FERNIE, BC: Packed bowls for all
12/31 – If you don’t have a New Year’s resolution, make it to get to Fernie in 2007. Ski Fernie on a good day, and you’ll be flying in to Calgary rather than Vancouver for your next B.C. holiday. Fernie doesn’t just have a peak to work with, it has a miniature range. From Mammoth Head to Elephant Head, Polar Peak to Grizzly Peak, you’ll find more bowls in the 2,500 acres than in a house full of lifties.
From the White Pass lift, a short bootpack accesses the Knot Chutes, a series of mellow to crimpy couloirs which were filled in nicely even several days after the storm. Or, traverse the Currie Bowl to a ridge that could keep you entertained for days. Drop off skier’s right anywhere that looks good into a glade that seems to harbor freshies longer than anywhere on the hill. Skier’s left, chutes that may go or not, depending on conditions, drop off the ridge into above-treeline Lizard Bowl. Today it was some of the best chalk on the mountain. It doesn’t end there, one more ridge over, Cedar Bowl offers a mellow pitch, but has a huge faceshot potential on a deep day.
I poked around by my lonesome and found endless fun, but hooking up with a local is the way to do it. Secret stashes obviously litter the place.
With a new base area and development spreading, Fernie feels a little more intrawest-esqu than some of its B.C. neighbors, but it’s a far cry from the crowded villages of Banff. Despite the brand-new lodge, coffee stands and sleighrides, Fernie still feels off the grid (and camping in the parking lot is still encouraged).