Fernie makes National Geographic’s top 25 ski resorts list
Fernie has been honoured by the editors of National Geographic magazine who included it on their list of the world’s 25 top ski resorts.
Fernie Lodging Company hosted National Geographic digital nomad Andrew Evans in December, when he stayed at the slopeside Snow Creek Cabins to get the ultimate Rocky Mountain living experience.
Other vacation destinations on the list include Bozeman, Montana; Telluride, Colorado; Chamonix, France; Girdwood, Alaska; Zermatt, Switzerland; Whitefish, Montana; Crested Butte, Colorado; Aspen, Colorado; Whister, British Columbia and Mont Tremblant, Quebec.
Describing why Fernie was chosen for the top ski resorts list, the magazine editors say:
Though it serves up some of the most spectacular terrain and best snow in all of Canada, this historic mining hamlet of 4,217 people tucked into the far southeastern corner of British Columbia still somehow flies below the greater ski-scene radar.
Which isn’t a bad thing—its wide-open alpine bowls, knife ridges, and daredevil chutes are rarely crowded, and fresh tracks can still be found in afternoons on powder days. For many skiers and snowboarders it hits the Canadian sweet spot, with more consistent powder than Whistler and warmer temperatures than Banff.
Similar to its American cousin, Whitefish, a hundred miles to the south, Fernie is a small, funky town with a tiny yet charming downtown. Restaurants are eclectic and unpretentious, the old train station has been converted to an arts center, and ski bums abound.
It’s the kind of town where old skis are turned into fences, benches, and coat racks. Thanks to new developments at the base of the hill and in town, lodging options at all price points abound, from hostels to luxury lodges.
Read the full article from National Geographic about why Fernie is one of the top ski resorts in the world.
Last chance to win a family ski vacation to Fernie!
You have until tomorrow to join Fernie Lodging Company on Facebook to win this amazing prize!
5 Nights Accommodation in a Timberline Lodges 2 bedroom Platinum Suite, located on mountain at Fernie Alpine Resort
4 × 2 day lift lickets at Fernie Alpine Resort
4 × 60 minute Spa Treatments at King Fir Spa & Wellness
Click ‘like’ here to get a chance to enter this amazing competition!
* Only persons residing in Canada who are at least 19 years of age can enter.
Sweepstakes Ends February 10, 2012 @ 10:00 am (MST)
Photo of Fernie Alpine Resort by Henry Geogi
Fernie top ski resort to spot celebrities
Fernie is fast becoming the best ski resort to combine your ski vacation with a little celebrity spotting.
Actor and singer Justin Timberlake chose the luxury ski resort of Island Lake Lodge for a ski vacation to celebrate his 31st birthday at the end of January.
He also spent some time shopping in downtown Fernie snowboard shop Commit.
According to the Calgary Herald, staff at the store weren’t sure if it was him at first, because he was shorter than they expected and sporting a beard.
Pro snowboarder Travis Rice was also seen in downtown Fernie on Tuesday, Feb 7 as he headed into the backcountry near Fernie to shoot a deodorant commercial.
He stopped off at the new Lunch Box café with his film crew to pick up some snacks for the journey.
Other celebrities who have chosen Fernie for their ski vacation include Paul Gross, who stayed at Timberline Lodge, and country music star Brad Paisley who stopped off at Fernie Legion last fall for a game of community bingo!
Fernie residents are getting used to seeing stars after two major Hollywood movies chose the town as a location.
John Cusack’s Hot Tub Time Machine was filmed at Fernie Alpine Resort and downtown Fernie in 2010, when Second Avenue was transformed into 1986 retro ski town. As well as Cusack, stars included Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke.
Last November Disney used several locations around Fernie for its Santa Pups movie, which will be released in December 2012. Stars included Charlie's Angels actress Cheryl Ladd as Mrs. Claus and Seinfeld actor Danny Woodburn as Santa's head elf.
5 Valentines trip ideas
A Fernie vacation will give you plenty of opportunities for romantic dinners with gourmet food, from the contemporary Mediterranean cuisine at Picnic in downtown Second Avenue, to the sushi restaurant Yamagoya (ask for your own private room), to organic fare at Cincott’s bistro.
