It’s a snowy early winter morning at Fernie Alpine Resort. The temperature has risen from -20 to -2°C in the past 12 hours and another storm has dumped heavier snow on top of the metre of light powder that fell earlier in the week—a deadly combination.
“It’s turning out to be a pretty full-on day,” says Fernie Alpine Resort operations manager Robin Siggers.
Siggers’s crew has been setting avalanche charges around the mountain since dawn in an effort to open more terrain. The lift lines are busy and a group of skiers is amassing at the top of Currie Bowl, waiting for the patrol to lower the sign line and let them ski freshies.
Fernie is known for its legendary dumps of powder in five alpine bowls, but the volume of snow combined with steep terrain makes it hard for the avalanche crew and patrollers to keep pace with locals’ and weekenders’ insatiable demand for virgin tracks. It’s Siggers’s job to make sure the mountain opens safely for everyone.
“It’s an accomplishment for us to be able to offer any terrain,” says Siggers, who came to Fernie 36 years ago for the snow and hasn’t been disappointed.
Q: Tell me something people don’t know about Fernie.
Besides our 884 centimetres (29 feet) of annual snowfall, we have one of the largest avalanche programs in North America.
Q: Best time to ski here?
We have the full spectrum of weather here—everything from Pacific-coastal weather to cold arctic weather. Early season in December, we can have incredible snowfalls, but we’re still building a ski base, so mid-January on is best. But deep snow can happen anywhere from mid-November to the end of April.
Q: What are your favourite runs?
Easter Bowl [in Lizard Bowl] and the Snake Ridge area [in Cedar Bowl]. That’s generally where the snow is deepest.
Q: What’s your top pick for first run of the day?
Morning Glory [in Siberia Bowl] has great morning light, a good pitch and nice tree spacing. I know where to find the powder stashes.
Q: How many runs do you ski in a day?
Thirty runs from top to bottom, or 65,000 vertical feet.
Q: Any weird rituals that locals perform on the slopes?
The Mogul Smoker party. The guy who started the party invented the drink [basically, a café mocha with booze]. You build a giant bonfire and fuel up which keeps the myth alive and brings on snow. One year, by 7 a.m., it had snowed almost a metre.
Q: When the weather is too terrible to ski, what can visitors do?
There’s a nice pool in town. Or go for coffee at Freshies.
Q: How many days did you ski last year?
I ski most days, unless it’s terrible [pouring rain or -35°C].
Q: When you want to dine off-mountain, where do you go?
I start on the mountain at the Griz Bar. Everyone’s just sitting there, talking about their day—it’s a ski debrief. I usually just have a beer there and then I might move on to Yamagoya [sushi], which is always a favourite night out. And, if I was going to splurge, I wouldn’t put a limit on my sake intake.
Source: http://www.upmagazine.com/
