Cat skiing in Fernie - Fernie Wilderness Adventures - going the extra mile.

Words and Photos by Vince Shuley

Cat skiing is awesome. The machines run in almost every kind of weather and in terms of vertical, it’s of comparable value to heli skiing. Most cat ski operations are based in areas with great terrain variety and reliable snowfall, so what sets apart one operation from another?  

It’s pretty hard to have a bad experience with a day of cat skiing. But on the more challenging days where conditions and weather haven’t cooperated, the operation shows its true colors. Take this plausible scenario: you’ve just paid good money for a couple days of cat skiing that you booked a month ago and it hasn’t snowed in the last few weeks. The snow is not normally like this, your trip just happened to coincide with the season’s biggest high pressure system.   There are no refunds for lack of face shots, so you just have to make the most of it.

At Fernie Wilderness Adventures http://www.fernieadventures.com/ near Fernie, BC, owner and operator Kim Sedrovic believes in good old fashioned service and lots of ski time.

“You just have to look at the smiles on the people’s faces when they leave here” says Kim as he pilots his Bombardier snow cat along the access road. Kim has built his company with a crew of dedicated staff, all of whom live permanently in Fernie and many who have been with FWA for over 10 years. Kim tends to steer clear of transient ski guides, the ones that travel around the province looking for the best conditions. The terrain in Kim’s tenure is fun and challenging to ski but can be extremely confusing to navigate. He will only trust the guest’s safety to an experienced guide that he has trained himself. But qualifications and a competitive resume isn’t the only thing he’s looking for. The attitude and customer service skills of the guides are key to offering a competitive guest experience.

“I won’t hire any of these guides who think they’re better than the guests. “ Kim says. “There’s a lot of bravado out there in the guiding community, but we won’t have it at this operation”

Owner and operator of FWA Kim Sedrovic at the helm.

If you’re the type that enjoys the pampering of a luxurious lodge and meals from five star chefs, an operation like FWA is probably not for you. People come here to ski and enjoy the comfort of low key accommodation. The hosts at the FWA lodge won’t take your ski boots off for you, but they’ll cook you a delicious home meal and make sure the wood-fired hot tub is at the perfect temperature. While you’re out skiing there’s no lunch break, just bust open the cooler on your way to the next run and help yourself to sandwiches and snacks.

Kim works as hard as his staff most days and guests are often surprised to see the company owner driving the cats or sledding around the mountain to assist with groups. For Kim, going the extra mile is part of the day’s routine.  

Graeme Bell launching a pillow in the Rock Garden