At four hours, the stage from Whitewater to Fernie was the longest on our tour. Of course, on a trip like this, it's easy to fall back on one of the countless fast food restaurants in the land of endless expanses. A&W became our burger joint of choice. And what can we say: really tasty! You should definitely try it on a trip to Canada.
After a short night (the clock had to be changed from Pacific to Mountain Time again), we met up with Cathy directly at the Visitors Center of the Fernie Alpine Resort. "Welcome to legendary Fernie!"" is written above the entrance arch of the lovingly built tourist village.
The fact that skiing has a long tradition in Fernie is immediately apparent. In contrast to our previous stops, the area doesn't just consist of 2-3 lifts, but a total of 11 lifts are available, connecting four adjacent mountains.
As the highest lift was still closed in the morning due to strong winds, Cathy, who has enjoyed ten seasons in the best freeride areas in the Alps, first shows us the "Old Side" of the ski area. The weather and the amount of snow in Fernie can differ significantly from the other resorts. Cold easterly lows from the Alberta prairies hit the rocky Lizzard Range directly, bringing Fernie up to 11 meters of fresh snow in normal winters.
The Old Side includes Lizzard Bowl, which is especially popular with piste skiers, and Cedar Bowl, which offers freeriders both countless treeruns and tree-free zones. Although it had been several days since the last snowfall, Cathy found several couloirs where the fluffiest snow could still be found.
At lunchtime, the top lift finally opened and we switched to the "New Side". Siberia Bowl, Timber Bowl and Currie Bowl are the names of the areas on this side. Currie Bowl in particular has an incredible wealth of different varieties. Logically, we also took advantage of the very last ride on the White Pass Quad.
Finally, it was no longer minus 25 degrees. With temperatures around freezing point, and of course much warmer in the sun, we finished off the successful day with a Kookanee Glacier beer on the terrace of the Griz Bar, which we ran down our thirsty freerider throats.
Conclusion on Fernie: A top ski resort for anyone who wants to have fun both on and off the slopes. Not to be missed on a trip to Canada. The town of Fernie has Canadian charm.
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Text: Martin Hesse | Photos: Jessica Haupt
