Follow the Powder Highway to historic Fernie, home to Fernie Alpine Resort and it’s five, legendary, powder-filled bowls. Check DriveBC for the latest road conditions.
Overnight options for Fernie.
DAY 1
- No Fernie session is complete without a fresh breakfast bagel from the local favourite, Big Bang Bagels. The Griz breakfast bagel with an espresso on the side is a sure bet to kick off your ski trip.
- Ease into the first day of your powder session at Fernie Alpine Resort (FAR). A few laps on the Deer Chair and the Elk Quad will give your family the most green and blue run options to warm up the legs for your ski holiday. Your kids will session the Minute Maid Kids Trails all day if you let them, and your teens can grind off their edges at the RCR Rail Park on Deer.
- A late lunch or apres-ski burger and beverage at Legends Mountain Eatery right in the ski area base plaza will set you and the kids up for an afternoon on nordic skis at one of four top-notch, groomed trail systems in the Fernie area.
Photo by Henry Georgi (The Fernie Nordic Centre trails are located near Mt Fernie Provincial Park) - If an indoor afternoon is on the agenda, take in a movie matinee or evening showing at Fernie’s totally updated Vogue Theatre.
- If you can get a table or a private tatami room, Yamagoya Sushi is an authentic Japanese dining experience not to be missed. You’ll see (and taste) it when you close your eyes and look back on your Fernie ski holiday.
- Be among the first to sample the latest cocktail creations at Fernie Distillers, which straddles the exquisite line between informal and refined. Take home a souvenir bottle of one of their exquisite locally inspired liqueurs or spirits, such as the Earl Gray Tea infused Fernie Fog liqueur. Or, if you enjoy craft beer the Fernie Brewing Company is about as passionate and thirsty for making great beer as you can get. Drop by and pick up their winter Tackle Box (loaded with tall boys of What the Huck – Huckleberry Ale, The Professor Amber Lager, Thunder Meadows IPA, and Java the Hut Coffee Milk Stout).
DAY 2
- The Eggs Benny at the Bridge Bistro is calling you, but their pancakes and bacon will also knock your ski socks off.
- Another day on the mountain! Day 2, now you’re ready to stretch your legs and explore Timber and Currie Bowls via the Timber Express Quad and White Pass Chairs. From White Pass Chair you can watch the locals push their limits in the double black diamond Knot Chutes, then find your own version of powder paradise in the glades of Pillow Talk. Don’t fear the traverses, as they lead to more, untracked powder!
- Lunch it up at Lost Boys Cafe at the top of the Timber Express. That way you can stay high on the mountain right up until last chair. The bacon mac and cheese is a fave with kids of all ages, and the Rocky Mountain view across the Elk River Valley will keep anyone happy.
- If you have any legs left, rent skates from Gearhub, and hit the town’s beloved, NHL-sized outdoor community rink for some shinny hockey or just some fun family slide and glide.
- After a family dinner at The Loaf (the pizza pasta burger kid menu is always a hit, as is Fondue Night), continue the ice theme with a Fernie Ghostriders game. This scrappy KIJHL team has rivalries with nearly every neighbouring community, resulting in fast-paced, fun hockey!
DAY 3
- With everything from breakfast burritos to Panko French toast, and of course coffee, lots of coffee…Mugshots is a perfect kickstart to your last morning in downtown Fernie.
- Back to Resort! With the kids set up for the morning with the awesome instructors of Fernie’s Wintersports School, you’re ready to hit the endless black diamond turns of Currie Bowl, and maybe even the Polar Peak Chair if you’re feeling brave! The Glades always have pow, even days after a storm (hint, hint…!)
- After a late fill up on some sustaining wraps, curries and hearty home-made meat stews at The Lunchbox downtown, get closer to all that nature you’ve been goggling at for the past three days on an afternoon guided snowshoe tour with Wild Nature Tours.
- After exploring and shopping historic downtown Fernie, be sure to check out The Dragon Tamers, an exhibition on the power and impact of avalanches, at the Fernie Museum that will make you appreciate the snow safety team at Fernie Alpine Resort even more.
- Wind up your Fernie Trifecta with a flavour fiesta of Latin-inspired tapas and cocktails at Nevados. Pisco Sour, anyone?
Other dining options in Fernie. Read more: “Family Time in Fernie This Winter”.
Know Before You Go – Plan ahead so you can travel safely and responsibly. Familiarize yourself with weather, road conditions, general alerts for travellers and provincial health orders & recommendations.
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Top/cover – Downtown Fernie at Night; photo by Henry Georgi.
Words by Dave Quinn. Born in Cranbrook, BC; Dave is a wildlife biologist, educator, wilderness guide, writer and photographer whose work is driven by his passion for wilderness and wild spaces. His work with endangered mountain caribou and badgers, threatened fisher and grizzly, as well as lynx and other species has helped shape his understanding of the Kootenay backcountry and its wildlife.
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