|
|
Fly-and-ski trip makes it easier to reach Fernie's slopes
Fly-and-ski trip makes it easier to reach Fernie's slopes
I never would have guessed that a three-day trip to Fernie, B.C. would involve a twin-engined turbo prop British Aerospace Jetstream 31.
But as my family climbed the steps of the 16-seat Integra Airplane bound for Cranbrook, B.C., a sly smile spread across my lips. A seven-hour drive would be replaced with a one-hour flight over the patchwork prairies and across the B.C. border, followed by a one-hour van shuttle that would drop us (and our host of gear) at the Lizard Creek Lodge at Fernie Alpine Resort.
The best part of the flight? Pizza and a can of Alexander Keith's provided for free once the tiny plane had levelled out. As we noshed, we glided just above waves of clouds that occasionally parted to show off the wintry landscape below.
To make our escape, we simply drove to a building called the Executive Flight Centre, just north of the stringent rules and protocols of the International Airport. There were only four other people on our flight (plus two pilots) and we simply waited in a lovely room with leather couches and complimentary coffee until the pilot ushered us onto the tarmac to board the plane. Ahhh. So easy.
As my legs dangled from the Timber Express Quad, I looked upon giant cedar and fir trees below. The effect was of a bearded wise man's face - an ancient sort who had wandered into a snow-laden winter. The trees were so laden with powder - 162 centimetres in the past week - that the heavy boughs kept releasing cascades of the white stuff. Everywhere we looked, icing sugar snow sloughed from its temporary resting spots in the green to join its brethren below.
"It was the snowstorm that trumped all snow storms," says Matt Mosteller, marketing vice-president for the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, of which Fernie is a member. "Three feet of snow in 18 hours and five feet of new snow for the week! Fernie has a reputation for the most snow in the Rockies and this week showed that powder power."
As the snow filled Fernie, we were lucky enough to be there to test it out. My family and I sensed an electricity in the air, a charge that sparked along the lift line as people waited anxiously for first tracks, and followed them down the hill as they plowed through piles of powder while getting cold face-shots. Grins all around.
We were well positioned from our accommodations at Lizard Creek Lodge to enjoy a full day of fun with little hassle. Right out our window was the Elk quad, making it easy to dress up the kids in the comfort of our room and head straight out to the lift. |
|
發表於 2012-2-7 06:53
|