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Writer's pictureJenelle Kitto

The Sounds of RidgeView Resort

Updated: Dec 2, 2020

This is a story about RidgeView Resort's community and our visions for the future. We've selected a collection of 10 timeless tracks for you to enjoy. Why? Because music brings people together and listening to groovy tunes while reading a blog, or driving 3 hours from Calgary AB, to Radium Hot Springs, BC is more fun.



Once upon a time...


About 20 years ago, Wayne and Joyce Holmgren discovered Radium Valley Vacation Resort. They described it as a "diamond in the ruff." So much potential but it needed polishing.



Listen baby, ain't no mountain high Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby If you need me call me no matter where you are No matter how far, don't worry baby Just call my name I'll be there in a hurry You don't have to worry
'Cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough Ain't no river wide enough To keep me from getting to you babe

To help summit those mountains, we have many RVVR vacation club members to thank. For years, annual "worker bee" weekends took place and the community banded together in preparation for upcoming RV seasons. They were a balance of work and play. We cleaned up after the winter melt, painted cabanas, dug trenches for underground plumbing repairs and always wrapped things up with BBQs and beers. These events truly helped build the multi-generational community that still exists today at the Resort. This song speaks to the mountains we've climbed together.



Oh baby, it's a wild world

You might think we chose #WildWildWorld to help us share our story because #RVVR is surrounded by wildlife. #CatStevens really wrote this about searching for peace and happiness in a crazy world. We can relate. It's not been all rainbows and butterflies. Just a few months after Wayne and Joyce acquired the property, disaster struck. The recreation center caught fire and burned to ashes. As devastating as it was, the RVVR community and Village of Radium Hot Springs members came together and helped us rise from the ashes. A short time later, Radium Valley Vacation Resort was home to a new, state-of-the-art recreation facility. It has received many upgrades over the years too. Today the recreation center includes an event room, fitness center, games room, indoor and outdoor pools with cabanas, a Snak Shak and outdoor stage to accommodate live outdoor shows for our guests to enjoy in the summer.

When Wayne and Joyce first bought the resort, their four children, Jodie, Julie, Jeff and Jason were still young adults. The Holmgren kids even had a family band and put on live shows for the RVVR campers. Who's reading this and thinking a reunion tour is needed?


Fast forward 20 years...the Holmgren kids are all grown up, married and have kids too. but one thing hasn’t changed...this resort is still a family affair and all the Holmgren kids are involved in one way or another. Wayne’s eldest daughter Jodie has played an instrumental role in managing the finances of the resort, almost from the beginning and Jeff has been taking on an increasing level of operational involvement in recent years. Laura Heide, the resorts Office Manager, started just before Wayne showed up and recently celebrated her 20th work anniversary. Richard Miller, the resorts General Manger has been a key player in our growth and operations for many years, and along with his wife Sue, call this resort their home where they have celebrated many family moments. So many wonderful people (too many to name) and special memories...our family definitely extends beyond blood.


Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard Life used to be so hard Now everything is easy 'cause of you

Jeff and Jason and their families have Long-Term Lease RV lots at the resort and spend much of the summer months here. Jodie's family owns a condo just down the road and Julie's family has a vacation home close by and her Interior Design skills played a pivotal role in the RidgeView Resort re-brand process.


Let's not forget to give a shout out to the next generation, our future. Wayne and Joyce's grandkids also help out at the resort too. If you've enjoyed poutine and ice cream by the pool, there's a good chance one of those grandkids served it up with a smile. It truly is, "home away from home" so many people have a role to play.



It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

Why change? Why re-brand Radium Valley Vacation Resort after 20 years of success? Well, change is inevitable. It's the only constant in life. We are changing with the times and preparing for the future.



The founding RVVR members aren't getting any younger and truthfully, it's their children's families who are booking many of the seasonal RV lots and vacation homes these days. RidgeView Resort shares the same core values and work ethic as our founding RVVR members, but now we're better equipped for sustainable growth in the future.

So darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange)
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

The time is now. We round out 2020, while honouring the past and looking forward to our future as RidgeView Resort.


Gotta keep those lovin' good vibrations a-happenin'
Good, good, good, good vibrations (oom bop bop) She's giving me the excitations (excitations, oom bop bop) I'm pickin' up good vibrations

Same great team. Same wholesome values. A fresh new look. Improved amenities and engagement strategies for RidgeView Resort guests of all ages



There's a party goin' on right here A celebration to last throughout the years So bring your good times, and your laughter too We gonna celebrate your party with you
Come on now
Celebration Let's all celebrate and have a good time Celebration We gonna celebrate and have a good time
It's time to come together It's up to you, what's your pleasure
Everyone around the world Come on!
Yahoo! It's a celebration

Thanks Kool & The Gang, I don't think we could have said that better.


Ah, home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you

If your family is looking for a "home away from home" we have you covered all year-round in beautiful Radium Hot Springs, BC. RV sites are available to meet a variety of family vacation needs.

  • Nightly stay options for short-term travellers.

  • Seasonal Sites secure a spot for your rig all summer long.

  • Long-term leases provide the opportunity to call this special spot (campers and vacation home dwellers alike) yours at least 1 week every year. Many of our RidgeView families stay for many weeks each year!


Come together, right now

No need to wait for the RV season either. RidgeView Resort Vacation Homes are available year-round. Join the RidgeView Resort Vacation Club today and your family start planning a winter getaway. The Columbia Valley is home to epic powder at Panorama & Fairmont ski hills. You can snowshoe or cross country ski pretty much anywhere that has snow. Don't forget the backcountry either. This neck of the woods is renowned as the gateway to spectacular winter snowmobiling and summer ATV trails stretching endlessly into the mountains just a 5 minute drive from your doorstep. And with ample parking space for large toy trailers, and a warm hot tub to soak in at the end of the day...you truly have all you need to make RidgeView your adventure sport home base for all seasons!


Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga

RidgeView Resort is Hooked on a Feeling.

We're high on believing

That you'll be in love with our home away from home in Radium Hot Springs, BC and we can't wait to see you soon.



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