Along with the new Aerial Playground & Rippin Zipline Fernie Alpine Resort’s summer program also includes activities such as the Mountain Bike Park, Hiking, Mountain Top Lunch, Sightseeing, and Tennis.

Visit Fernie for its Preview Weekend on June 23/24 – Official Opening Date is Friday June 29th.

• Lower Mountain upgrades and reroutes to Lower Canada Cup, Deer Trail, Double Creek, and Top Gun to accommodate the Aerials Park. Current plans mean these trails will actually grow in length, see berms and rollers added to the flat ski run sections on the lower mountain and a large bridge rebuild. Deer trail riders will now have opportunity to ride through open alpine flower meadows on their way to base.

• TNT below the White Pass load has received a reroute into the trees as alternative to steep shale slope on Deep Sea
New upper section to Ben’s Big Rig which doubled its length. All riders now have option to ride single track instead of access road

• New Cedar Trail single-track provides beginner riders with single-track option that meanders through old growth cedar forest before rejoining existing Cedar Trail road

• Phat Larry’s, new bridges and short re-route sections

• Boom, Cedar, Larch, View, Gorbie, Hobbits now available for hiking traffic from the Elk Chair to base

• New Peak to Park hiking options (can hike from Polar Peak to Fernie Provincial Park).

• New dates for Fernie Alpine Resort Bike Festival and Lungbuster as well as Furious 3 and Trans Rockies utilizing FAR Bike Park this season (keep an eye on Facebook Events listings for details)

•New Skills Park Features

•Dog friendly zone on Silk and Manchuria Trails

•Continuing to work on resurfacing trails and technical terrain feature upgrades.

Along with Mountain Biking Fernie Alpine Resort Legendary Summer also includes activities such as the NEW Aerial Park & Zipline, Hiking, Mountain Top Lunch, Sightseeing, Tennis and more! Visit Fernie for its Preview Weekend on June 23/24 – Official Opening Date is Friday June 29th!

It’s that time of the year and bears are coming out of their dens. Please put thought into preventing conflict with bears by making noise to warn them of your presence when travelling through bear country and by keeping your garbage indoors, bringing in bird feeders and securing all other attractants.

The project has been underway since last summer, so far there has been a consultation with Chuck Lee, Director of Alberta Whitewater Association, the concept has been approved by Fernie Leisure Advisory Committee and Fernie City Council has approved an $8,000 dollar grant for the project. The RDEK Area A also provided $2000 towards the project.

Currently, a designer, Scott Shipley of S2o Designs has been retained to create a concept design. The initial study begins with a site visit, kick-off meeting and site inspection, which will take place on May 9 and 10. Shipley is a mechanical engineer and one of the best known American kayakers in the world today. He has participated in three Olympic games and holds four world titles. His company S2o Design is the world’s premier design and engineering company behind the world’s most successful white water parks.

The idea behind the park is to improve the quality of life for local residents, to engage youth, create river culture, and to build visitor traffic.

“The obvious benefit of the project is the quality of life and the engagement of the youth,” said Dan Savage, Fernie Whitewater Society Director. “Any new recreation opportunity is healthy for today’s youth, keeping our kids busy is important.”

The river is a natural resource and with a small enhancement a natural recreation facility will be created where users will be able to develop their skills learning how to navigate safely in whitewater. This facility will also open up other opportunities for the community such as the College of the Rockies, they can use the venue to teach their canoe and rafting courses and their swift water rescue courses.

According to Savage, Fernie has been approached in the past by Whitewater Canada to see if there would be an interest in building such a facility. The amenity could be used for events such as a world cup slalom race as well as freestyle kayak and surf competitions. These events play into tourism and Fernie would become more of a whitewater and paddle destination than it has been in the past, driving the food and beverage, accommodation and retail industry.

“There is a trend with communities with whitewater rivers to develop parks and utilize the natural resource,” said Savage. “Some examples of these communities are Calgary AB, Missoula MT and Reno NV. Currently Golden BC and Kimberley BC are undertaking whitewater park initiatives in their communities.”

There is no definite plan about where the park will be. Shipley will look at the potential in town keeping in mind that the park has to tie in with the existing infrastructure in the city such as the Annex Park or James White Park where there is ample parking, washrooms and river access.

The next steps include identifying and seeking support from all key stakeholders, defining fish spawning areas, and presenting the concept to the Regional District East Kootenay (RDEK). All river users and stakeholders will be engaged to participate in the process and the society will ensure that their needs are met.

