At 8:15 AM I opened the flap on my tent, gazed up at a gilded peak shimmering with heaven-sent light, and saw my buddy, Drew – a little black blob on the massive mountain – nearing the unnamed summit. Not gonna lie, it was a little unsettling. He wasn’t exactly a seasoned mountaineer with goat-footed skills. But he was determined. And the night before – as we nursed a dram, or two, by the crackling fire – he confidently announced his intentions for the following morning: “I WILL climb that thar mountain before anyone is out of bed.” Hat’s off. He did it.

Fernie. It certainly has a knack of bringing out the adventurer in all of us.

Surrounded by jagged peaks and nestled along rushing rivers in the Elk Valley – and just 2.5 hours from Calgary! – Fernie is a dreamy destination for outdoor enthusiasts and mountain culture lovers. Hikers, mountain bikers, fishermen, painters, climbers, musicians, photographers, nordic skiers, alpine skiers, and everyone else in between, can find their happy place in Fernie!

In addition to all of those trails, rivers, and scintillating summits (more on my epic Heiko’s Trail expedition later), Fernie’s historic downtown, which boasts some spectacular turn-of-the-century buildings and architecture, is always a highlight when you visit. The majestic Fernie Courthouse, which was built in 1911, is a chateau-style structure and one of my favourite buildings in the Kootenay Rockies. The Holy Family Catholic Church, City Hall, and the old CP railway station are a few other examples.

Personally, I’d highly recommend downloading the “Iconic Fernie” app on your phone (the app was developed by Tourism Fernie), which will guide you through a cool downtown heritage walking tour, best photography locations, top places to sample local food and drinks, and artistic explorations in and around town. (Thanks, in part, to the Arts Station, a number of galleries, the downtown murals, ongoing performing arts, and so on, Fernie is a haven for artists.)

Due to its close proximity to Calgary, I typically visit Fernie a handful of times each year. Sometimes I’m just passing through (I can never resist pulling into the downtown area to explore, stretch my legs, and grab a coffee and a sandwich!), but most of the time it’s for a weekend of adventure.

While the mountain biking (Fernie boasts eight distinct riding areas and hundreds of trails) is legendary, the two main reasons why I love hanging out in Fernie are the incredible alpine skiing at the Fernie Alpine Resort and the epic hiking.

Although the sight-seeing and lift-accessed mountain biking at the Fernie Alpine Resort are exceptional, in my opinion, the alpine bowl skiing – there are five fabulous bowls at the resort – is some of the best on the planet. Indeed, from the snorkel-deep dumps to the family-friendly cruisers, the skiing at Fernie is tough to beat.

And, for that matter, so are the hiking opportunities. Numerous trails – from leg-burning ascents to family-friendly riverside strolls – are there for the taking.

For me, one of my all-time favourite hiking experiences took place a number of years ago when my posse of pals took on the tough-as-nails Heiko’s Trail in the Fernie backcountry. (It’s not for the faint of heart! Be prepared. Do your homework!) A 34-km wilderness route complete with caves, thundering waterfalls, and wildflower-filled valleys, it serves up an amazing assortment of “wow” moments. On our two-day adventure, which ended at the iconic Island Lake Lodge, we were all pushed to the limit of our abilities.

Fittingly, we celebrated our achievement with a burger and a beer at Island Lake Lodge. In many ways, we all – especially the guy who tacked on an additional summit! – felt like accomplished adventurers. Fernie will do that to you!

New lots are available at our Timber Landing development.  Visit our website for more information or get in touch with our realtor Carol Cohen.

Carol Cohen
Developer’s Representative for Timber Landing Sales
carol@buyinginfernie.com
250-278-0678

In scientific terms, snow density is measured by water volume. Heavy snow tends to have about 15 to 20 percent water content, and really light snow is less than 10 percent. That’s the stuff we like as skiers—the cold smoke that lets us feel like we’re dancing on air. Because any skier worth their salt knows that not all powder is created equal, and there’s a tradeoff wherever you go searching for it. To get a lot of it, you usually have to go places like the Coast Mountains, where it’s thick and punishing. To get the lightest snow, you usually have to go to locales like the Okanagan or the eastern slope of the Rockies, where average annual snowfalls tend to be less forthcoming, and you wrestle with deep freezes. But there’s one place in British Columbia where that tradeoff doesn’t exist. Where up to 37 feet of snow falls some years in a temperate micro-climate draped across the dramatic fetch of the Rocky Mountains. This is not just where you’ll find the most snow, but also the lightest version of it—along with the exact right density of people.

The visionary founders of Fernie Snow Valley knew this in 1962, when they took a chance on building lifts in a little mining town wedged against the Southeast border of B.C. and Alberta. And in 1997, when Resorts of the Canadian Rockies bought the quiet little ski hill that was the biggest secret in the province, they also knew what they were doing. Since then, Fernie Alpine Resort has been far from a secret, but it has stayed true to its roots. Only three hours from Calgary, Alberta, it’s close enough to an international airport to have exploded into Vail or Aspen. Instead, it has settled into a confident sweet spot as the ski industry’s biggest “locals” mountain, primarily servicing the extended Fernie community from Calgary to Lethbridge to Cranbrook, and even Montana.

It’s the only destination-class resort in Western Canada that’s not concerned with being a destination—it remains first and foremost a playground for those who know it best. Whether you’re hammering powder runs on the Timber Chair, or pounding DH laps in the bike park all summer, you’ll be doing it with familiar faces. That’s what defines this resort: community.

Homeownership at Fernie Alpine Resort doesn’t just tap into world-class biking, hiking, sight-seeing, and skiing along the proud peaks of the Lizard Range, but an extended family of like-minded, part-time small-towners looking for the exact right mix of amenities and energy, without going overboard. It’s an investment in lifestyle that pays dividends, with a slow steady growth in value that’s not subject to the boom-and-bust cycles of crazy new promises or massive overnight changes.

Becoming a homeowner at Fernie Alpine Resort means buying into a community that’s been what it is for generations, where fishing and folk festivals, and kids camps and bar bands, take precedence over planet-shaking events and lineups full of strangers. Where Italianate architecture still hosts restaurants filled with friends that always have a seat for you. Where there’s an intimate flow to life that just feels right. Because the best density isn’t always the most saturated one; it’s the one that lets you move unimpeded in a shared rhythm that still feels all your own.

New lots are available at our Timber Landing development.  Visit our website for more information or get in touch with our realtor Carol Cohen.

Carol Cohen
Developer’s Representative for Timber Landing Sales
carol@buyinginfernie.com
250-278-0678