Fernie Alpine Resort

Nice smaller resort. I stayed slope side at the Slope Side Lodge. About 200 steps and your putting on your skis and pushing to a chair lift. The day of arrival it was clear. The next day the mountain was mostly cloud covered with occasional sun breaks. All types of skiers can find fun runs and off trail stuff. Conditions always change so it's up to the skiers to decide what's best for them. I will be going back.

Great hill. Lots of terrain to explore, great when there’s fresh snow, keep driving north if not, polar peak chair is almost never open, same with the Currie headwall. Not a lot of expert terrain, most of the hill is relatively mellow. But still a great time, awkward lift layout that can lead to lots of traversing if you don’t know your way around.

Good resort with a wide variety of terrain and "nature runs" that slice right through the bigger runs. Was anticipating powder up the lizard bowl being one of my favorites, but the conditions were unfortunately poor, and alot of lower mountain runs were quite withered as a result of the warmer conditions. Nevertheless, Fernie is great for all skill levels, and I would recommend it.

If you’re chasing authentic Canadian skiing, Fernie Alpine Resort delivers in spades. This mountain has a reputation—and it earns it. Wide-open bowls, perfectly spaced glades, steep technical lines, and terrain that genuinely caters to every level without feeling generic. It’s the kind of place where you can push yourself, get lost (in a good way), and finish the day feeling like you’ve actually skied a mountain, not just cruised runs. When the snow is on, it’s on. Fernie is famous for its deep, reliable powder, and from everything I’ve heard (and glimpsed), those legendary storm cycles transform this place into something truly world-class. Locals and regulars speak about it with a kind of reverence—and you can see why. What really stands out is the atmosphere. It’s refreshingly unpretentious. No excessive hype, no overcrowded glamour—just a genuine ski culture, friendly people, and a laid-back vibe that lets the mountain do the talking. Lift lines were generally manageable, terrain felt uncrowded, and you actually get space to ski, which is becoming rare. The natural setting is spectacular. Five alpine bowls, dramatic ridgelines, and endless tree runs make every direction you look feel like a postcard. Now, the honest part—timing is everything. I managed to arrive during what many locals were calling one of the worst seasons in nearly 20 years. Despite that, there was still snow on the mountain, which says a lot about Fernie’s baseline conditions. However, it didn’t quite make it all the way down to the village, which made those final runs back a little patchy and technical in places. Even in a “bad” year, though, there was still plenty to explore—and enough to understand just how incredible this place must be when it’s firing properly. All things considered, Fernie feels like the real deal. A mountain with character, depth, and serious upside. I’d come back in a heartbeat—next time, hopefully with one of those legendary powder dumps.

What a beautiful resort, peaceful, the house here is well equipped with everything you need to enjoy. Hot tub, BBQ, log fire, fast internet, perfect temperature indoors. The view outside at the moment is beautiful pine trees the smell of these trees hits you when you first arrive. Fernie is a beautiful quaint little town, with plenty of options for dinning. Good shopping, great supermarkets with good range.

What a day of skiing at this resort. Everything worked well and it was really great skiing with a world class view.

Old infrastructure the grooming is hit or miss however when its good the grooming is great. The lifts are slow and the hill managment makes the place feel like its only purpose is to extract every dollar they can from their guests. The terrain on the other hand is amazing when the conditions are on they are truly hard to beat. However theres the rain, so watch the weather forecast and use historical weather info as a guideline.

Good experience, but extremely pricey. 200$ lift ticket for adult/ day. However, I did love the mountain and all the staff I encountered were awesome.

This place is absolutely stunning! It gives off Banff vibes but without the crowds. The food at the Legends was delicious (I had the plant-based nuggets and my partner had the cheeseburger.) The staff were kind and the views were unbelievable!! If you can mountain bike or hike, definitely do it because it's amazing!

Great people, fresh squeaky snow, activities for all ages and ability levels. Bus into town so don't need your car. We will be back.

For my first excursion to the Rockies from the Ice Coast I was met with seriously challenging terrain, steeps, bumps and deep stuff. You can very quickly locate the upper end of your abilities here without much effort. I also had a great time ripping groomers in the Lizard Bowl and we got a nice fresh dusting of new snow on my last day - I caught first chair and got some of the best early turns I've ever experienced. World class - there really is something for everyone here and the friendly locals are happy to share their favorites. Also, the food in both base area restaurants is quite good. Miles ahead of the crap we serve in the east.

