SAM Magazine--Rossland B.C., June 4, 2004--A private investment group led by Howard Katkov of San Diego has purchased Red Mountain Resort for an undisclosed amount.

With a recently approved community plan in hand to guide future development, the new ownership expects to construct 1,300 dwelling units and 70,000 square feet of commercial space over the next 15 years. "Our challenge is to crack the code in resort development, to do something as unique as the town of Rossland," a 100-year-old mining town, Katkov told SAM. "We don't need to create a new commercial area. Visitors like being part of this community."

Expanding the resort's beginner and intermediate terrain and reinvigorating the alpine base area are high priorities. Eventual plans call for expanding skiable terrain from 1,200 acres to 4,200 acres, and increasing visits from 110,000 to 280,000.

Katkov, a Red skier who began building a home at the area in 2000, has been a successful real estate lawyer and developer in San Diego. He also launched two cosmetics companies and co-founded dock3, an Internet-based concierge site that provides a variety of services to employees at several major corporations. \