If you are reading this article, you obviously have interest in Fernie – and if you decide to visit you’ll no doubt agree with the assessment that Fernie is one of the most beautiful places in the world. You will experience what makes Fernie so unique: a combination of breathtaking natural surroundings, the character of a real mountain town, and amazing access to recreation.

What also sets Fernie apart is the sense that as a community, our destiny has not yet been fully realized. Fernie is about to carve a truly different niche in the mountain resort market.

Two major resort players in Fernie – Island Lake Lodge and Blackstone – are pursuing plans of their own to help fulfill Fernie’s destiny as one of the world’s most desirable four-season recreation destinations.

Essential to realizing Fernie’s full potential is the growth of a summer market. Big international buzz was generated in 2003 when it was announced that a new Greg Norman-designed championship golf course, named Blackstone, would be developed in Fernie.

Since the announcement, the primary investors and managers of the project, Glenstal Group of Companies, have been working hard to clear any remaining hurtles so that the project can move forward. Recent announcements have gone a long way to clear the path for progress. But this won’t be a ‘rush job’ – Reto Barrington of Glenstal makes it clear that the developers have some iron-clad guiding principles when it comes to Blackstone.

“We are strongly committed to doing a project of very high quality,” says Barrington. “This will be a championship course – unlike any other in the area. When completed, this course could host a PGA tournament.”

Building a championship course will take time – the most optimistic view is about two summers. Because of Fernie’s short construction period, that could extend slightly, but Barrington is bullish on the long-term success of the development, which includes an already-approved 1484 residential units, including condominiums, townhouses, and single family dwellings with large lots.

Barrington believes that Fernie is “on the cusp of transitioning from its historic tourism profile to something dramatically different.” He also sees the wider community as essential to the success of Blackstone, because the vision for the development is “not retail development, but an authentic residential community.”

Two decades ago, the as-yet undeveloped Island Lake Lodge was in much the same position as Blackstone, although at that time, Fernie was a very different place. Fernie in the 1980’s was still very much a sleepy mountain town built by mining, one that only a select group of skiing fanatics knew as a powder paradise. Dan McDonald helped to change that in 1986, as one of the founders of the now legendary Island Lake Lodge.

Today, almost twenty years later, Island Lake is widely recognized as one of the best, if not the best, cat skiing operations in the world. Simply put, “There is nothing like it on the planet,” says McDonald.

Island Lake’s combination of spectacular backcountry terrain, famous Fernie powder and five-star accommodation and dining has resulted in long waiting lists and an international reputation for excellence. Not satisfied to rest on their laurels, the organization sees continued sustainable growth as integral to Island Lake’s future.

McDonald and his team spent this past summer conducting an inventory of land and looking into the potential for expansion into the terrain surrounding the current Island Lake area. McDonald is unable to give specifics, as they are still very much in the preliminary planning stages, however he confirms that the next steps will be discussions with appropriate regulatory and environmental bodies, as well as with the local community.

To fully realize both the potential of Island Lake and Fernie on the whole, McDonald believes that “we need more facilities, more amenities, and more terrain.” But Island Lake is a well known proponent of balance, specifically when it comes to the backcountry it operates in, and they plan on continuing their history of working in congruence with the community and the natural surroundings.

“We want to have the community involved,” he adds. “Over the next six months, we’re going to collect information and have a dialogue with various groups.”

In addition to developments locally, the expansion of the airport in Cranbrook, just an hour from Fernie, promises to significantly open up the Kootenay Rockies region to the world. The new Canadian Rockies International Airport will boast a 3000m runway, capable of facilitating direct flights from North America and limited European operations.

Fernie is extremely well positioned to become a mountain destination that attracts visitors in all seasons with its incredible potential for activities, its overwhelming natural beauty, and current and future amenities. At the same time, local businesses, community groups and leaders seem committed to building on and enhancing Fernie’s own unique qualities without imposing on them. That speaks volumes for Fernie’s future and for the future of its residents and visitors.

“I’m very positive on the area,” adds Dan McDonald. “My advice to readers? Invest money here.”