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I thought I had had a bad year, but on thursday the s**t really hit the fan and my world came crashing down around my ears. Not really what you need two days before Christmas. I was about to cancel my Christmas dinner invitation to a friend’s house, as I really wasn’t feeling very festive and was dealing with more than my share of holiday woes.

I read your post with the advice from Dr Phil (gotta love the big baldy bloke) and laughed so hard I cried. There’s nothing like literal interpretation!!!

Thank you for keeping me smiling over what could easily be my worst Christmas ever. I don’t think I will need to consume my stash of duty free any more, although the family size chocolate bar may get a nibble!

May your (and everyone else’s) Festive season be peaceful, happy and filled with the kind of gifts that don’t come in a box.

Seasons greetings xxx

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Tell me all your thoughts on God, coz I’d really like to meet her….

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Does anyone have anything nice to say about this guy? Someone must go there, if he’s still open…

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Dude, you got too much time on your hands! Thats okay tho, I don’t have enough and you’re keeping me amused at work!

As for the big hairy beast (and I don’t mean Troy Cook) he’s definately a little wiggy lately. -28 then rain? I’d have my own mogul smoker to atone for last weekends bastardization, but I’m afraid I’d slip on the ice and hurt my bum. And then what would I slide down the ski hill on?

So where can we check out your stand up act???

I heard if you hang around dumpsters all night you get…………..

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……..

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really cold, and a bit stinky!!!!

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I didn’t mean to imply in any way that people can’t afford to live here, or that we would give it up because the cost of living has gone up – only that it has become much more difficult. The cost of housing has risen astronomically in the past five years, mainly due to non residents seeing Fernie as an ideal second home location. I know that some people have left in protest, but I (like most people) would prefer to pay a little more to live in paradise than to save cash by living in Calgary, or like Erica on another thread, in Coleman, and only get to enjoy Fernie once a month.

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Dear Flames
You last post made me sad and frustrated. Don’t know if you managed to look around the last time you were in Fernie, but local businesses are struggling. Lately we have had a small surge in businesses starting up, so hopefully we will see the town begin to thrive again.
Fernie needs your visitor dollars as well as those from the US and futher afield. This does not make you a cash cow – it’s just how tourism works. We provide services which generally people are happy to pay a high price for, because they can’t get that service where they live. (it’s why people go away on holiday) Locals get said service at a discounted rate because they are here providing the service and can’t afford the top rates because salaries are lower.
On a similar note, Fernie-ites spend a lot of cash in Calgary on items that we simply cannot get here, such as technology (computers etc) and furniture. Calgary is also our major airport, so we support that too. Are we your cash cow in terms of consumer goods and international transportation? I know you pay the same price as us for items you purchase there, but you don’t have a round trip of 7 hours to get them, and you do save the PST – we are supposed to come back to BC and pay the PST here, if the item is for a business.
It is interesting that you will come to Fernie and utilise the facilities at the ski hill, owned by RCR, who have their head office in Calgary, but avoid using facilities provided by so many hard working locals. These people can barely afford to live here any more because most of the houses are being bought up for second homes by people who don’t live here – (many from Calgary). The earning potential in the city is such that locals struggle to compete in the housing market. People have to live here to provide this mountain playground that you love so much, but on minimum wage, is it not fair that they get a deal on some of the fees? Perhaps you would prefer that there was no town at all, simply free wilderness for you to fish and hike to your hearts content. But then who would pay the taxes to provide the roads for you to get here, the hospitals to fix you when you fall off a cliff, the stores for you to get the milk you forgot to bring, or the auto-parts store for the spare bulb when your headlight blows?
I don’t fish, but I agree with the permit fees if it protects the river so that there will always be fish in it. I believe everybody should get a break when it comes to being able to play in their back yard, so I think it’s okay that locals get to pay less to fish the Elk.
If you are worried about discrimination, then try not to give us something to discriminate against. If you come here and stomp all over our pristine landscape, but refuse to help support the structure that keeps it pristine, then expect plenty of discrimination – it’s arrogance, pollution and stupidity we hate here, not Albertans – or is that the same thing?

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It has snowed all day today, that’s good enough for me. As for the forecast, since when has that ever been right? I’m just glad it’s not -22 any more!

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Any facility is an asset, an outdoor skating rink would be fantastic in Fernie. I am sure it would get a lot of support, however with the humungous amounts of snow that fall here (bring it on Griz baby!!!) I am sure there would be a hefty maintainance bill to take care of. I know the City are trying to find suitable uses for their surplus dollars, so I think this would be a great time to suggest it to them.

As for public skating, Fernie Leisure Services prints a whole booklet of timetables for the Aquatic Centre, Arena, Arts Station and other events. I know you can get them from the Aquatic Centre, and probably also from the City as well as the other venues.

At the Arena there’s public skating on Wednesday evening and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons throught the holidays. There’s also Shinny Mon-Fri for various agegroups and Parent and Tot skating on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Happy skating!