Fernie is a great resort that I've wanted to see for a very long time. The terrain is made up of a set of bowls that are separated by steep ridges. When the snow falls here there are long open and gladed powder runs in the bowls and steep, extreme chutes off of the ridge spines. We arrived to a heavy rainstorm (this has been happening due to heavy Pacific jetstream flow this year) that fortunately was followed by three nights of snowfall that were 15-20 cm each. So, we got to see it and ski it in bad (icy) to very good conditions. The things Fernie has and does well are: Expansive terrain Something for everyone Local vibe Steep & Deep Customer friendly The resort markets five bowls of skiing that I would say is more like 4 or 4-1/2. Semantics aside, we spent our time primarily in Currie, Lizard and Cedar bowls. The Timber bowl had some good skiing but we found our favorite trails led us to the base area. We only rode the Polar Peak chair a few times on the first day when it was the only place that had decent snow. Once the storms came, this lift was closed due to poor visibility. In Currie, we traversed under the Polar Peak chair to Tom's Run. We were mostly alone over here as there is plenty of challenging terrain if you continue your traverse. Overall, this was our favorite powder stash. To get from Currie to Lizard (or vice versa) find the connecting trails - the upper terrain is too steep for most people to ski(but I was told that some do when it's open). The connecting trails take you to either Great Bear or Timber chairs. In Lizard, another traverse to Easter East which requires a small climb to get into the trees and then to an open steep with an excellent fall line. In Cedar, we got lucky as the ski patrol had just opened the Snake Ridge. Unlike most skiers and riders, we did not go over to the chute but instead led a group of Swedes into the Snake Glade area that feeds the chute. Also, in Cedar we found that some of the best snow was on the groomed section that is basically a solid but very long blue run. There are three ways out of Cedar Bowl: - Ski / skate to the base lodge area - T-Bar to Boomerang chair - Cat track through the T-bar to Boomerang chair (we preferred this) The resort has a modest sized base lodge area with a blend of old and new facilities. The parking reminds me of California where people change boots at the car and carry their equipment to the base area. Instead, we used the drop off and changed boots in the Griz Lodge. I do not like walking in ski boots in muddy and icy areas. The RCR host staff were very helpful to visitors like us. On day one, they directed us for drop-off, parking and locker room. On day two, a man carried Mrs G's boot bag 100 meters to the locker room while I parked. It was very nice of him and I assure you she is a very capable lady who regularly carries two boot bags! We met several local people and visitors mostly from Calgary. It is a longer drive from Calgary to Fernie than it is to go to the Banff resorts. Having been to Lake Louise and Sunshine, I would also make the same choice if I were a Calgarian. The Banff resorts are nice but I'd rather be in Fernie. The scenery is the typical BC absolutely amazingly beautiful like most other ski areas. One of my photos is taken from our hotel and the bowl layout is pretty easy to see. We stayed in town which is about ten minutes away by car or shuttle. Food options in Fernie are limited but expanding as this area becomes more popular. There are some lodging options at the mountain as well.

In April 2019 all students received a farewell email supplied with a video link from our Fernie host, extremely thoughtful of her to ensure we don't lose our memories of Fernie, how nice! I found the best part of the video was the camera rolling - Fernie ski instructor pants down while hand standing on a beer barrel (like some level 4 yoga pose with drinking in mind)- Drink Drink Drink!!!! Being over 40 and brought up on the other side of the world (Hong Kong), I mistakenly thought this heavy drinking culture leading to sexual intimacy gossip within students and instructor was wrong and silly me to raise a complaint to the most senior CSIA Fernie ski examiner / instructor Mr Jen Mende from Fernie Ski School. Mr Mende had a smart appearance of 5ft maybe weighting 8.5 stone with the good look of full cover of pepper hair, that you won't see in most British men, he represented a trusting figure of a senior ski instructor in Fernie ski resort perhaps since the mid 50's! After weeks of my 'silly' complaint acting like a 2019 woman power idiot, no doubt Mr Mende did the right thing to ignore me, Mr Mende kept his cool with a professional mind, he took up the position as my examiner and failed my exam, although I received zero warning during my whole 5 weeks training. I have to thank Mr Mende for his level headed judgement, giving me the opportunity to know I am the only woman at the bottom level out of 50 students at the last minute. Just to tie up everything nicely as it always does in Fernie, the exam result happened to be given to students at 6pm on the same day when Fernie Tourism got in contact on behalf of my complaint the same morning- matter ended. Here I am back in UK after taking myself out of work for 6 weeks and spending god knows how many Canada dollars to be taught by the finest CSIA Fernie Ski Instructors, my skiing clearly is still as shit as it was 6 weeks ago!! I won't dare to waste these professional Fernie ski instructors time until I master the high level of alcohol consumption on my liver and have a desire of secret love making with strangers before I knock on Fernie Ski Resort door again. Big Thank You to RCR Fernie Ski Resort for the priceless experience of an unlimited ride back to the 80's without a time machine.