The society would like to extend an invitation to all stakeholders, river users and the public to attend an open house, featuring Scott Shipley, on May 10 at the Fernie Golf and Country Club from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Everyone is welcome. For more information please visit facebook/ferniewhitewaterpark.

Source: www.thefreepress.ca

Flowing toward Sustainability – the Liquid Waste Management Plan Open House is a chance for residents to provide feedback on the City’s Liquid Waste Management Plan.

“It is critical that Fernie residents have a say in what actions will be taken and understand what it will cost,” stated a city press release. In April the city sent residents the latest Newsletter outlining what the options are and what they will cost.

Complete the LWMP Survey and join us at the Open House to make your views heard!

Refreshments will be provided and the first 25 participants to attend the open house will receive one free family admission to the pool for use on May 1, 2012.

More information on the City’s Liquid Waste Management Plan available here.

Shawn Ivany, Fernie Fire Chief, said the Ministry of Environment and Environment Canada are currently at the scene attempting to clean up the spill, and prevent it from reaching the river.

He said the spill happened at around 2 p.m. yesterday, and it is thought a tanker was delivering diesel to the Fernie Cardlock when the leak happened.

A woman walking her dog in the area noticed the diesel on the pond and called Fernie Fire Rescue.

“There was a diesel spill that got into the storm drains and rain flushed it into the Annex pond,” said Ivany.

“We believe it came from a tanker making a delivery to the Cardlock.

“We put down booms on the water to prevent it spreading into the water, and we put down sand to try to stop it getting into the river but we don’t know if any would have got in.

“We contacted the Ministry of Environment in Cranbrook and Environment Canada and they determined that a clean up was necessary so a clean up contractor is on site right now.”

The contractor is attempting to flush the strom drains and skim the diesel off the surface of the water.

Ivany said they do not know how much diesel was spilt but they know it was at least 110 litres.

“The Ministry of Environment will be handling an investigation into what happened,” he said. “The company delivering the diesel did not report any spill.”

Source: By Angela Treharne – The Free Press

Home is where the heart is. Or in my situation, home is where the sweet snow is.

Thousands of ski visitors, legends and everyday skiers flocked to Fernie for the weeklong celebration last week, celebrating 50 years of ski culture and sublime terrain that could share no rival … at least in this scribe’s slightly biased opinion.

We arrived in Fernie for an S-Mag photo shoot and feature story (watch for the cover story in the October issue) to our favourite arrival gift: fresh snow, wicked terrain and the occasional knock-your-socks-off bluebird moments.

Like the city itself, the celebrations were not over the top but tasteful, giving an insight into the resort’s rich history set among a padded-sweater-wearing crowd and a plethora of powder-inspired events.

In the heart of the city, the Fernie Museum hosted the special exhibit “The Power of Powder — Tracing Fernie’s Ski Heritage,” which features vintage photos, equipment and memorabilia that helps weave the story of Fernie’s ski heritage. And many of the shops on main street (2nd Avenue), like the Ski Base and Edge of the World, got into the vintage spirit, showcasing equipment from the pioneers (Nancy Greene’s Rossignol Strato … sweet ski!).

The Legends Luncheon paid homage to pioneers, builders and sports personalities who helped shape the former Snow Valley mountain into one of the world’s most recognized ski towns. Like Heiko Socher, who built the ski hill from a T-bar operation in the late 1960s to a thriving resort that is the envy of many resorts worldwide. And before him, Louie Schillpa, the ski hill’s first manager and ski patroller. There’s local legend Dave Rogers, who established the ski school in 1975 and taught a gazillion students and ski racers (including yours truly) over the years; 85-year-old Tom Stokie, who built the original ski school with his own hands and continues to be a staple of how to teach skiing; Mike Delich, the mastermind behind resort development in Fernie and former ski coach, FIS TD, president of B.C. Alpine and many other volunteer capacities.

Former Fernie athletes were also recognized, such as three-time Olympian Emily Brydon, former downhill great Ralf Socher, former NCAA champion Jennifer Delich and former world freeski champion Ryan Oakden.

Fernie being a coal mining community, the mining industry has been a key player in skiing in the region, and the event organizers smartly recognized the support from Teck Coal (formerly Kaiser Resources, B.C. Coal and Westar Mining).

Having lived through nearly all of this development — my family moved here from Manitoba in 1973 — I was caught up in all the moments of this celebration. I haven’t actually lived in Elk Valley for many years, but Fernie, especially on this week, was again my home.

