Join & volunteer
A ski hill is just a lot of people agreeing to keep it open
Murray Ridge has no parent company and no outside owner. It is run by the Fort St. James Ski Club — a registered non-profit society whose directors are volunteers from the community, elected each October at the AGM.
The club
Fifty years of doing it themselves
It began in 1977, when a handful of people finished what is still the longest T-Bar in North America to serve a town of a few thousand. The Ft. St. James Ski Club was formed in May 1984 to oversee the operation, and it has run the hill ever since.
The mission the club sets itself is plain enough: high quality, affordable alpine recreation for Fort St. James and the region. That is why a 70-year-old skis by donation and a five-year-old's season pass costs $21.
Annual General Meeting
Held each October, where members elect the directors who run the ski area for the coming season. The 2025 AGM was held on 15 October.
Placeholder photo Pitch in
Four ways to keep the lift turning
-
Come to a work bee
Before the snow flies there is brush to clear, fences to fix and features to build. Work bees are the backbone of the hill and no experience is needed — just gloves and a morning.
-
Stand for the board
Directors are elected at the AGM each October. All of them are volunteers who live in the community. If you can read a budget, run a bar, or fix a diesel engine, you are useful.
-
Help at events
The Everest Challenge, the Slush Cup, ladies days, the New Year breakfast — every one of them needs people at the timing table, the grill or the finish line.
-
Sponsor a run
Most runs on the mountain carry the name of a business that donated the time or machinery to cut them. Corporate sponsorship still keeps the groomer running.
Work at the Ridge
The hill hires seasonal staff for the lodge, the shop, the ticket window and the lifts, usually advertised from around November. Staff get discounts on food and rentals — and a season on the mountain.
Contact
Talk to the hill
This is a concept site and has no working contact form — please use the real details below, which are the ones published by the ski area.
- Phone
- 250-996-8515
- murrayridge@gmail.com
- Address
-
7904 Chalet Drive
Fort St. James, British Columbia
On whose land this hill sits
Murray Ridge is on the traditional territory of the Nak'azdli Whut'en, and the Keyoh here is held by the Trombley family. In February 2026 the hill hosted a land blessing to honour the mountain, the land and the culture of the local First Nations.
Nak'azdli Whut'en covers lift passes and rentals for its membership and runs a shuttle bus to the hill, and the ski area works with Tl'azt'en, Binche, Yekooche and Takla communities to bring more people onto the mountain.
Summarised from the ski area's own posts and published interviews. The wording of any territorial acknowledgement on a real site should be set by the club with the Nation, not by us.
Stay in the loop
The ski area runs a monthly newsletter and posts conditions and closures through the season — worth signing up for before December if you plan to ski more than once.