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Phoenix Ski Area

Our story

Built by people who were tired of a handle-tow

Phoenix Mountain was conceived and built in the late sixties by a dedicated group of local ski enthusiasts, and has been community owned ever since. Everything on this page is the society's own account of itself.

  1. Before

    A little handle-tow near Marshall Lake

    A dedicated group of local ski enthusiasts had been skiing a small handle-tow near Marshall Lake. It worked, but only just.

  2. The idea

    Scouting Deadman Ridge

    They went looking for somewhere better and found the perfect location on nearby Deadman Ridge — the hill that is still skied today.

  3. 1968

    Phoenix opens

    Conceived and built in the late sixties, backed by the Granby Mining Company, and turning ever since.

  4. Within a year

    A day lodge and a rental shop

    Both were built within twelve months of opening. Both are still in use today, over fifty years later.

The society

A community owned ski hill

Phoenix is operated by the Phoenix Mountain Alpine Ski Society, a non-profit. Not a resort group, not a subsidiary — a society, sustained by the volunteer contributions of the Boundary Community.

The Granby Mining Company backed the original build. Everything since has come from the people who ski here.

Why there are no names on this page

Phoenix publishes a list of its board and staff, but the list is headed 2024-2025 — two seasons old. Reproducing it in a concept would put stale names in front of strangers. So this page names nobody, and a real build would ask the society to confirm the current list first.

An adult in an orange jacket holding a small child's hand as she learns to ski on a gentle slope Placeholder photo
A snowboarder airborne off a jump with tall spruce and pine trees filling the background Placeholder photo

Closing day

The season ends with a flying dummy contest

Not a gala. Not a brand activation. People build dummies, launch them off a jump, and everyone watches. It is the most accurate single fact about this place, and a resort website would have buried it.

This concept puts it on the story page on purpose. It is the difference between a hill that belongs to a company and a hill that belongs to a valley.

Keeping it turning

What actually keeps a hill like this open

  • Buy a pass

    On a hill with no owner behind it, pass income is the operating budget. It is the most direct thing anyone can do.

  • Bring someone who has never been

    Under 6 ski free and the rope tow has its own cheap ticket. A first day here costs less than almost anywhere.

  • Ask what is needed

    The society runs on volunteer contributions from the Boundary Community. What it needs this month is a question best answered by the society itself — so this page points you at them rather than guessing.

Talk to the society

There is no volunteer sign-up form on this concept, because inventing one would mean inventing what the society needs. Email is the door that is open all year.

skiphoenix@gmail.com