Fernie upgrades avalanche program

Fernie Alpine Resort maintains one of North America’s largest avalanche programs - a testament to its plentiful powder. Its 2,500 acres of terrain plunges five bowls from the Lizard Range, which last year saw snow 37 feet deep.

Avalanche bombs can be heard through the basin after storms as the ski patrol climbs a ladder to the ridge top to open the bowls. Heavy snows coupled with winds hang cornices over the bowls. Fernie’s 30-member ski patrol uses $130,000 of explosives each year to control avalanches - second in Canada only to British Columbia Highways.

The Headwall is a massive rock abutment above Lizard Bowl that accumulates snow with a high potential for avalanching. This year, the resort installed the Polar Peak safety line to assist patrollers working in the early morning darkness on the narrow ridge. The engineered tower system allows a patroller to clip in to the line for safety while carrying dynamite.

For more information, visit: www.skifernie.com