Fernie: 100cm Week - 2011

It’s hard to justify leaving one resort with tons of snow to take a chance on another, but I couldn’t ignore the reports of major snowfall in Fernie this week and needed to see it for myself. I arrived in Fernie on Wednesday night; it was still snowing, HARD. By the time I got here the hill had received close to a meter of snow in the last 48hrs. The town was hammered with snow and the locals were trying to dig out their cars and driveways.

Up on the mountain it was definitely as good as it gets. Through out the day, patrol was opening up terrain for the first time since the storm.  The good news is, that there is still tons for the taking. Cedar Bowl and top of Lizard Bowl did not open due to avalanche danger; looming overhead were some massive cornices that forced patrol to keep the zones closed.

Cedar Bowl

The temps warmed up throughout the day but even with warming temperatures the snow delivered. Things seemed perfect and I was asking, can it get any better than this, and the sun came out and we shredded bluebird pow.

Towards the end of the day I met some fellow riders who showed me to a hidden gem. This is where I found the deepest pow of the day. Thank you Griz for your bountiful blessing of powder, and thank you local Fernie guys for showing me some sick lines.  

 Hiking with locals

For those of you who don’t know the legend of Griz, you probably have not been to Fernie. In short, Griz is Fernie’s snow deity. You can read all about the legend at skifernie.com. There is even a Griz festival taking place all this week with lots of events.

 GrizJust putting this out there. If Griz and La Nina had a child what would they call it?

I will leave this open for your imagination.

By: Nick Marks