March 13:
FERNIE B.C. Click to see their web page.
The drive from Rossland to Fernie is about a 5 hour drive up and over the 2nd highest pass in North America. It was dumping the whole way so we figured Fernie would be living up to it's reputation.
Fernie has been having a record snow year and reliably has over 8 meters of snow. Our first runs found us diving into 10cms of incredibly light powder and we had no problems finding fresh tracks.
This area has huge potential and the development plans look huge. The local scene is definatly focused on the backcountry with standard equipment snowshoes and backpacks evident everywhere.
Cat Boarding: Fernie has several Cat operations in the valley which are getting more and more attention as some of the best riding in North America. We spent the day with Fernie Mountain's cat operation and had a full day of epic powder runs. For the price (about $150) it is extremely cheap and worth a second hit.
The town: Fernie is only 5 minutes from the mountain, and is a classic red neck town. We stayed in town for 2 nights at a great lodge run by a kiwi guy. The whole town is super cheap for both food and accomodation and even has a classic old movie theatre.
Seems to be heaps of Aussies here but only a few Kiwi's. One huge plus has to be the month long season passes for around $300 which is an awesome deal.
Fernie’s trees are endless
Fernie Mountain Cat Boarding
Take 5 - Simon from Queenstown
Ultimate access machine
Violator top of Timber Bowl
Copyright 1996-97 BOARDER ZONE & DEZIGNET, All Rights Reserved