the subpeak and the Lemming Line for even more.
Our advice: ride The Last Spike, a green run that spans almost the whole mountain, on your first morning to get your bearings, then explore from South Bowl to North Bowl; book lift tickets and rentals online, where they cost less than at the window.
Why it's on our list
- 1914: Mount Revelstoke National Park opens
- 1915 to the late 1960s: ski jumping on Mount Revelstoke
- Boxing Day 1963: Mount Mackenzie’s first rope tow
- 1978: heli-skiing begins
- 2007: Revelstoke Mountain Resort opens
Revelstoke through the years
Dates from Tourism Revelstoke (seerevelstoke.com) and Revelstoke Mountain Resort (revelstokemountainresort.com), read October 2026.
Timeline
- 1912the Revelstoke Progress Club is formed
- 28 April 1914Mount Revelstoke National Park opens
- 1915 – late 1960sski-jumping competitions on Mount Revelstoke
- 26 December 1963Mount Mackenzie opens as the town’s ski hill
- 1978Selkirk Tangiers begins heli-skiing
- 2007Revelstoke Mountain Resort opens
- 5 December 2026opening day for winter 2026/27 (Tourism Revelstoke)
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Revelstoke: the back story before you go.