Castle Mountain is a ski resort located in the Westcastle Valley of southwest

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. It is approximately from Calgary and the

Calgary International Airport Calgary International Airport , branded as YYC Calgary International Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately northeast of downtown and covers an area of 20.82 squa ...

; from

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

; and west of

Pincher Creek Pincher Creek is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies, west of Lethbridge and south of Calgary. History For centuries before European settlers reached this area and inhabited it, Indigen ...

. The resort is renowned for long steep runs and an average of snowfall yearly. Despite the name, Castle Mountain Resort is not actually on

Castle Mountain Castle Mountain ( bla, Miistukskoowa) is a mountain located within Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, approximately halfway between Banff and Lake Louise. It is the easternmost mountain of the Main Ranges in the Bow Valley and sits ...

, which is about away within

Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, wi ...

. The name is derived from the Castle Rivers, and the nearby Windsor Mountain. Windsor Mountain was originally named by the Blakiston group of the Palliser Expedition as Castle Mountain, within days of the naming of the Banff peak by the Palliser group of the Palliser Expedition. The name was changed to Windsor Mountain due to its shape and visible 'towers', which are still named as the Castle Peaks, which resemble

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

. The resort maintains 78 ski trails including 8 alpine bowls, with 15% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced, 10% expert terrain. Six lift systems with vertical rises from 445 to 50 m with the highest vertical being 863 m, are operated on the slopes of Mount Haig and Gravenstafel Ridge. Castle Mountain Resort was opened in 1965. It was the site of the 1975 Canada Winter Games.

References

External links

Castle Mountain Resort Website
Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9 Ski areas and resorts in Alberta {{Ski-resort-stub