It's the skiing equivalent of Night at the Museum. After the lifts stop spinning at British Columbia's Red Mountain Resort, we coast down an easy green run on the backside of the ski hill. While every other lollygagging skier will be swept down to the base by patrollers, we pull up at a line of small cabins tucked into the trees and prepare to spend the night somewhere no one else is allowed.

Directly north of Spokane, only barely across the Canadian border, Red Mountain boasts that it's the oldest ski resort in the country. And while some of its chairlifts lumber uphill with vintage charm, the resort also finds ways to upgrade in creative fashion. In 2020, that was the Constella Cabins.

The phrase "ski in, ski out" usually means a posh hotel at the foot of a resort, its hot tubs backing up directly to the bottom of a ski run. But the Constella are six tiny buildings in a row on the far side of Granite Mountain, one of Red's inbounds peaks, available to rent by the night. Guests carry clothes in their own backpacks or arrange for staff to deliver luggage.

The Constella Clubhouse nearby serves as a base and dining area for guests, offering an included hot dinner along with beer and wine. Benches around the roaring fire are ideal for a rollicking night of cards. Sure, there's wi-fi if you want it, but the isolation is the point.

The cabins themselves prioritize the basics: bunk beds that sleep five or six, a half bath, and plenty of room for wet ski gear. This year one was converted to a queen bed for couples, but the space is still rustic. A small porch looks out onto the slopes and, at night, a panorama of stars above BC's Monashee Mountains.

Of course, you don't really get the run of the whole resort overnight. Once guests arrive at Constella, Red Mountain staff check their skis or snowboards for the night; gear is returned the next morning only when ski patrol gives the go-ahead. (Meaning no hiking up the hill for midnight moguls.) While the resort advertises the cabins as a chance for first tracks, on our overnight we beat the day skiers by only a minute or two. Though we hurried toward the nearby lift, Paradise Chair, lifties there informed us that its opening was delayed, so we had to skate ourselves closer to the base.

Still, the Constella overnight offers an affordable alternative to backcountry lodges that cost in the four figures. It's akin to the resort's other unique offering, the pay-per-ride cat skiing; for just 10 Canadian dollars, skiers can get a lift to in-bounds runs that would otherwise require a lengthy walk. Call them sample-sized versions of some of the ski world's most luxurious amenities.

But for all its innovations, Red Mountain's greatest claim to fame will always be its deep roots. The ski runs are dotted with old wooden cabins that date back to when ski clubs founded the hill, most still used by their owners. At the base of one run, a tiny structure built in 1938 almost always has a few locals inside, warming themselves by a fire and sharing stories with any passersby that wander in. Historic Rossland, a few miles from Red Mountain's base, could be considered the quintessential ski town with its independent shops and old-timey charm.

Red Mountain has inspired other ski areas for decades, but it still manages to stand out among BC's many slopes. By forgoing the fanciest of upgrades—gondolas, giant hotels—the mountain finds room for creativity. Here's to giving skiers what they really want: a ski day that never ends.