Mountain is fantastic. If you like steep extreme terrain like me this place rocks. Would be 5 star but base area lodge is basic and food is below average.

We were looking forward to amazing dry powder at Fernie, but mother nature did not provide the white stuff. Instead, we skiing on snow similar to the Cascade Concrete we have at our local ski mountains near Seattle. The resort did not receive any fresh snow in the week prior to our arrival in mid-February. Otherwise, the resort was nice enough. There's lots of terrain, but some can only be accessed via the Timber Bowl Express Chair which entails a very long ride from the base of the mountain to the top of Timber Bowl and Sierra Bowl. Perhaps this could be replaced with a gondola someday?

Went here in the summer to do some hiking. Really nice groomed trails. Beautiful scenery.

I recently visited Fernie for my third time (i.e., three trips, with multiple days of skiing/snowboarding each trip). This year we were incredibly lucky as Fernie was being decimated with snow, so the conditions were absolutely unbelievable. Fernie has a reputation as having some of the consistently best snow in BC. I would say that Fernie ranks second in my list of places places to ski in Canada, right behind Revelstoke. The mountain isn't as high tech as Whistler, Lake Louise or Sunshine, but that's part of the charm. Also the town of Fernie is pretty cool and is actually a real place, unlike the various Intrawest villages of the ski world or Banff. The three and a half hour drive from Calgary is totally worth it. The only down side is that it's owned by RCR which means that the prices have gotten out of hand. A one day lift ticket is $85 and you don't save anything buying multi-day tickets.

When it comes to deep snow and massive amounts of terrain on a world class scale, Fernie has got you covered. With breathtaking bowl after breathtaking bowl across the mountain ridge line, you could make Fernie Alpine your main vacation destination. Some Pro Tips: While staying hillside and skiing to your condo is a very romantic thought... there sure isn't much to do. If you're looking for any nightlife or dining you'll have to head to town about 10 minutes down the road. It's not a bad distance, I just find it easier to make that 10 minute trip after a day of skiing, instead of a night of drinking. You'll have to talk one of your mates into DD'ing or take a cab both ways, neither of which are the most fun. While the hot tub closes at 10pm and there's no drinking permitted... both those rules seems to be a little flexible, granted you're not being a total D-Bag about it. Be an adult. Don't bring glass. Don't be obnoxious. If you want to relax in the tub and have a few beers after hours, they'll come around to shut it down eventually, but have never been to sticky on the 10pm closure time. Bliss.

No, I haven't traveled all over the world and skiied everywhere. But of all the places I've been (Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Vail, Mt. Hood), Ferie takes the cake when it comes to quality of snow. My boyfriend's family lives in Sparwood just 30 minutes or so away from here so when we came to visit for the holidays, it was a no brainer to haul our ski gear up here from California and log a couple days in. For my fellow Yankees that are familiar with American Rockies snow--it's different in Canada! And by different, I mean better. Because it never (rarely) gets above freezing, the snow never melts and remains airy and fluffy for DAYS after the last snow dump. It hadn't snowed for a week by the time I got up there and my boyfriend and I were still finding powder staches here and there. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. No, it's not the largest and most developed ski resort ever, but I feel honoured to have seen it in this stage of development. I imagine several years down the road, it will morph into a second Banff of sorts.

Love it. Snows great in the winter most of the time. Summer is quieter, but outdoor activities are plenty, and lots of nice coffee shops for late morning starts. Mtn biking is great for the weekend warrior like myself. Can work as easy or hard as you want to get to the trails, and have as much fun or fear as floats your boat. A few swimming lakes within 1/2 hour drive. Has this old growth forest thats surprisingly big for interior BC.

