Our Canadian Roadtrip Adventure: Fernie

Yesterday (Tuesday) was our second and final day skiing at Fernie.

Today (Wednesday) we left Fernie behind and travelled on to Nelson, where we will spend 4 nights and ski at 2 different resorts. But more of that later.

What of Fernie then? I like it. Like it a lot. There is a fair degree of moderate piste skiing available, blues/greens, all nicely groomed and easy to navigate. Everything on the mountain comes back out at the base area (except Cedar bowl where you need a T-bar to get back). Never had to wait for a single lift, but we were there midweek, maybe its different at the weekends as I suspect the resort is very popular with the locals.

The area is basically made up of 6 alpine bowls sitting on top or alongside the traditional (for us European types) pistes. The bowls are simply big expanses of terrain, entirely open and go anywhere, be as adventurous as you like. Having skied bowls in Vail, Breckenridge and Whistler I have to say what Fernie has to offer outstrips all of those. I think the bowls in Vail were larger, but I don't recall them having the variety of terrain on offer here, something for everyone.

The grading of the runs also seemed different. I negotiated a couple of hours to myself in the afternoon. Some of the single black diamonds would have easily been double blacks elsewhere. I only managed one double black, that was "Saddles" in Lizard Bowl .. and that was a little gnarly, quite a tight gully with rocks poking through making it feel even narrower.

For me the run of the week was Morning Glory over in Siberia Bowl. This needed a short hike up but you were rewarded with a glorious run down through nicely spaced trees on a not too steep gradient, snow in good condition. Just along from Morning Glory was Mar's run - steeper and with tighter trees, very challenging I thought for a single black.

Would love to spend more time here, a week sounds about right. One thing I would say is it is an area that needs good snow, as most of the entertainment is off piste and it really wouldn't be the same if the conditions weren't right. Would come again but earlier in the season when the snow would typically be in better shape, but certainly not complaining and very glad to have made it here to see what it's all about. Its another box ticked, one that has been wanting ticking for 20 years.