The Skiers' Guide to Fernie Alpine

Pretty good early season conditions. Love the hill it is always very quick line ups and not too busy on the slopes.

Friendly staff and skiiers.
Wide variety of runs & difficulty, including x-country paths.
Fernie’s specific location gets more powder than most other ski hills.
Lots of steep & deep!
Generally, short lift lines.

This resort is 5 minutes from my house, so I’ve seen it shine with day after day of champagne powder, and I’ve seen some awful days with rain to the top and mashed potato conditions. Fernie shines mid-week when the slopes are deserted and you get fresh lap after fresh lap. Off-piste is best in peak season when features have filled in. Conditions aren’t guaranteed to be great, but if you hit a 15+ cm day head to Currie Bowl for some mellow blue glades. The rope drop is usually after Anaconda Glades open (11-12ish).

I had a wonderful trip to Fernie. Felt lowkey as there was no one on the mountain, no lift lines and a local atmosphere all around.

The powder was top notch and we spent the majority of our trip in the trees, finding fun new lines.

Would return!

Five bowls. Each very unique. Great conditions, minimal lift lines and overall a first rate experience!

Great mountain....great skiing unfortunately when I went there was little snow but it was a bad snow year but still the mountain was definitely acoomodating

Fernie is the first rocky mountain resort ive been to and its my favourite! Best powder and the staff are great

I spent 7 days skiing in March, staying in a condo/hotel with a ten minute walk to the lifts and a sketchy ski back to the hotel. The snow conditions were mixed between frozen spring conditions and some softer snow in the shadows. The groomed sections were all in good condition in the morning and the lines were all short (less than 5 minutes, usually ski onto the lift). Then after an overnight 30 cm, the powder days that followed were amazing. The avalanche control moved across the bowls and mountain regularly opening new sections for that first track feeling. The grooming after the powder was played out made for some unbelievably good runs where you could confidently ski your fastest without worry about chunks of snow or uneven seams. All week long, the mountain crews worked to ensure that the mountain felt safe, the runs were smooth (or bumpy if that is your thing) and the people were able to get up the mountain easily.
The ski school staff were very helpful when I broke a pole and were able to get me a closely matched replacement from the lost and found and the waiters all made sure that lunch came quickly and beer was prompt.
The only times that there were long lines were the two mornings after the powder dump, even on the 30 CM day, the first lift had us to midstation within 45 minutes and after that, most lines were less than 15 minutes.
I am definitely looking forward to going back.

Awesome powder, quiet slopes, great terrain. Good vibes. The village is busy enough to keep you entertained in the evenings. The town is close by and adorable. Great family atmosphere, everyone seeemed super friendly

Great resort for advanced skiers and boarders who are looking for powder/off piste & bouncing through the trees. Ive skied mainly in Europe otherwise and the piste skiing is really limited compared to the average alpine resort. Crazy expensive lift passes & poor selection of food, albeit I am comparing to Europe, Im told this is fairly typical for North America

Variety of terrain is excellent.on site guide was an asset.. shuttle to town was well used. Residents very friendly and helpful. Slope side accommodations were excellent

Great offpiste. Tricky for beginners and some big cat tracks for the snow boarders to watch out for.
Be careful of out of bounds.

The experience was good, the snow is always amazing and theres lots of powder days. Some of the lifts are very slow and old and the parks are not great. But the all mountain skiing makes up for it. One of the best resorts in Canada. Definitely need more then 1 day to explore everything.

Love Fernie for the powder! The runs are long, there are many ski lifts so the wait times are less than 2 minutes. The mountains are very quiet. Cant wait to visit again.

Fernie is the only resort outside of Sunshine that I have been to but it was an unreal experience. More advanced terrain helped me get better at high speeds I loved the quiet runs tree runs and groomed runs AND the powder days are magnificent

Great of terrain skiing especially on the powder days. Good ski in-ski out accomodation but expensive ski tickets.

The powder bowls are next level. Its also a quiter hill which makes finding powder easy. Theres lots of advanced terrain for the best. Absolutely love this resort.

Its amazing, went over new years with sum buddys didnt get a lot of snow but from the wind everything was all filed in every day.

Gone to Fernie a few times over the years. The town is picturesque with some great coffee shops and places to eat. Ive always stayed in town and the drive to the hill is manageable and parking hasnt been an issue when Ive gone. Love that there is no gondola, lifts are fast and the runs are fantastic. Definitely would recommend, I think there is something for every level at Fernie.

Fernie is an all around great place to visit. The ski hill accommodates all skier levels and has a vast variety of environments. There are great accommodations right on the hill as well as in the town itself. The town of Fernie offers so much and its great to stroll up and down the main drag. No matter where you are skiing the views are incredible. Its a huge mountain with a small town feel.