Rockin' it out at Red and Rossland

DOC POW

At Red Mountain Resort, you can enjoy some apres-ski time either in Rafter’s or outside on the deck.  DAVID GLUNS,Tourism BC

ROSSLAND, BC — For those looking to get into some action off the slopes and well before bedtime, you won’t want to miss out on the place for après – Red Mountain's Rafter’s Landing. With its original A frame design, Rafter’s has got a charm all to its own. It doesn’t hurt that the burritos are killer too. Try the nachos with a fresh pint and enjoy the DJs and bands during the weekend.

When it comes to dinner, there are a bunch of options, the first is to head downtown and go “Drifting” as the locals call it. Owned by Red Mountain, the Drift Izakaya is the only spot in town for Japanese and with the food that is serve up, it’s the only one that will ever be required.

Doc goes drifting

My own foray into Drifting involved some super fresh sashimi and some amazing sushi rolls, the Rossland Roll was my personal favourite. This place operates as the best of both worlds, a pub atmosphere with a DJ most nights and some incredibly fresh fare on the menu.

Over at Idgie’s, there is a new taste sensation every night with a menu that will knock anyone’s ski boots off.

Behind the quaint exterior of Rossland’s downtown buildings are some excellent dining and nightlife spots.  BARB MARTOWSKI/SnowSeekers

“You have to order up the Crème Brule, actually when you sit down, order it right away, even thought it’s desert you’ll want to get the order in or else it will sell out,” advised Deanne Steven of Rossland Tourism.

She didn’t steer me wrong, the Brule was the perfect compliment to my Salmon Wellington – stuffed in a puff pastry and so tasty, it’s making my mouth water again just typing these words.

Interesting history to this party house

When it comes time to shake it up at bit at night, a stop in Rossland won’t be complete without a visit to the Flying Steam Shovel – it’s a pub and an Inn for people who are looking for some budget concious accommodations.

This place has to come with a history lesson first. The Flying Steamshovel was a contraption built back in 1902 by Lou Gagnon. The contraption – the world’s first helicopter. He used a steam engine to power the thing, and during the first and only time he flew it, the piston got jammed up and the whole thing landed into this building.

With no pictures to prove it, it was the Wright Brothers who took the title of flight pioneers, however the Rossland priest at the time, swore to his grave that the steam shovel took to the sky, even if it was only for a few short seconds.

The Shovel now features a rocking pub atmosphere with live bands and, this spot boasts one of the most addictive pub games in North America – Naglin.

Naglin is a game that is also a social sport. The objective to use the back end of a hammer to drive a nail into a stump of wood. It seems like it could be an easy couple of swings, but once you get into it, the next thing you’ll know you’ll be making a whole bunch of new friends and your night will fly by.

If all that action gets you hungry, pony on up to the bar for a John Candy Burger a half pound homemade burger, with Canadian Back Bacon, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions on a fresh multigrain bun – be sure to saddle that up with a plate of yam fries that have a hint of cinnamon.

All this is literally five minutes from the slopes of Red Mountain, making Rossland really a special place to visit.