Fernie, East Kootenay

Fernie has got to be one of the best of the smaller ski resorts. Although there are few ammenities in the Alpine Resort itself the skiing, often through untouched powder, is unbelievable with smoething for everyone. We stayed at Lizard Creek at the base of the mountain which was great for ski in -ski out convenience but if you want a variety of restaurants/bars within easy reach it may be better to stay in the village of Fernie, (a 10min shuttle bus ride away), as the Alpine Resort only has two restaurants and a single bar plus a couple of condo based dining options. The locals are really friendly and go out of their way to make you feel at home, however if you want to go shopping you had beter choose your days carefully as on powder days a lot of shops in the village are closed whilst the owners get in their share of turns. Despite this resorts reputation for the steep and deeps I would not hestitate to recommend it for beginers. My 6 year old daughter decided that she would like to learn to ski and thanks to the excellent ski school left the nursery slopes and was enjoying the mountain itself within the first day. As the slopes are so quiet it is easy to build up confidence and attempt more challenging runs. My wife, a cautious intermediate was amazed at some the the runs she was attempting at the end of the holiday. Was the holiday worth the time and money- absolutley. Yes it is a long haul from the airport to the village, (about four hours from Calgary), but if you are traveling from the UK what is another four hours you would probably only be sleeping anyway so go for it, you will not be dissapointed. The only bad thing I can think of is that I am not there now. Overall a great resort but don't tell anyone otherwise everyone will go!