Ski Canada

In the heart of the British Columbia Rockies, the powder meccas of Fernie and nearby Kimberley offer great skiing and boarding for all levels, the choice of ski in - ski out mountain villages or handy off mountain accommodation at the towns nearby.

Fernie Alpine Resort, in eastern British Columbia, has a whopping 2500 plus acres. That includes 105 defined trails, 5 alpine bowls and endless acres of glades. The recent addition of three quad chairlifts, two of them high speed, delivers long easy trails from all the main lifts to complement Fernie's steep and deep powder runs.

Above all, Fernie has something money just can't buy - an average seasonal snowfall of 875cm. 'Ruler days', when more than a foot of fresh has fallen, are commonplace! This translates to some of the best lift accessed powder skiing and boarding on the planet. And the 'First Tracks' program provides early birds with first shot each day at the best of the new snow with a ski or boarding instructor while picking up powder technique tips along the way.

The Fernie mountain village offers accommodation choice, service and facilities at competitive rates. Budget accommodation is available in the town of Fernie just 5km from the slopes. Kelsey's and the Grizzly Bar at the base area offer great après and there are other restaurants & bars in downtown Fernie.

Approx. season: December to April. 5 day pass 02/03 C$265 adult, C$210 youth, C$70 child, all plus tax. Fernie is a 3 hour drive from Calgary, or 75 minutes from Cranbrook. Scheduled daily shuttles operate from Calgary Intl. and Cranbrook airports www.skifernie.com

Nearby Kimberley Alpine Resort is known locally for its consistently good conditions and fall line runs. The Northstar Express quad chair provides rapid access to a good chunk of the resorts 67 trails and Western Canada's longest night skiing run. With 500 acres of new terrain recently opened, Kimberley boasts 1800 acres for big resort skiing without big resort crowds, prices or attitudes. Top this off with large amounts of sunshine and regular dumps or Pristine Purcell Powder and you've got another Canadian Rockies classic.

The new mountain village hosts ski in - ski out lodging and facilities, while the 'Bavarian town of the Rockies', as Kimberley is known, is just 1.5km away with plenty of shopping, restaurants, pubs and the range of accommodation choices. Kelsey's Restaurant & Bar or Stemwinder Pub at base provides stimulating après with other dining and social options available in the town of Kimberley.

Approx season: December to April. 5 day pass 02/03 C$217.50 adult, C$176.10 youth, C$70 child, all plus tax (Lift passes are interchangeable with nearby Fernie). Kimberley is 20 mins from Cranbrook and 390km from Calgary. Regular flights to Cranbrook from Vancouver & Calgary provide easy connections. A weekly inter-resort shuttle allows guests to explore the other mountain www.skikimberley.com

Also enjoy at both resorts: Kids Activity Nights, horse drawn sleighrides, dog sled tours, snowmobile tours, torchlight run & BBQ, XC & cat skiing, snowshoe tours, aquatics facility, ice hockey games and complimentary guided ski tours, heli-taxi and heli- sightseeing service.

Conditions apply; The above prices were correct at the time of printing