There is a new version of the Fernie resort review available on the new snowchasers site

Fernie is renowned for it’s high level of average snowfall. Is the powder really that awesome?

Situated in the south east corner of British Columbia the closest airport is Cranbrook, although due to limited flights it can be cheaper and easier to transfer from Calgary. Fernie has 12 lifts servicing 112 runs. With a good level of average snowfall, powder days are good although many runs are not open after a large dump. Avalanche control have a lot to do here.

So what’s this powder really like? Powder days tend to be busy on the hill causing queues, especially for first lift, as many people take the morning off work for dumps of more than 10cm. The mild climate means the snow is wet, causing the runs get tracked out and bumpy fairly early in the day. If you are lucky enough to get first tracks it’s worth it, if not it’s hard work riding the moguls created by the morning rush. That said if you happen to be in the queue when they open either the Currie, Ceder or Lizard bowls you could be in for an awesome waist deep run.

They have one park, which is rails only, as RCR (the resort management) have decided to do away with jumps this has caused some what of a debate in the town as to whether they have done the right thing or not. Natural hits can still be found around the mountain if you know where to look and there are plenty of trees. Fernie has a good selection of runs and terrain to keep you entertained during your stay for everyone from the advanced riders to families, it is easy to find new challenges every day. The terrain is fairly steep and has a good variety of blue, black and double black runs. Apart from crowding caused by the regular avalanche closures there is usually plenty of room on the slopes and limited lift queues. Queues tend to occur over national holidays and weekends when people from the local towns and cities migrate to Fernie for some riding or skiing.

In terms of accommodation there is a choice of whether to stay in the town or at the resort 3 miles down the road. Most of the bars and shops are in town. Ski bus runs every hour for $3 each way or in the evening from the resort to and from town $1. Make sure you book early as due to it’s size and popularity, there is limited accommodation in Fernie. We booked a condo in town, as it worked out cheaper and put us closer to the night life. Fernie has a reasonably good, although slightly limited night life with 5 pubs to choose from in town and 1 at the resort. There is also a good selection of eateries around the town, and a couple on the resort. The popularity of the resort means that the prices here are inflated as with most ski resorts, beer, food and accommodation can be a little pricey.

On the whole Fernie is a good reasonably well run resort with plenty of powder. Unfortunately the grooming of the runs is limited, as is the terrain suitable for beginner to intermediate riders. Due to the amount of powder here avalanche closures are a constant fixture. For all those total beginners out there, the powder levels allow for a softer landing whilst learning. And for those who want a good challenge and who don’t mind a very strong antipodean feel this is a good resort. We did a season here and did not get bored of the hill, the Griz (snow god) blessed us with over 10 meters of powder.

For more information and images of Fernie see www.fernie-canada.com

For official information on Fernie’s facilities and prices check out. http://www.skifernie.com

Opening of the Currie Bowl

I was cruising through the powder having a great day when, the end of my snowboard dug into the powder and stopped dead, unfortunately my body didn’t stop with it. I squealed in pain and lay face down in the snow holding my knee. My boyfriend had to take his snowboard off and climb back up the hill to get to me. He was asking if I was ok and if I needed ski patrol, “No I’ll be ok in a minute” I replied. My boyfriend undid my bindings so I could take my feet out and roll over. 5 minutes later I tried standing up and found it was ok, so I strapped my snowboard back on and continued very cautiously down the cedar bowl to the T-bar.

I watched people riding the T-bar and debated if I could make it, the last thing I wanted was to get ski patrol so I gritted my teeth and rode the T-bar to the top. The next step was to ride down a blue run to the boomerang lift to get me back up to one of the main runs leading back to the base area. The boomerang is a 3 man chair with no foot rest, this was a painful ride but I made it and managed to dismount at the top and skate along the cat track to the run where I could put my board back on. This was an awesome powder day and I was determined that I could carry on riding I just needed a rest. I heel edged down the bear run as it was very tracked out and bumpy, and made it to the cafe half way down.

At the cafe we had a cigarette and a hot chocolate. I limped around for a bit until my boyfriend said we need to take a look at it and see if it’s swollen. I pulled the leg of my trousers up and displayed a very swollen knee, by this point I was in a lot of pain. I looked at my boyfriend holding back the tears in my eyes and said I can’t ride down. This was a very depressing decision to make, I have never needed ski patrol before and hopefully never will again. My boyfriend went to the top of the nearest lift (just round the corner) and asked them to radio it through, before he had got back 2 ski patrollers had turned up. I knew I couldn’t ride down but I could stand up and I really didn’t want to be strapped into a stretcher and skied down. One of the ski patrol men came over and introduced himself then asked exactly what had happened, how bad it was and could I stand up on it. Once he had seen me stand and the fear in my eyes about the stretcher he said I`ll tell you what, as you can bear weight on it we’ll get you a skidoo. If my knee wasn’t so painful I would have hugged him.

Within 2 minutes a skidoo was there ready to take me down the hill, I limped over to it and they strapped my snowboard onto the back. The guy driving was very nice he told me to hold on and said he wouldn’t go too fast. As soon as he got onto the easy run to the bottom he opened it up. Wow those things go quick even after my ordeal and the embarrassment I was feeling I still had a smile on my face by the time we got to the bottom. When we arrived at first aid he checked out my knee and advised that it was just a sprain with no serious damage. They gave me a bandage and an ice pack and filled in some paperwork. My boyfriend ordered a taxi and took me home.

All in all a bad day on the slopes turned into a good experience. I had always been scared of what would happen if I had to be rescued by ski patrol, they were all very nice and friendly and did not make me feel any more embarrassed than I already was. I am glad they didn’t put me in a stretcher although if they had needed to I`m sure they would have made the experience as easy and as light hearted as possible. Thank you ski patrol!

Check out some cool pictures taken from the Jib Jam held outside the Royal hotel in Fernie. Way to celebrate the snow Canada!