BCAA

14 BCA A .COM WINTER 2016 Destination BC/Dave Heath, iStock Stop 1: Fernie Alpine Resort Fernie is a playground on skis. The five bowls that make up this resort on BC's Lizard Range are packed with natural terrain features that make for fun skiing: little gullies, jumps, ridges, glades and rolls. And it's not just the black diamonds. The wide-open intermediate runs and even the groomers have the same playful feel. The area's legendary snowfalls don't hurt, either – up to 11 metres per year. Getting there: Drive to the starting point of our road trip, or fly. Fernie is about 100 kilometres east of Cranbrook's Canadian Rockies International Airport on Hwy. 3, and 314 km from Calgary International Airport, via Hwy. 2 and 3. Skiable terrain: 1,011 hectares and 142 runs (30% beginner, 40% intermediate, 30% advanced). What's new: Two new Winch Cats will be clearing steep areas overnight for more Fernie Alpine Resort gets up to 11 metres of snow each season. groomed runs than ever before. While they do their thing, throw on a parka and walk (don't drive) to the also-new Ice Bar, a refrigerated vodka bar in the resort's Lizard Creek Lodge. Insider tip: Rub shoulders with the locals and devour awesome burgers on bingo night at the Northern Bar & Stage in downtown Fernie. Side trip: Kick the tires of the 1974 Terex Titan, a 350-tonne, 20-metre-long dump truck on display in Sparwood, 22 minutes northeast of Fernie. The behemoth was a prototype, and the only one of its kind ever produced.

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