Outdoors
Fernie Ski Patrol News by Steve Ruskay
From frost bitten cheeks, to soggy snow pants. From perfect grooming, to waist deep powder. The past few weeks have been a wild ride!
Love is in the Air
Our cold and snowiest month seems an unlikely time of year for hot and steamy romance. After all what is sexier than long underwear, runny noses, thick beards, chapped lips and frost bitten cheeks? February is the courting season of an unlikely resident with the devilish nickname ‘’tiger of the air’.
Mike Moore, Endurance Runner
I didn’t really start running until I moved to Fernie nine years ago and the main reason I started was to help me quit smoking. I was always athletic and reasonably fit but had smoked for five years before I accepted the fact that it was killing me. Quitting was not an easy task, so to fight off the cravings I would go for a run. It was horrible and made me realize just how bad smoking had been for me. As it got easier and easier, I became more fit and started to enjoy running.
Fernie's FAST Growing Alpine Presence
Growing up in Edmonton, AB, I never really had the terrain around me to become a world class skier, that and the fact that I probably only skied a handful of times until I moved to Banff at age 22. However, being a self proclaimed sports nerd one might have guessed I am a huge ski racing fan. Ski racing holds a special place in my heart as I spent seven years working at Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA), which is the governing organization for the Canadian National Ski Team and ski racing throughout Canada.
News From Fernie Alpine Resort by Steve Ruskay
Getting Good Grades!
Turn Over a New Needle
It is the beginning of 2011 and I want to introduce you to our arboreal companions all around Fernie. It will require you to get outside on snowshoes, snowboard or skis of any description (boots are also okay) and you must be prepared to use all of your senses. I recommend you turn over this new leaf or needle by first shaking hands.
Angie Bryans - Mountain biker
If you’ve ever competed in a local race you know Angie Bryans…. And that while she may be petite she packs a punch! At 34 years old Angie has returned to Fernie with more enthusiasm, energy, goals and experience. This impressive athlete and physiology enthusiast boasts a degree in kinesiology, masters in kinesiology and most recently completed a physiotherapy program.
Curling - An Awesome Canadian Sport
Canada is a dominant curling nation. Olympic gold and silver medals were won by our men’s and ladies’ teams respectively on home soil last February. The Canadian men currently sit atop the World Curling Federation standings and our women are second. There are approximately 1000 Canadian Curling Association member clubs across the nation and yet in a winter sport dominated town I found too few people with much knowledge or interest in such a great Canadian sport.
News From Fernie Alpine Resort by Steve Ruskay
As our bikes, paddles and golf clubs slowly start making their way to the depths of our storage space, the epic task of uncovering from the holds that long forgotten ski and snowboard gear arises. This seasonal tradition, marked by fond summer memories, is short lived due to the mounting excitement of seeing the first glimpse of snow covered mountain peaks. The Griz has spoken, and another winter is here! To quote the great ski movie Aspen Extreme, "Another season in Paradise... Open the mountain!"
Dreaming of a White (And Green) Christmas
My vision of Christmas in Fernie is an apparition of white and green. More than a manifestation of colour, Christmas is a tradition steeped in images, sounds and mixed emotions. The cold clarity of virgin snow can purify our thoughts and transform our thinking to live more in harmony with nature.
Mackensey Young - Alpine Ski Racer
Fernie is home to one of Canada’s most successful Alpine Ski Racing Clubs – the Fernie Alpine Ski Team, or FAST. This club draws not only local ski enthusiasts in Southeastern British Columbia, but Southern Alberta as well. Over the last 17 year the club has grown from approximately 30 kids to more than 200, impressive to say the least. Rod Timm has been head coach during this time and actually won the Jason Lapierre Memorial Domestic Coach of the Year award at Alpine Canada’s 2010 Awards of Excellence.
Old and New School Boxing
When I first decided to write a sports column for the Fix I contacted many Fernie sports clubs and quickly learned Fernie was more than just skiing and mountain biking - much, much more. In fact there are so many sports clubs in Fernie, ranging from figure skating and dancing to curling, hockey and even arm wrestling, that there was no way I could write one article to cover them all. Each club is unique and has a special caliber of athletes with their own stories. I look forward to exploring all of them and sharing what I learn with you.
Underwater Creatures, Cool Measures of Quality
Water in the Elk River will never look the same to me. Under that glassy clear surface are cool critters. Without a backbone, large enough to see with the naked eye, these larval stage insects live in this watery world for weeks, years or for their entire life.
Last month I mucked about in an urban creek taking Streamkeepers training. Amongst the discarded bicycles wedged in river sediment and rusting shovelheads were wriggling, crawling creatures on the rocks, floating in the water and trapped in the river gravels.
Racers' Corner - Caleb Brown, Free Skier
Racers’ Corner is back, and this time with athletes pursuing winter athletic endeavors. Caleb Brown is our first featured racer and our youngest to date. He’s currently climbing the ranks among free skiers and making a name for himself on the circuit, and caught our eyes last year after having a stellar year.
Local Hockey - The Ghostriders
Most people come to Fernie for the snow. With an average snowfall of almost 30 feet a year one could see why. The population can double in size in the winter with eager skiers and boarders from various parts of the world, and they all come to experience Fernie pow. What they also find while here are some of Fernie’s other hidden treasures; warm friendly people, amazing restaurants, great local watering holes, jobs that let you come to work late when it snows...and one of Fernie’s greatest treasures the Fernie Ghostriders.