Don’t miss visiting some of the gourmet food stores that make Fernie a top ski resort for foodies.
James and Mary Heavey make chocolate ‘from bean to bar’ at Beanpod, using 100-year-old machinery that you can watch through the giant glass wall in their downtown chocolate factory. Don’t forget to try one of their special Valentine’s flavour chocolate bars and individual bonbons.
Whether you want a sports massage to enhance your athletic performance and bring the maximum supply of nutrients and oxygen to the muscle tissue, or a restorative and relaxing classic massage, the BC and Alberta-registered massage therapists at Timberline Lodge’s King Fir Spa will make your ski trip a serene, tranquil one.
You can also enjoy a little beautification during your ski trip, with a Restoring Facial using a combination of aloe, pomegranate, rosehip, clay, and steam, to improve the complexion and appearance of your skin. Get your mountain man looking great with a Mountain Man Facial, specially designed for men, using products specifically suited to a man’s skin.
4. Take in a mountain viewNo Valentine’s Day ski trip is complete without a trip to the top of the mountain for a breathtaking mountain vista.
Most Fernie accommodations have a view of the mountains that surround the Elk Valley, while at the Lost Boys Café at Fernie Alpine Resort’s mountain top, ski resort guests can look right down the valley while they sip an Irish coffee.
What could be more romantic during your mountain ski trip than spending time in the fresh night air, looking up at the millions of stars visible away from city lights?
Rent cross country skis or snow shoes and ask Fernie Lodging Company’s helpful guest relations team for information on the best local trails with a night sky view.
If you have an evening to spare, take the Silk Trail from near the luxury ski chalet accommodations at Fernie Alpine Resort, and end up at Birch Meadows Guesthouse for lunch or an evening raclette before you ski or snowshoe back to your Fernie accommodations.
On top of the world
Take a stress-free family ski vacation with Snow Valley Kids babysitting and grocery services
By Rebecca Edwards
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It’s Friday night and the powder is falling heavily at Fernie Alpine Resort.
You pull up at Timberline Lodge mountain condos, get inside and find the fridge and cupboards stocked with everything your family needs for the duration of your stay, thanks to the Snow Valley Kids grocery service.
The baby cot is set up in the master bedroom, and the high chair is sitting by the dining table ready for your family’s first meal together in the mountains.
Snow Valley Kids baby equipment rentals has everything you need so you can pack your car with a full quiver of skis, instead of baby equipment.
Snow Valley Kids child care agency has already booked a babysitter for the next morning, and you have received an email with the sitter’s photo, bio and credentials, so you know you can leave the house in time for first chair.
While you take in some guilt-free fresh tracks, your children will be playing outside in the snow or attending a craft day or library kids session with their experienced Snow Valley Kids babysitter.
Maybe you can even squeeze in a couple’s massage at King Fir Spa before you head home to take the kids out on the nursery slopes, or take them for their first toboggan run.
Snow Valley Kids also offers a vacation assistant program – your assistant will be at your beck and call during you stay to provide local knowledge of the best family restaurants or child-friendly snowshoe trails, or to take your skis to be waxed while you play with the kids.
Thanks to Snow Valley Kids, there is no need for any stress on your family’s first ski vacation.
History of Snow Valley Kids
Emma Padgett set up Snow Valley Kids in 2011 after working as a nanny for 10 years and spending several seasons working in Fernie Lodging Company’s guest services team.
During her busiest time over the holiday period she had 15 sitters out at one time and many vacation property owners in Fernie have booked her babysitters for every weekend for the rest of the ski season.
Emma shaped Snow Valley Kids around the frequent requests she had from guests, as well as her own experience as a nanny and with her 20-month-old daughter Lenny.
“My aim is that someone can arrive in Fernie and know that everything is taken care of, that they have someone they feel comfortable leaving their kids with.
“All our sitters are experienced with working with children, have their first aid certificate and have had police checks.
“When I am looking to hire someone I look for someone who is good with kids and has lots of energy and ideas on how to create games and activities for them inside and can get them playing outside in the snow and having fun.”
