The Fernie Factor is happening — and if you’ve been anywhere near the Lizard Range this past week, you can feel it. Eighty-three centimetres in six days. Blower pow stacking up lap after lap. And it hasn’t stopped.

Lakeman says 5 to 15 cm tonight. Maybe. But when these systems collide over the Lizard Range, numbers have a way of doubling while you sleep. I’ll say it: 25 feels right.

This is what the Fernie Factor does.

Moisture pushes east while Arctic air presses west out of Alberta, and when the two collide above the Lizard Range, they simply stay. The clouds don’t rush through — they stall, they rise, and they empty themselves directly over Fernie Alpine Resort. Town gets a taste, neighbouring hills get a share, but Fernie gets fed.

Kimberley Alpine Resort has seen 29 cm in seven days. That’s a good week almost anywhere else. Here? We’ve had 83 in six days — and counting.

That’s not marketing. That’s geography.

The feeling right now is simple: every line is open, and trees that felt tight last week now ski wide and inviting. Speed carries you from turn to turn, and face shots aren’t a bonus — they’re just part of the rhythm.

It’s that low-density snow that drifts sideways off your shoulders and fills your tracks for your next run. It’s the kind of week that quietly reminds you why you chose this valley in the first place.

This isn’t a one-off. This is a pattern. A system that locks in and refuses to leave.

That’s the Fernie Factor.

When the snow stacks like this, so does the responsibility.

Big storms add weight to weak layers. Deep new snow hides what’s underneath however it remains. The same conditions that make for legendary turns can create serious avalanche hazard beyond the ropes.

If you’re stepping into the backcountry, know what’s going on before you go. The daily bulletin from Avalanche Canada exists for a reason. Carry the gear. Use it properly. Give each other space in avalanche terrain. Choose lines that let you come back tomorrow.

Storm weeks are when discipline matters most.

Because the goal isn’t just deep days. It’s many more of them.

Why I Live Here

Because when moisture meets Arctic air and stalls over the Lizard Range, something special happens.

And when it’s firing like this, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Set the alarm, respect the snow, and remember — the Fernie Factor isn’t finished yet.

ds