Ymir, BC

Highlights:
The beautiful area receives abundant snowfall and is a fine destination for wintertime fun, including backcountry and downhill skiing and snowshoeiing.

History:
Today, the town has about 350 residents, but in the late 1890’s, Ymir boomed as mineral stakes were claimed and the little town grew to more than 1500 people. It was equipped with a fine hospital, schools, banks and hotels associated with the pioneering west. The lure was gold and the Ymir mine lasted until 1907.
The early mineral claims prompted the American company of Nelson and Fort Sheppard to build a railway into the area and link the United States with the Kootenay goldfields. Other mines continued until the outbreak of World War 1, when mining for gold was not a priority. Historically, it was one of the most important sites in the British Empire.

The town’s name comes from the Norse mythological figure, a creator of a supernatural race of frost giants.