I woke up this morning with my windows shaking from the avalanche bombing at the ski hill. My first thought was, “Yeah – opening day and there’s powder!” How fortunate we are that in Fernie, bombs symbolize fun.
Michael Downy, a vlogger that focuses on the unique people and equipment behind the scenes that make our world so incredible, captured the essence of the bombing.
This moring Fernie Alpine Resort took him behind the scenes to see how they use their Avalanche control equipment, including the Avalauncher; the cannon that fires 1kg explosives to blast the mountain side.
Michael comments, “Avalanche bombing with the Fernie Alpine Resort Ski Patrol is something they take very seriously, but I’m glad they let us behind-the-scenes to watch them work.
Avalanches can happen in the skiable area, so it is up to the Ski Patrol to ensure they don’t happen while the mountain is open to the public.”
Fernie had 10cms overnight and 20cms in the past 48hrs which made for a nice opening day. Early season conditions persist with many hazards however, the snow is nice. As I write this it’s snowing and with any luck, my windows will shake again tomorrow morning!