Fernie is the one destination ski area in the Canadian Rockies where you will rarely find a mediocre day (it is either great or you'll wish you never bothered). Great comes in the form of abundant precipitation, excellent terrain, great glades when things get opaque, and a generally relaxed atmosphere. The drawbacks come in the form of rain rather than snow, frequent bowl closures (due to very real inbounds avalanche hazard), the occasional 20+ minute lift line up, and an ownership group that doesn't mind cutting costs at the expense of customer service. If I were to make suggestions to those considering venturing forth it would be to look for the following: -the official website provides distorted information at best. Their snow plot is high up on the mountain, so they can claim high quantities of snow at this level but that doesn't always convert into snow further down the hill. Check the webcams instead. If you see green on the trees (unless late March/early April) best to stay away. -as a general rule the snow comes in frontal system form which means that dumps of significance tend to be the real deal (12" overnight is not uncommon) but you have to beware of the fact that any time you get big snow there will be large areas in bounds that will be closed. Unfortunately the closures are the best skiing areas (Currie Bowl and Redtree). -When it does start coming down don't be on the roads in or out of town or you'll be on the roads for a long time. The highway department does a decent job but you'll be much happier to find a room for an extra night (and ski an extra day) rather than snail-ing back to the border or trying to get to Calgary's airport. -a base of 220 cm's or more and the mountain actually changes. Way more terrain becomes available, and you can be assured that with a little effort you will be feeling like you found all the benefits of 'remoteness' without having to carry a shovel and transceiver. I won't wax on about how good it is when it is good. Suffice it to say that I can count at least 50 days in the past 20 years when the best Cat skiing and Heli-skiing (both of which I've had the pleasure) were no better.

By far one of the best resorts in BC for the quality and amount of Snow and the variety of terrain offered. Fernie alpine resort is located just out of Fernie,BC and is part of the powder highway. I visited this resort twice in Winter 2013 and I found even on weekend it was a little busy but not overly busy despite the fact it was a powder day on closing weekend. There are a lot of different areas at this resort and plenty of different terrain for all levels of skiers from beginners and tree runs designed for little kiddies to backcountry bowls that look pretty scary from the bottom. This resort gets plenty of snow but there were a few runs that were terribly icy even under 20cms of powder and there are a lot of areas you can end up hiking up because it impossible to get out/across. Also at one point we were stuck with many other people in an area that was just rocks and trees with no signage blocking this area off and continously throughout the day we saw more and more people going into this majorly hazardous area so patrol could be better at marking this. There are just a few dining options at the base and on mountain but overall the staff are friendly and helpful. The reason I give it 4 stars is that it is a fairly expensive lift ticket ($80 plus 12%hst-second only to Whistler) and we had an incident with RCR cards that took a few visits to solve. Great resort for the hardcore and the beginner and one of my favorite resorts in BC.

Resorts of the canadian rockies or RCR as they are often known operate Fernie, as well as some other canadian ski resorts. RCR offers poor customer service and completely ripped me off. I purchased a ISKI discount pass directly from their HQ in Calgary, was required to activate the card online but when I did so, their website would not let me. I emailed them asking for help only to have a person named Erin reply four days later and conveniently the day following the season closure of the resort telling me the card is now expired and non refundable. Such poor service is inexcusable fraud since I am out what paid fo the ISKI card and received nothing in return. Deal with them and their resorts (Fernie, Kimbeley, Nakiska or Kicking horse) at your own peril knowing that if you have a problem, their customer service will give you the run around and rip you off. As for me, B.C. is spoiled for choice as far as other ski resorts go. As well, Whitefish Mountain Resort, MT is not that far from Fernie and offers significantly better service, skiing and all round value. Value and experience on the hill is poor, it's expensive to ski there but they do often have great powder and long ski season. Fernie as a town is a sleeper as far as action goes.

Fernie Alpine Resort states that it has the Best Snow in British Columbia....you know what...they are probably right. We had a great ski trip. We checked out a Blog called Powder Matt's Blog- http://www.skircr.com/matts-blog for interesting information and updates on Fernie Alpine Resort. We stayed slopeside on a lower budget lodge called the Wolf's Den (no frills) and also checked out First Tracks- what a deal- ski one hour before public loads lifts- we had our own private powder without the cost of Heli or Cat Skiing. The terrain is incredible here with 5 huge Alpine Bowls so make sure to take time to hook up with a local to explore the mountain.