Fernie

Just north of the Canadian border, Fernie is the easternmost ski resort on Canada’s famed Powder Highway. The resort isn’t the biggest in the world, but it stands out with some of the best snowstorms in North America and a legendary high-alpine footprint. But Fernie’s eccentricities result in some wide-ranging drawbacks that those planning a trip should watch out for.

Throughout a typical season, Fernie experiences truly incredible snow events. During the best days, guests will find light, dry Canadian Rockies powder that’s up there with the best in North America. Fernie’s snow totals regularly outclass its Powder Highway neighbors, making it the go-to mountain resort on a powder day.

However, despite being very far north and right in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Fernie’s snow quality can falter at times. Accumulation is often supremely light and dry throughout the core season, but with slight differences in temperature, the snow can become wet, heavy, and tough to ski or ride through. Rain is possible during the winter, especially in lower mountain areas. On these rougher days, conditions may vary considerably across elevations; it’s not uncommon to see excellent snow in high-alpine zones but rain or hard-packed slopes closer to the bottom.

Fernie also experiences a shorter core season than many competitors. While some resorts further north enjoy consistent seasons lasting from October to April, Fernie’s good season is really only November through February. Unlike nearly every other destination in the Rockies, a trip to Fernie in March means a huge roll of the dice.

Fernie specializes in high-alpine glades and bowls, and the vast majority of upper-mountain terrain comprises this type of footprint. These areas range from intermediate to expert in difficulty. When open with good snow conditions, the bowls host some of the most distinctive skiing and riding in North America, offering wide-open terrain, striking, isolated aesthetics, and varied topography that makes every line feel different.

Fernie also offers a decent selection of below-treeline terrain in mid- and lower-mountain areas, but most of it is rather ordinary. Fernie is not the best mountain for long cruisers or cardio-inducing mogul runs, and most of its below-treeline pods are modest in length—a stark contrast to some competing Canadian Rockies mountains. While the Timber Bowl Express lift covers more than 2,000 feet of vertical, a large flat part in the middle disrupts a full top-to-bottom fall line. Fernie is also not the best mountain for grooming operations, with subpar trail maintenance especially hurting the resort during dry spells or rain events.

However, Fernie’s lower-mountain areas do stand out in some ways. The Elk and Deer zones are great isolated pods for beginners, although the rest of the mountain is quite light on green trails. The Boomerang zone hosts solid—but relatively brief—easily lappable mogul runs. And while blue terrain isn’t exactly abundant, there are typically a few solid cruisers in good shape around the mountain.

Fernie’s upper-mountain lifts provide the only access to its double-black-diamond runs. A mix of tree-defined and high-alpine in form, these expert trails are very steep in sections. Some real extremes, requiring swift technical proficiency, can be found in the Knot Chutes and Currie Headwall. The Polar Peak Headwall is extremely steep with a tricky entry due to the sheer drop off, although conditions have to be absolutely perfect for it to open.

Many mid- and upper-mountain advanced and expert lines require traversing to reach. On the plus side, this means these hard-to-reach areas hold untapped powder for days if conditions remain good. The one lift with easily-accessible double-blacks is Polar Peak, which is incredibly beautiful from the top. But guests shouldn’t bank on this lift being open—the operating schedule is just flat out disappointing in a normal year, with the lift open less than 10% of the time in typical seasons.

In fact, all of Fernie’s high-alpine terrain is subject to somewhat variable openings. Rain, low visibility, or particularly heavy snowfall may force the resort to close some or all of its upper-mountain bowl trails. Only Fernie’s lower-mountain Elk, Deer, Boomerang, and Great Bear areas are truly consistently open throughout the core season—and none of them include the terrain that make Fernie a truly distinct resort. This is a serious drawback for those looking to plan a months-in-advance visit to this remote mountain.

Ski patrol is extremely conservative when it comes to avalanche mitigation, conducting some of the most extensive operations of any North American ski resort, and prioritizing getting the mountain open safely. Anything under the headwall takes longer to open.

Fernie boasts a sizable footprint at just over 2,000 acres. But it’s hard to take advantage of the full footprint and terrain diversity due to the resort’s frustrating lift network. Many major areas do not enjoy convenient lift access and require prolonged traversing to reach or leave. Others are not directly lappable, taking two or even three lifts to get back to where you started. Some trails—including the majority of double-blacks not off Polar Peak—suffer from both problems.

Lift redundancies are few and far between, and modest lines can build up on holidays. However, lines are extremely rare during all other times. Despite the lift network’s flaws, every chair is pretty much ski-on outside Christmas and Family Day Weekend—unless it’s the very beginning of the morning on a particularly good powder day.

When it comes to the lifts themselves, many could use upgrades. To give the resort some credit, Fernie does run two high-speed quads that directly service a solid chunk of its lower- and mid-mountain terrain. But every other lift on the mountain is slow, including some key routes out of the base.

Fernie has two mid-mountain spots for guests to stop in at. However, they are quite tiny, and the Bear’s Den lodge is just a yurt (the old building got knocked down). In most cases, it makes the most sense to just ski down to the base and go to one of the restaurants there. The base lodge is also an option, but it’s often overcrowded—even despite Fernie’s modest visitation—with subpar food and dated facilities. In fact, all of Fernie’s lodges could use renovations. Fernie typically sees one or two extreme cold spells throughout the winter, at which point these lodges become a huge liability for the resort.

When it’s clear out, Fernie offers a striking aesthetic, with especially distinctive peaks both in-bounds and across nearby mountain ranges. But the area is often cloudy and overcast, with vibes that are more reminiscent of a Pacific Northwest resort.

Getting There

With no traffic, Fernie is approximately three hours from the Calgary airport, and one hour from the much smaller Canadian Rockies airport in Cranbrook. The resort is also four-and-a-half hours from the U.S. city of Spokane. The roads near Fernie are quite mountainous and narrow, and travel times often increase during the winter due to inclement weather. Fernie offers shuttle services to and from the Calgary airport, as well as a local bus between the resort and downtown.

Lodging

Fernie offers several ski-in/ski-out options on the mountain, including hotels and inns. There are also a number of small, boutique hotels in town. Options in town are quite reasonable, and the Raging Elk hostel offers true budget accommodations with social vibes.

Aprés-ski

For a remote Canadian town, Fernie is surprisingly vibrant. The slopeside Griz Bar offers excellent happy hour vibes and live music on weekends—with performances going until midnight on Saturdays. Downtown is even more lively, with an assortment of bars, restaurants, and distilleries. If you want to hit the dance floor and listen to some solid live music, check out the Kodiak Lounge at Raging Elk, which can even be bustling on a typical weekday.

Verdict

Thanks to light Canadian Rockies powder, unparalleled bowl terrain, and a striking, remote atmosphere, those who visit Fernie on a good day might find it the best resort they’ve ever visited. However, a combination of variable weather, wide-ranging logistical shortcomings, and outdated infrastructure put Fernie at a major disadvantage compared to its cutthroat Rockies competition. The resort will be best enjoyed by advanced and expert visitors who can plan a trip that spans multiple days, and those doing a Powder Highway trip won’t regret spending a day or two here.