The Crescent is a new condo development project with 102 homes at Red Mountain Resort in Rossland, British Columbia. It’s being positioned as the future of alpine flats, but its history harkens back to an all-female hockey team that forever changed the sport in Canada.

Rossland, British Columbia is a legendary place. It’s home to Canada’s longest-running Winter Carnival, which began in 1898. Local Olaus Jeldness is credited as the father of ski racing in North America having formed the Norwegian ski club in the 1890s. And it’s the birthplace of numerous Olympic and professional athletes from skier Nancy Greene to mountain biker Mike Hopkins. What some may not know is that Rossland was the first community in British Columbia where women played competitive hockey in front of spectators.

The Rossland Ladies’ Hockey Team was originally established to play in the 1900 Winter Carnival as a form of entertainment for attendees. This was 17 years before women had the right to vote in the province and so the team was initially considered a novelty so there was little regard for its future potential. At its outset, the team was comprised of 28 women from two club groups named the Crescents and the Stars and their uniforms consisted of ankle-length wool skirts, bloomers, and leather skates. (They were not allowed to wear gloves, guards, pads or helmets.) Despite the burdensome clothes and lack of protection, the women proved to be an imposing force and went undefeated for 17 straight years in their league. In fact, they considered the Nelson mens’ team to be their only real competition. The team was disbanded in 1918 during the global influenza pandemic but a century later it was inducted in the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Ryan Flett photo.

Since that induction, the world has again been impacted by a pandemic but like the Rossland Ladies’ Hockey Team, Red Mountain Resort kept striving for excellence through it all. For example, the construction of the Constella Clubhouse and its six cabins were completed in Paradise Basin in the fall of 2020. Seven kilometres of new mountain biking and hiking trails were added that same year. And now pre-sales for The Crescent, which is at the heart of the resort’s base area, will take place this winter.

Named for the club that made up part of the famed Rossland Ladies’ Hockey Team, The Crescent is a 102-unit residential building located just over 100 steps from the Silverlode chair. The flats range from 426 square feet to 954 square feet and they’re being called “modern alpine flats” because they have a small Scandinavian-style footprint with custom built-ins throughout, yet they include vast amenities. Designed by Studio 9 Architecture in Nelson, BC, the homes all have a dedicated ski locker at the front door and access to the following community spaces:

  • retail marketplace and cafe
  • gym
  • co-work space with breakout areas and privacy desks
  • top floor lounge and entertainment space with a bar, kitchen, fireplace, dining areas and large screen TV area
  • rooftop terrace with outdoor fireplace, barbecues, dining areas and lounge furniture
  • secured parking and bike lockers with every home

Prices for homes in The Crescent will start in the mid-300K Cdn range (high US$200K range) and owners will be able to rent them out via RED Property Management, airbnb, or live in them full time. Occupancy is expected to be available by the winter of 2023. “The Crescent is the first of its kind at a top ten North American ski resort,” says Red Mountain Resort’s CEO Howard Katkov. “The modern flats blend urban and alpine features that speak to all the needs of the adventure skier or family at an extraordinary price point.”

In keeping with its historical namesake, the rooftop lounge of The Crescent will be named “The Alice,” after the star player on the Rossland Ladies’ Hockey Team, and will be an homage to the legacy of the team.

Photo by Marcel Bex.

Red Mountain Resort is one of the oldest ski hills in North America, with a history dating back to the creation of the Red Mountain Ski Club in the early 1900s. On numerous occasions it has been named one of the top ski resorts on the continent and it’s been ranked #1 for the “Most Acres Per Skier” thanks to its 3,850 acres of skiable terrain. More recently it was named the best Canadian ski town/resort by USA Today. Here are some more numbers related to the resort:

Vertical Drop: 889 m (2,919 ft)
Skiable Acres: 3,850 Acres
Number Of Runs: 118
Number Of Lifts: 8
Number Of Peaks: 4
Longest Run: 6.9 kms (4.3 Miles)
Average Annual Snowfall: 7.4 metres (300 inches)

For more information about The Crescent, visit thecrescentatred.com