• Click here for more information on Snow Valley Kids or call Emma Padgett at 1-778-519-3201.
Why you should take your kids on a family ski vacation in Fernie
Fernie sees thousands of new skiers on its Mighty Moose nursery slope and green Meadows trails every year – many of them young children experiencing their first day on the slopes, and learning skills that will last them a lifetime.
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But when you see your little one taking their first run down the slope, shouting “Pizza! French fries!” and whooping with glee, it will all be worth it.
That’s why sports psychologist and former ski racer Dr Jim Taylor thinks skiing might just be “the best sport out there.”
The staff at Fernie Lodging Company loved his recent article in Ski Racing magazine about the benefits of skiing as a family.
As he points out, skiing is the only sport that can be done together with equal enjoyment and fulfillment by both a four-year-old and her father.
Skiing helps kids learn how to fall over and get back up again, and gives them social skills – as well as sporting skills – that will help them meet all kinds of interesting people during their lifetime.
So what are you waiting for? Book your family ski vacation at Fernie Alpine Resort!
Fernie ski resources for kids
• Fernie Alpine Resort has a dedicated ski school program for kids of all ages that will help them to learn to love skiing for life.
• Fernie Lodging Company is a community sponsor of Fernie Alpine Ski Team’s ski program for children aged five and above.
Win a family ski vacation from Fernie Lodging Company!
‘Like’ Fernie Lodging Company on Facebook to win this amazing prize!
5 Nights Accommodation in a Timberline Lodges 2 bedroom Platinum Suite, located on mountain at Fernie Alpine Resort
4 × 2 day lift lickets at Fernie Alpine Resort
4 × 60 minute Spa Treatments at King Fir Spa & Wellness
Click ‘like’ here to get a chance to enter this amazing competition!
* Only persons residing in Canada who are at least 19 years of age can enter.
Sweepstakes Ends February 10, 2012 @ 10:00 am (MST)
About Dr. Jim Taylor
Dr. Jim Taylor has worked with many of America's leading junior race programs as well as World Cup competitors from many countries.
He is a clinical associate professor in the Sport&Performance Psychology graduate program at the University of Denver.
Jim is the author of Prime Ski Racing: Triumph of the Racer's Mind and his latest parenting book is Your Children are Listening: Nine Messages They Need to Hear From You.
Click here to go to Dr. Jim's archive or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
Photo by Henry Georgi/RCR
Champagne snow in Fernie – caught on camera
Fernie locals Hallie McLachlan and Dylan Siggers took their helmet cams when they skied the incredible 74 cms of champagne snow that the BC ski resort received in 18 hours last Tuesday, January 17.
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By the time the storm passed through, it had left almost 1 metre of fresh, light snow.
The day - now known locally as 'Champagne Tuesday' - has set up Fernie Alpine Resort with a solid snow pack for the rest of the season.
Hallie McLachlan
16-year-old Hallie McLachlan is on the BC women's ski team and last summer attended the team summer conditioning camp hosted by Fernie Lodging Company.
Her races at the Nakiska Miele Cup GS races were cancelled due to the cold temperatures that accompanied the snowstorm, but that didn’t stop her from heading out (complete with helmet cam) to make the most of the fresh powder on her local mountain.
You can see her video here.
Dylan Siggers
Local Fernie ski movie maker Dylan Siggers also got some great shots of his runs on Champagne Tuesday.
His movie Kootenay Influence Ep. 5 uses a camera strapped to a ski pole using a Gopro Pole Mount for some great shots of champagne powder face shots.
Dylan - who's just 18 - is also a coach at the Fernie Freestyle Ski Club, and is making a whole series of movies about life in the Kootenays.
Like Fernie Lodging Company on Facebook to win a family vacation in Fernie!
5 Nights Accommodation in a Timberline Lodges 2 bedroom Platinum Suite, located on mountain at Fernie Alpine Resort
4 × 2 day lift lickets at Fernie Alpine Resort
4 × 60 minute Spa Treatments at King Fir Spa & Wellness
* Only persons residing in Canada who are at least 19 years of age can enter.
