February 10, 2003
Lifts/Runs
Lifts Open: 10/10
Runs open: 100/107
Snowfall
24 Hour: 0cm (0in)
48 Hour: 0cm (0in)
7 Day: 2cm (1in)
Year to date: 376cm (150in)
Snow Pack: 189cm (75in)
Text and Photos by Gerry George
What do you do when you have had a bad week at work and faced with a grey, cloudy weekend of skiing on hardpack because it hasn’t snowed for two weeks? You get the hell out of Dodge, that’s what you do.
This weekend I ventured out of the valley and headed east to Castle Mountain where it was rumoured to have snowed a foot in the past few days. I was somewhat skeptical because their snow pack is significantly less than Fernie’s and skiing powder covered rocks isn’t exactly what I was looking for.
 But I was pleasantly surprised at the conditions that I found. Sure, there were rocks everywhere and the groomed runs were boilerplate but my trusty guide Gord steered me in the right directions and I managed to get away with only a few gouges in my bases. Plus, the sun was shining and if you have never been to Castle, it is situated in an incredibly beautiful little valley. I left the camera in the van so you will have to take my word on it in that respect.
(Photo: February 9th 2002, FAR. Gerry George)
Castle would be a killer little mountain in a big dump as it has great fall line skiing and good steeps. It still has that small town family atmosphere surrounding it and everybody raves about what it isn’t. Fernie usually comes into the picture at this part of the conversation but I shrug it off as each area has its positives and negatives. It doesn’t matter where you go, everybody is always defensive about their little slice of heaven.
It was back to Fernie on Sunday and after talking to Alain at the Ski Base, I got sorta motivated to take out the ole carving board and rip up the groomers in the early morning. That didn’t last too long though as it is pretty darned solid and I was rather leery of laying it over too far for fear of serious carnage.
Pretty quite on the mountain. No, let me re-phrase that. Pretty dead on the mountain. I think there were more people at Castle yesterday.
On a positive note, there is a new terrain park at the top of Timber Bowl that is loaded with big hits, rails and banks. Nice to see it in an area where the snow remains mostly soft during the entire season.
Forecast is for sun and cloud. Doesn’t look like the high-pressure system that has BC in its lock is planning on moving away any time soon.
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