Top Five Fernie Slackcountry Experiences
by Ryland Nelson
Fernie Alpine Resort has some excellent skiing, but just outside the boundary ropes lie something even better. The slackcountry. What is slackcountry? A backcountry experience with lift assistance. But just because it is easier to access doesn’t mean it doesn’t carry with it the same risks as the real backcountry. It should never be accessed without the same training and gear.
Mongolia Ridge
This is the ridge on your right when skiing Falling Star in Siberia Bowl. Access it by cutting all the way across Falling Star from the top of Timber Chair. You can tour or hike up to the saddle and you can drop in anywhere in the trees and end up right back on Falling Star. You can also drop in away from the resort and will eventually end up on the lower cross country trail loop with an easy skate and glide back to the resort. Although it isn’t nearly as much fun as the trees that lead back to Falling Star.
Outer Mongolia
From the Saddle of Mongolia Ridge you can continue south, away from the resort, across Mongolia Bowl (note the avalanche paths you are crossing!) and up onto the next ridge. Here you can ski the trees back down into Mongolia Bowl and will eventually end up on the cross country loop back towards the resort.
Poppa’s Run
Accessed from the top of the Snake Ridge traverse, you drop under the ropes and away from the resort into Fish Bowl. Here you will find naturally gladed trees all the way to the bottom where a short hike will lead you back towards the Haul Back T-bar return road. Somehow there always seems to be more snow and of better quality here than the rest of the resort.
2000 Foot Ridge
The next ridge north past Snake Ridge on the far side of Fish Bowl. Accessed by skiing Poppa’s run to the bottom of Fish Bowl and skinning up the ridge on the other side. Play it safe by riding in the trees on the crest of the ridge. If your snow-pit is looking stable you can venture off to skiers right into the wide open. This run is heli-ski quality with top-notch fall line. But beware, this is a high-danger avalanche zone.
Cement Chutes AKA Cement Mixer
If you have toured up to the top of 2000 Foot Ridge you might have looked down this chute which drops into Fish Bowl from the top. There are multiple cliff bands and chutes to choose from, all of which run on different angles and cambers. The chutes converge in the middle to form the cement mixer. If you make it out alive you can easily ski down to the bottom of Fish Bowl and catch the trail back to the Haul Back.
NOTE: This is big-mountain extreme and only for the most expert of expert skiers. It has what I believe is the most deadly avalanche risk around, and if you were to get caught in a slide here you most likely wouldn’t make it out alive. It’s called the cement mixer for a good reason. So, if you aren’t an expert skier with expert avalanche training, you shouldn’t even think of going here.
Dylan Siggers, one of Fernie's up and coming artists both in film and video, kicked some butt on the Freeskiing World Tour this winter. Here's a glimpse of what he experienced in Kirkwood!
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Fernie Alpine Resort is regularly named one of the Top Ski Resorts in North America, and is home to over 29 feet of legendary powder each winter, the “Griz” and more. Fernie Alpine Resort is part of the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) Family. RCR...
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by Jenn Johnson and Keanna Webber
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"She finally came around at 29," said Rosemary. "I finally got it...
NAKISKA, Alta. -- Rosemary Brydon wasn't holding back.
Adorned in a wild red and white Canadian Maple Leaf hat decorated with tiny bells, and clanging her cowbell wildly, Brydon greeted her daughter Emily with a warm hug and then posed for pictures on Wednesday morning after her run in the GMC Canadian alpine skiing championships women's super-G.
For years, Emily said, jokingly, she was "mortified" by the vision of her cheering mother near the finish line, but now, finally she can't get enough of it.
"She finally came around at 29," said Rosemary. "I finally got it...
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Photo by Chad Chicilo
Fernie Alpine Resort has some excellent skiing, but just outside the boundary ropes lie something even better. The slackcountry. What is slackcountry? A backcountry experience with easier access. But just because it is easier doesn’t mean it doesn’t carry with it the same risks as the real backcountry. It should never be accessed without the same training and gear, and remember these areas are not controlled or patrolled.
Mongolia Ridge
This is the ridge on your right when skiing Falling Star in Sibera Bowl. Access it by cutting all the way across...
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