Sweepstakes Ends February 10, 2012 @ 10:00 am (MST)
Related posts
Five reasons why you need to have a March ski vacation in Fernie
Latest news from Fernie - almost a metre of snow in 24 hours
Be part of the next 50 years skiing at Fernie by buying a share at Juniper Lodge
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Five reasons to have a March ski vacation in Fernie
1. Events to celebrate 50 years of skiing in Fernie this March
March 19-25 2012 is Fernie Ski Heritage Week, when events on and off the mountain will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fernie Alpine Resort, which opened in 1962 as Fernie Snow Valley.
You can look forward to retro ski movies, an exhibition of old ski equipment at Fernie Museum, a social for ski pioneers and a panel discussion on the past, present and future of skiing in North America, as well as many special events by the local bars and stores.
2. The warmer side of winter
The average temperature in Fernie in March is 0.5 degrees Celsius – compared to a toe-chilling minus 6.8 degrees in January.
You have a good chance of catching some sunshine and even taking off a few layers in the afternoon, when the average high temperature is plus six degrees.
But, once the sun goes down it drops to an average low of minus five degrees – the perfect temperature to sit in the hot tub at your slopeside condo and watch the fresh snow falling ready for tomorrow’s skiing.
3. Perfect temperatures for powder snow
The March monthly average snowfall is 38cm - so you get to ski Fernie’s famous powder snow without the cold temperatures of the early season.
Fernie Alpine Resort is part of the Lizard Range, a band of mountain peaks that mark the spot where warm, moist Pacific fronts hit cold air flowing from the Arctic, creating beautiful dry, fluffy powder.
The ‘Fernie Factor’ means that snowfall can vary widely from the forecast – it’s very common for Fernie skiers to go to sleep with 5cm forecast, and wake up to 15cm fresh snow.
That’s why a lot of local businesses obey the 20cm powder day rule – if there is 20cm fresh snow overnight, nobody has to work until noon so they can get out and enjoy some fresh tracks.
Did you know? The 2012 Farmer’s Almanac is predicting heavy snowfall in March for South BC this year.
4. See the 2013 ski designs in action
Ski Canada magazine has announced it will bring its famous Ski Canada Test to Fernie Alpine Resort in March 2012.
More than 40 hardcore ski testers from across Canada, and beyond, will descend on Fernie from March 19-25 2012 for five days of testing in the categories of Expert and Adventure All Mountain, Big Mountain, On-Piste Cruisers and Easy Cruising.
Skis from more than a dozen manufacturers, including K2, Salomon, Volkl, Elan, Atomic, Rossignol, Head, and Fischer, as well as several smaller brands favoured in specific markets will supply their not-yet-released 2013 skis to be tested and rated against one another.
So, if you are gear-savvy and want to know what all the major ski manufacturers have in store for us in 2013, get a sneak preview during test week.
5. Fun events planned on and off the slopes
The events team at Fernie Alpine Resort has some great events planned this March.
Sunday March 4 is the annual Raging Elk Dummy Downhill race. Watch as dummies of all shapes, sizes and themes get sent flying down a slope and off a kicker – they are judged for the creativity of the design,
Saturday March 10 sees the Griz Kidz Carnival come to Fernie Alpine Resort, with games, entertainment and competitions to get your whole family excited for skiing.
Fernie was the film location for Hot Tub Time Machine, the ski movie that went back in time to revisit retro ski fashion and culture. We are celebrating those one-piece snow suits, spandex neon leggings, leg warmers and teased hair with the Retro weekend on March 17, sponsored by Kokanee and featuring the Kokanee Glacier Girls and Rocswell DJs.
New this year, Fernie has partnered with the newly formed BC Telemark Association to bring a Telemark Ski Competition to Fernie on Saturday March 24.
March ski accommodation deal
March mid-week specials - stay mid week and receive 20% off (for Sun - Thurs arrivals at Timberline Lodges)
* some conditions apply - call for details. 1.800.667.9911
Related posts
The latest news from Fernie BC - almost 1 meter of new snow in the past 24 hours
for a sneak peek at today's conditions check this out
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=225684877517492&set=vb.139893512710747&type=2&theater
if that doesn't tempt you to visit Fernie, we don't know what will!