Living in Fernie, as in most small towns, life slows down to a relaxed pace. I had assumed that construction of the Peak Chair had adjusted to the local pace until I heard the big NOISE! The Russians had arrived, not the Mafia but rather a large Russian helicopter to install the Peak Chair towers.
Kootenay Influence Ep.1 Polar Peak Chair Installation from Dylan Siggers on Vimeo.
And with all this activity I asked the question of when the lift is scheduled to be operating. Just for the record it doesn’t matter to me. I’m here all year and when it opens I’ll ride it; next week, next month, doesn’t matter. What I’d lost perspective on is that Murray Edwards, Fernie ski hill owner, is investing a couple of million and strongly desires maximizing the potential return. So, I’m told they are working to have the lift operating by Christmas! WOW!
And what will this mean for Fernie? Well this list is huge and most importantly for you and I, the skiing and riding will be better! How much we’ll have to wait and see. If it’s anything like Whistler’s Peak Chair it will only be open a couple of day per week at most. Regardless of being open, 10 additional patrol have been hired and a new avalauncher has been installed at the top of the Bear Chair (in hope of avoiding blowing up the Peak Chair). This alone will improve the skiing as more patrol and a better avalauncher will mean more powder openings. And the effort of opening the Peak Chair will open way more terrain more often. The end result will be more powder, more often.
And when it is open it will draw crowds and open up lifts and terrain around the mountain improving everyone’s day, especially those who get to look around our Southern Rockies. Powder Matt has written that Banff’s mountains are visible. I know the Top of the World, Waterton, The Steeples and Mount Fisher are visible and the view is stunning.
Getting down off Polar Peak will be more stunning than the view for most. Polar Peak has been the staging area for the Extreme Competition (renamed Freeski) for the past decade. The ride up over the cliff bands will get heart rates going and the anxiety will climax on reaching the summit! The extra patrol will definitely be busy!
So when the lift opens won’t make any difference to my Scotch cabinet however to more that a few everything is riding on a Christmas opening!
So here are a few FAR images of the towers going in:
