Fernie Wilderness Adventures: Even in a drought year FWA delivers the goodsView Comments

I get excited before any ski trip, really excited.   The closest thing I could compare it too is how a child feels in the weeks leading up to Christmas, knowing that he is on the “nice list”.  Except instead of checking under the tree for presents every morning, I find myself checking snow reports and weather forecasts of my destination on a daily basis.  And when the ski trip promises fresh powder turns at a top rated cat-skiing operation, the anticipation is almost unbearable.  This was the case last February as my good friend Bill and I had booked a trip to British Columbia to experience Fernie Wilderness Adventures (FWA).

On previous trips to interior BC, I’ve always been impressed with the fantastic snow, great terrain variation, and spectacular scenery; so obviously I couldn’t wait to get back there.  However, in January while compulsively checking the snow totals, something wasn’t right.  I kept seeing sad snow reports with only trace amounts of accumulation.  Where was all the powder?  Yet with the Fernie area averaging nearly 30 feet of snow per season, I was not giving up hope.  They were due for a big storm; the odds were in our favor.  As the trip grew closer with still no respectable accumulation I got desperate and even started praying to the snow god Ullr to come through for us.  I always seem to have a great time when I’m skiing, no matter what the conditions are like, but the primary reason for booking a cat trip is for those soft, fresh, untracked turns.  Was this trip going to be a bust?

The departure date finally arrived and Bill and I met up in Denver en route to Kalispell, Montana.  As we were nearing the end of our flight, the pilot came over the intercom to inform us that because of the weather in Kalispell, there was a chance we would have to land in Missoula.  This got my hopes up, thinking that maybe Ullr had answered my prayers and the snow was finally arriving.  However, as we pressed on and proceeded to land in Kalispell, much to my dismay I realized that the concern was over fog, not snow.  We stayed that night in Whitefish, a short drive from Glacier International Airport.  Before driving to Fernie, our plan was to spend a day checking out Whitefish Mountain Resort.  The thick fog was still lingering the following morning but as we left town and started climbing out of the valley, we were soon above the fog.  Up here it was a brilliant, sunny day.  However, the conditions did nothing to raise my hopes that we would have much powder on our cat trip.  As temperatures rose, the morning crust turned to afternoon slush.  We were able to find a few soft turns in the heavily gladed north facing aspects of Hellroaring basin, but they were few and far between.  Every local we talked to kept saying, “you should have been here last year.”  This was not a good sign.

After the lifts closed we got in the car and went up to Fernie, an easy 2 hour drive.  Fernie is a little town in the East Kootenays tucked between picturesque mountain ranges.  It is home to multiple cat-skiing operations as well as Fernie Alpine Resort.  On this trip we had two days booked on the snowcats of Fernie Wilderness Adventures.  FWA was started by Kim and Deb Sedrovic back in 1986 as a fishing tour operation, but in 1995 they added cat-skiing to the menu with the addition of a small, vintage snowcat.  They’ve since expanded their operation and can now accommodate over thirty guests a day, utilizing three cats.   For an additional fee FWA also offers full room and board in their rustic lodge.  Staying at the lodge is a great option for those looking for a peaceful vacation to get away from it all, and we heard they have an amazing spring water filled, wood burning hot tub.  However the number of rooms is limited so if you would like to stay, book early.  We chose to stay in town about 20 minutes away.  Fernie is a typical little ski town with plenty of bars, restaurants, and hotels.  As with any ski town close to a major city, it gets busy on the weekends and slows down during the week.  Before calling it a night, we decided it would be a good idea to store up energy for the big day ahead.  To consume the required carbohydrates, we chose to binge on the standard fare in most ski towns, pizza and beer.

The next morning we arrived at the FWA lodge and were greeted with hot coffee and tea while we waited for rest of the guests to arrive, but still no fresh snow.  After some quick instructions, beacon distribution, and waiver signing, we loaded our gear onto the snowcat and took off.  From the lodge, it’s about a forty-five minute cat ride up the valley to the top.  Halfway into the ride, we stopped and got out for a quick refresher course on beacon use, avalanche safety, and rescue procedures.  The first two runs of the day, named “Gonzo” and “Egg Roll”, were good warm up runs through an area with a nice gentle pitch.  The top portion of this area is gladed enough to keep the snow soft, but the trees are far enough apart that it is easy to carry a lot of speed.  The bottom half opens up into a large clear cut where you can really let your boards run.  The snow in this section wasn’t the deepest or freshest, but it was pretty good considering the lack of recent precipitation.  After a few runs, we took the cat took further up the ridge to an area called “The Little Quarry Trees”.  On the way up our guide told us that this steep, north facing slope always held good snow.  He was right.  It was full of knee deep blower pow, amazing.  Although a relatively short run, this was by far the best of the day.

FWA provides lunch, but does not stop for a lunch break in order to maximize the number of runs in a day.  Instead the guests just help themselves to sandwiches, cookies, and fruit in the cat whenever they are hungry, a brilliant idea.  A hot gourmet lunch is great, but if my legs arrived throbbing I would rather ski more.  That day we got in thirteen runs under beautiful blue bird skies, and to cap it off cold beers were provided for the cat ride back to lodge, a nice touch.   Back at the lodge, we warmed up with some hot soup while watching a slide show of all the action shots the professional photographer took of us during the day.   Individual photos or entire slide shows can be purchased, which most guests do, because the FWA photographers get some amazing shots.  All in all, despite the lack of fresh snow, it still turned out to be a phenomenal day.

When we woke the next day, Ullr had finally answered my prayers.  I looked out the window and it was coming down hard!  That morning the lodge had a different feel.  You could sense and excitement and anticipation the fresh snow had brought in.  We started the day off skiing an area that had yet to be touched all season.  This was followed by a few runs on “The Dark Side”.  Both of these areas were incredible, with a nice steep pitch to help you keep your speed up through the deep snow they held.  Although the snowfall tapered off by late morning, the trend of skiing perfect runs continued all day.  The knowledgeable FWA guides continued to lead us through the powder stashes run after run.

FWA offers a wide variety of terrain that can satisfy skiers and riders with many different ability levels, often on the same run.  The terrain is not filled with the crazy billygoat lines you see in ski movies, but it is interesting enough to keep expert skiers happy.  At the top of a few runs, the guide will inform you of features (read: small cliff bands) that will come up on the run.  Then it’s up to each guest to make their own run as mellow or exciting as they want by avoiding the features or hitting them head on, no pressure either way.  The majority of terrain FWA utilizes is on the upper half of the mountain, so the slopes stay cooler, and they consistently get fresh windblown snow even in the midst of a drought.  This also eliminates the presence of a massive avalanche danger constantly looming above, a problem that many other cat operations must deal with. These types of slopes look great on a brochure, but the fact is that these slopes usually just tease guests, since they can almost never be skied because the risk is too high for a commercial operation.

After another stellar day of powder skiing at FWA, we sat down for a beer with the owner Kim.  He mentioned that back when FWA was starting to gain a reputation as a great fishing tour operation, a popular fishing magazine wanted to do an article on them.  His reply was “Fuck No!  I don’t want all those people coming out here”.  He started out with the same mentality for the cat-skiing, wanting to keep the all the powder for himself and his friends, and just having a good time.  However, this article is evidence that his attitude is starting to change, and he now willing to share the wealth. Ever year FWA is growing bigger and bigger, busier and busier.  They have rights to ski an expansive amount of terrain, much of which they have only started to explore, so untracked turns are guaranteed to be there day after day, year after year. However, with their growing popularity, there is no guarantee of open seats on their snowcats.  Therefore, I suggest reserving your seat with Fernie Wilderness Adventures sooner than later.

For more information, or to book a day of cat-skiing with FWA, check out their website.

Words by Jeff Jeltema, Photos by Brian Pollock