'''Fernie''' [http://www.fernie.ca] is a town in British Columbia Canada. Originally a mining town, it's location in the Canadian Rockies has led to the development of the Fernie Alpine Resort (FAR). Fernie is renowned for its powder skiing and snowboarding - the resort receives an average of 875cm of snow per year!

Get in

The closest airports to Fernie are Cranbrook and Calgary. Cranbrook currently only services domestic flights, but improvements are underway to upgrade it to an international airport. Shuttles to Fernie from these airports run regularly but can be expensive. [http://www.greyhound.ca Greyhound] offers busses from Calgary (5 hours), Vancouver (18 hours), and most resorts and towns in between.

Get around

Fernie has no public transport system. Fortunately everything in the town is within walking distance. There are a few options for getting from town to the resort and vise versa.
  • [http://www.kootenaytaxi.com/SkiShuttle.htm Kootenay Taxi] run large purple busses up and down every hour (every half hour in the morning). Check the website for schedules. The bus passes most major hostels and condos in town. The trip costs $3 each way. There are racks on the outside of the bus for skis and snowboards.
  • The [http://www.ourfernie.com/files/Shuttle%20Schedule.pdf Free Shuttle] runs on evenings during peak season. The bus is useful for visiting bars and clubs downtown if you are staying on the mountain. The shuttle runs every hour from 6pm until 11pm (2am on Friday and Saturday nights), excluding 8pm.
  • Hitchiking is an accepted way to get to and from the resort. Getting a ride is usually very easy. For trips up the mountain, wait at the metal post known as the 'hitching post' on the highway past the bridge to West Fernie. For trips down, wait at the intersection below the resort centre. Police are fine with hitching from these areas but dislike people hitching within city limits.
  • See

    Do

    Winter Sports

    During winter months, skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, telemarking and whatever else takes your fancy are the focus of the entire town. The Fernie Alpine Resort offers amazing terrain and huge amounts of fresh powder on a regular basis. Season passes are $1139 and day tickets are $69 ([http://skifernie.com/tickets-and-passes.aspx full price list])

    Buy

    Eat

    Drink

    Sleep

  • '''[http://www.ferniestanfordresort.com Fernie Stanford Resort]''' 100 Riverside Way; Telephone: 250-423-5000; Toll-Free: 1-877-423-5600. Fernie's full-service hotel featuring indoor pool with water-slide, onsite restaurant, hot-tubs, 24hr fitness centre, banquet facilities, free high-speed Internet, and more. The hotel also has 5 bedroom chalets available for rent.
  • Budget

    Fernie has two hostels, located next door to each other. Both are serviced by the Kootenay Taxi shuttle bus, and are about 10 minutes walk from the hitchhiking spot.
  • [http://www.samesun.com/destinations/fernie/ Samesun hostel]
  • [http://www.ragingelk.com/home.htm Raging Elk hostel]
  • Get out