The Kootenays are a large region in British Columbia, Canada.This area begins at the Alberta Border and extends west to the Monashee range of the Columbia Mountains. The area is famed for its laid-back lifestyle and endless outdoor adventure opportunities. The Kootenays & BC Rockies are comprised of many small towns such as Fairmont, Golden, Invermere, Nelson, Revelstoke, Rossland and Radium Hot Springs, and as with most of British Columbia, the area favors travelers looking for natural beauty and outdoor adventure, rather than cosmopolitan cities. It is particularly renowned for alpine skiing, due to the large amounts of snow the area receives, with several large lift-accessed resorts such as Kicking Horse Resort, Panorama, Fernie and Kimberley and a booming cat skiing industry.