Among many flashbacks to my youth I had during our too-short stay was the hike up to Polar Peak in the 1980s from the Lizard Bowl. I remember like it was yesterday the three-hour-plus grind up the Saddle and Currie Ridge, which is now accessed from the Currie Bowl in a few mere minutes up the new Polar Peak chair. It really is the top of the world up there at 7,000 feet, and the ski down the Papa Bear run was nearly as glorious as the view and as my memory.

Comments? gordie@s-media.ca

Photos by: Gordie Bowles & Paul Morrison

Source: http://www.snowsportsculture.com/blog.aspx

Island Lake Lodge is located on 7,000 acres of private wilderness in the Lizard Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains – 10 km from Fernie. Though best known for catskiing in the winter, Island Lake is a stunning summer destination and has been called “one of the most unique and authentic places to stay in
Canada” by National Geographic Traveler.

Darwin and Samantha offer educational eBooks and tips / tricks on the art of
photography on their website, http://www.oopoomoo.com/

The $1-billion development 40 miles west of Invermere, was first proposed in the early 1990s. Since then, the project had passed all necessary regulatory and environmental hurdles, but final provincial approval has been held up for many years. Environmental and First Nation opposition, along with a deeply polarized Kootenay population, made approval a political hot potato.

At buildout, Jumbo Glacier would boast up to 23 lifts, a gondola and a ski village with more than 6,000 units. That would make it comparable in size to Silver Star, B.C., or about one-third the size of Panorama—and just a tenth the size of Whistler Blackcomb. The first phase, though, would include only a gondola and T-bar. That would still create a year-round, glacier-based ski resort, offering summertime skiing at higher elevations. Jumbo Glacier is currently the summer-skiing home to Canadian ski teams, and home to a heli-skiing operation. The summit tops out above 10,000 feet.

The resort plan has divided Kootenay residents. A poll commissioned in 2008 showed little public support, but proponents tout the jobs the project will create.

Opposition political and environmental groups cite impacts to grizzly bear habitat and desecration of lands that have spiritual significance to the local Ktunaxa Nation. The B.C. government counters by saying it will establish a wildlife management area to protect the Grizzly bear habitat.

Panorama resort is among the supporters. “We’re really excited about it. This region needs more jobs, and this will bring them at all different levels,” said Rick Jensen, Panorama’s president and CEO. Jensen hopes the business Jumbo brings will also benefit Panorama, halfway up the Purcell mountain range just west of Invermere.

Funding for the development still isn’t in place, but Glacier Resorts Ltd. senior vice-president Grant Costello said that the first $50-million phase of the resort, to eventually cost $450 million, could begin soon—if the threatened appeals don’t cause yet more delays.

Earlier in the week Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano, SPA 901 owner Shelly MacGregor, and Parastone Development’s general manager, Simon Howse participated in a ribbon cutting.

l-r: Amie Leanard, SPA 901, Simon Howse, GM, Parastone Developments, Mayor Mary Giuliano, Shelly MacGregor, owner SPA 901, Kena Wigen, SPA 901

Doors have opened on the latest attraction in the Kootenays in Fernie, B.C. SPA 901, a 6600 sq ft destination spa and wellness centre located inside 901 Fernie, a mountain resort and residences. It features Fernie’s only infrared saunas, five treatment rooms, a couples fireplace treatment room, co-ed and women-only fireplace relaxation lounges, outdoor hot pool, and men and women’s change rooms.

901 Fernie, by Parastone Developments, is a $30 million restoration of a 1908 schoolhouse, located in Fernie B.C.’s historic downtown. Parastone transformed the iconic building into condominium residences and vacation rentals complete with the spa and wellness centre.

With $2 million in restorations and construction, Spa 901 was designed 901 Fernie architects, the LeBlond Partnership, who also did the Solace Spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs. The spa and wellness centre is owned and operated by Shelly MacGregor, Fernie home owner and president of Apex Massage Therapy, who operates two wellness facilities and SpaGoes, a mobile spa in Calgary.

SPA 901 combines unique and traditional therapies and treatments including therapeutic massage in a variety of styles, aesthetician services and bath soak treatments. Spa 901 is the only true destination spa in the Kootenays. A spa and wellness facility like this in a mountain resort town like Fernie benefits the local community and helps attract tourists.

Access is through the main schoolhouse doors on 2nd Avenue, in Fernie, B.C. Fernie Central Reservations is now taking bookings for spa treatments and vacation rentals at:www.Spa901.ca/AppointmentRequest