On Wednesday March 25, Fernie Alpine Resort held an impromptu press conference to help satisfy the peaked curiosities and settle the flying questions about the upcoming 1st Annual Fernival event.  Since the first event announcement, people have been mystified by SN-O-BAMA and where Spirit of the West fits into it all?   After much speculation about what it all could mean, Fernie Alpine Resort provides solid answers that hope to bring some calm to the Fernival fever that has taken aflame since the first mention of this new and enigmatic event.  And though the press conference drew in few, for the amazing snow at the resort kept everyone out skiing, the critical Q & A session was documented and goes as follows:

Q: What is Fernival and when is it?
A:  Fernival is the name of Fernie Alpine Resort’s brand new ANNUAL SPRING CELEBRATION.  The name is a play on “Fernie” with the word “festival”.  We wanted the name to not only reflect the wonderful resort location but also stand the test of time.  With the bonus weekend planned on Saturday April 18-19th, we thought it would be a climactic way to end the season with this festive event.

Q:  What is all this talk about “SN-O-BAMA” and skiing in jeans?
A:  SN-O-BAMA is the chosen theme for the 1st Annual Fernival event.  Again, the name is a play on words, putting “snow” together with “bama” which in urban lingo means: crazy, outrageous, and odd.  Though the name has a coincidental reference to a certain current political figure, let it be known that Fernie Alpine Resort has no plan to nationalize the ski industry nor campaign political views throughout Fernival.  Despite the connotation, we felt that it was no time to bail out on some good creativity and pushed forward with the theme believing that it truly describes the unique experience that Fernival promises to give.  Recognizing a need for change, we felt “SN-O-BAMA” was an original and deserving homage to SNOW.  And since “bama” has urban roots to mean slightly unstylish, we added in the throw-back reference to skiing in jeans taking this event back to the good ol’ times when we had fun and skied!  We encourage you all to wear your jeans and ski too – Yes, you can!  All in all, we knew the name would create some stimulus in the populations and we are glad that it got your attention.  Come and get SN-O-BAMA with us!

Q:  Is the real Spirit of the West playing or is this some kind of tribute band?
A:  Lo and behold, the real Spirit of the West will be donning us with their presence and providing their fantastic music at Fernival on April 18 in the Fernie Alpine Resort plaza.  Talk about standing the test of time, this Canadian band has lasted a quarter of a century in the music industry and are a proud inductee into the Western Canadian Music Association’s Hall of Fame.  We feel our guests deserve musical entertainment that promises spirit and tradition and so we bring you Canadian alt-rockers, Spirit of the West.  Join us in the plaza at 3:00pm-5:00pm on Saturday April 18 and let their foot-stomping blend of hard rock, britpop and celtic folk fire you up at Fernival.

Q:  Are there any other activities and fun to be had at Fernival?
A:  Our spring bash will keep you entertained from beginning to end with a live DJ spinning in the plaza, fun games and activities happening all afternoon, the amazing live music from Spirit of the West, and not to mention all the fun you will have skiing and riding.  Meet new friends or hang with the old ones.  Come on out and celebrate Fernival with us – this is an event you won’t want to miss!

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