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[size=150:bl5etavd][b:bl5etavd]FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS SNOWY – TAKE A HINT AND CHANGE THE DAMN NAME!!!![/b:bl5etavd][/size:bl5etavd]

Jen – ohmygod, are you trying to commit verbal suicide or are you really that dumb?
1. Have you heard of something known as customer relations? You havn’t even had the event yet, and you’re already giving your potential guests a hard time? Brain capacity of a snowflake? That’s what you think of the folk who believe in one of the oldest traditions in Fernie?
2.Nobody is saying what you are doing is a bad thing, except for maybe your neighbour there with the sled dogs, and I gotta say he does have a point. Having an all night rave in a residential area full of domestic animals may not be the brightest idea, particularly if your chosen charity is the SPCA.
3.If you are starting a new tradition, why did you steal an old name instead of coming up with your own? And what ideas and concepts exactly? Getting pissed and keeping up the neighbourhood? Hell, I’ve done that plenty of times and it don’t take much brainstorming to make it happen! And if you’re talking about the fundraising, that’s hardly new either, and there’s plenty of worthy charities in Fernie.
4.Multicultural means a lot more than coming from different countries (especially if the ones noted all pretty much have the same lifestyle and, dare I say it, …culture…) – but I’m not about to get into a race war.
5.I actually thought what you guys were doing was okay in itself, if only you would stop trying to make it something it wasn’t. Now I’m not so sure – “just cough up your f***g $15” etc, really isn’t the Fernie attitude I know and love…I am involved in several local charity events and I don’t think that’s a phrase I would use…

And I’m still waiting for someone to tell me what your replacement to burning skis will be (ie, the whole point of the mogul smoker…)

Good luck with your party, I hope every one has a great time, and I hope you can forgive a few concerned citizens who just want to preserve a memeto of the old Fernie, and encourage people to start NEW traditions instead of stealing old ones…

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This is actually getting kinda fun – it’s great to see Fernie-ites getting excited about something!
Sorry Marko, but Whiteroom has a point. How can you call it a Mogul Smoker if it bears absolutely no resemblance to a Mogul Smoker, other than the fact that nobody knows where it is? If you have to pay, there are real bands, there’s beer, you can’t burn skis, and ohmygod the famous brew will actually be drinkable – then it’s just not the same thing! It does sound like it will be a great night, but call it what it is and not what it isn’t!
Anywhere else this would be know as a rave – now, while I would be the last one to encourage a rave in Fernie, perhaps we could start a competition for the best new name? Raver? Ravie? Gi’ver nite?
Also Marko, the point of the Mogul Smoker was to appease the Griz, and this was done by burning skis. If you plan to discourage this, what is your alternative Griz-pleasing sacrifice? I am sure you have come up with something, as nobody wants to piss off the Griz!!

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FACT: (in my opinion!) Fernie is the best ski hill in North America, it has the best slopes, best snow loveliest people and best views (okay, maybe not best views but pretty damn impressive)
FACT: (in everyone,s opinion) RCR suck and they deserve all the bashing they get. They have already gone bust once, which is why the hill is now owned by an oil baron, not the guy from before who knew about pretty much nothing (and I dont mean Heiko) and definately not someone who knows about skiing.
FACT: (from world example) “Letters to your MSP” (the hill/RCR) do not work – public action works, and only when their figures are down (and they will be) will the actually pay any attention to us.
Pain is gain – it might hurt, but we have to do something.
Happy skiing wherever you do it!!,

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Marko, good luck with your party, the only mistake was that you should have called it Mogul Smoker II or Mogul Smoker for the twenty first century and then everybody would have been happy – parties are a good thing!
If anyone is having a real mogul smoker I;d love to come. A true mogul smoker cannot involve money, its just bad karma and very uncool to piss off the griz. Powder here we come!!!
Happy skiing all!

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Well put.

After last year, FAR needed to encourage as many people as possible to come back, not make it harder. We are now more expensive than Whistler…go figure. Yeah, as locals we know that we are better than Whistler, but how do we convince the punters when they are booking? The seriously lower number of seasonals that are here so far says a lot…homeowners are dropping rents, businesses can’t find staff, accommodators are all down on bookings (I have spoken directly to at least six, including two highway motels, One of the bigger accommodators on the hill (not FAR), and several B&B owners).

I chose not to buy a season pass this year, as I object to the reduction in days on the midweek pass. I would have been okay with a slight increase in price, that’s normal, but don’t give me less product than before. I will buy a Louise card, because I can’t cope with the idea of no skiing, expecially when I live on the best mountain in Canada, but I will use it for 7 days and then throw it in the garbage, and any other days I ski will be on donated snow checks. I know of several other people who are doing the same…

This is hurting the entire town. Would love to hear a FAR mgmt view on this, if any of you are reading…

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