Red Lodge Mountain’s roots of being an independent, free, and fun loving place runs all the way back to our forefathers. When the Silver Run Ski Club started their own ski area just a few miles down the mountain from the modern day Red Lodge Mountain, they were all about the outdoors, having fun, and skiing. All they needed were two rope tows and a 500-foot vertical drop and they were tearing up the slopes as soon as the snow started to fall. Eventually, their drive to conquer bigger and better things brought these young skiing pioneers up to the Willow Creek drainage and on to the Grizzly Peak.
After years of hiking, scouting, and exploring, they decided that this was the perfect place for a modern ski area. Finally in 1960, Grizzly Peak officially opened with one chair lift and three runs. Montana’s newest ski area was a force to be reckoned with. Over the next few years the ski area continued to grow with new lifts and more trails. Word started to spread that Red Lodge was no longer just a mining town in the back country, but it was an awesome place to ski. With the increase of tourists rolling in to town, the Grizzly Peak Ski Area started up Montana’s first fully certified Ski Instructor team. In the mid 60’s Grizzly Peak changed its name to Red Lodge Mountain.
The people of Red Lodge are not folks who roll over easily without a fight; even if it means taking on Mother Nature. For what seems like forever, Red Lodge Mountain has always had some kind of snowmaking system to make sure our skiers get the best snow coverage possible. In 1996 Red Lodge Mountain completely overhauled the snowmaking system and created Montana’s largest snowmaking system. Needless to say, the local skiers of Red Lodge don’t want to wait for Mother Nature to give them snow, once the weather is cold enough they’re out making their own.
As the years went by, Red Lodge Mountain continued to grow in both popularity and in size. In 1994 Red Lodge Mountain purchased Red Lodge Golf Course to complement their great ski seasons. This 18 hole championship golf course made it possible for Red Lodge Mountain to take the next step by becoming a year-round Resort.
For years, the locals of Red Lodge had been skiing out of bounds into the Cole Creek Drainage searching for perfect lines and untracked powder. In 1996 Red Lodge Mountain undertook an aggressive expansion and built two high speed quads accessing this unique and scenic drainage.
Nowadays, Red Lodge Mountain is continuing to stay on the cutting edge of being a destination for Montana skiers and outdoors lovers year-round. This growth is visible in its expanding terrain park, ski school, year-round reservations, and guest services. Regardless of how much the resort has grown, the people of Red Lodge Mountain are still much like the free-spirited individuals that started Grizzly Peak back in the 60’s. We’ve stayed true to our roots of loving the outdoors, having a good time, and skiing wherever it’s possible to get in a few turns. We hope you will join us in continuing along this path and creating more memories along the way.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1 – THE MOUNTAIN IS NOW CLOSED TO ALL ACTIVITIES WHILE SNOWMAKING OPERATIONS ARE UNDERWAY!