Where to find the best ski resort snow conditions in the coming week…
Snow Forecast provides mountain weather forecasts that are fine tuned for the specific elevations (top, mid-station and bottom lift) in the resort. There are types of forecast for each elevation: 6 days (free), 2 days detailed and 9 days (members only).
My trip to Terrace was more than getting together with my ski buddy, Owen. It was a celebration of his surviving a 19 minute avalanche burial under a meter of snow in Chile followed by a quadruple bypass heart surgery the day after skiing powder at Island Lake Lodge. This happened all in a few months and if you add up the probability of surviving either experience, he should be dead. He was far from dead, with more blood flowing in his veins and a year of rehab, Owen was skiing like a teenager!
I have many memories of endless powder runs from my Whistler days in the 80’s and Fernie in the early 90’s. Today’s crowds and weak snow pack leave limited terrain that is skied out quickly. Terrace brought those old powder memories to the surface and then some. The snow pack in Terrace has not suffered a decade of drought as the Southern BC resorts. Every year Terrace receives more than 30 meters of powder!
Northern Escape has the largest Alpine powder runs that I’ve experienced anywhere, awesome staff and high powered agile helicopters that fly with groups of five. As Warren always said, “If you don’t heli-ski this year you’ll be another year older when you do”!
Here a a few shots that best describe our time at Northern Escape:
And when the weather was bad and the helicopters could not fly we drove to Shames and rode the lifts, both of them in fact! We traversed a few meters to steep untracked lines of powder. Shames is from the past complete with Atco trailers a smelly bar. I loved the experience. It reminded me of skiing Crabbe Mountain outside my home town of Fredericton New Brunswick. The bartender was from Edmonston NB and she had worked in a strip joint on the Quebec side that Owen and I had visited as UNB students on route to ski adventures at Mont St Anne and Le Massif. Small world.
As I write this Owen is in Japan skiing the forbidden forest. Life is fun, ski more!!
Photos by fellow skier Al Charest.
Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club has operated the Thunder Meadows Cabin for the past 20 years. The cabin is located in the Lizard Range nested between Fernie Alpine Resort and Island Lake Lodge. The terrain is intermediate to advanced with substantial avalanche potential.
BOOKING PROCEDURES
Membership is required to book the cabin and at least one member must be present in each user group. Lifetime membership is open to the general public for a fee of $20. Bookings can be made at the Guides Hut (671-2nd Ave, Downtown Fernie, 250 423 3650).
Bookings are not confirmed until paid for. Cancellation due to HIGH Avalanche Hazard results in credit toward next booking.
The cabin is closed during May and June for wildlife protection, to comply with a Ministry of Environment regulation.
PRICING
Cabin Fees are $90 per night for entire hut or $50 for half hut (maximum 4 people). A temporary membership fee is available for $25 which provides a $20 discount on the first booking at Thunder Meadows. Summer rates are $50 for the entire hut (July to November).
EQUIPMENT
Thunder Meadows hut is equipped with the following:
- Bunk beds and 4 foamies.
- Wood heater and wood supply. Please try to conserve as wood is flown in at great cost.
- Propane camp stove and lantern (bring your own 1lb propane and carry out please).
- Meltwater pot and greywater pot. Water source is from snowmelt so please keep the snow around the hut clean. Poor hygiene and dogs will contaminate the only water source.
- Outdoor toilet (non flushing) located 30m behind the hut.
- Axe and shovel and fire extinguisher.
Guests need to bring their own sleeping bag, safety equipment and 1lb propane bottles.
Carry everything out that you brought in – no food, garbage, or “gifts” left behind that other members would have to clean up and pack out for you.
Dogs are not permitted at Thunder Meadows Hut in the winter, as they put guests in danger due to contaminated snow which is used for water
consumption.
ACCESS
No motorized access allowed for the cabin. Snowmobile traffic up the Mount Fernie Park Road is not permitted on Island Lake Resort Group private property.
Your chosen route will depend on weather and snow conditions; most routes take four hours under good conditions. All suggested routes require good avalanche evaluation and route finding skills. You are completely on your own and responsible for your own safety and rescue.
1) Fernie Alpine Ski Area
a) Traverse Cedar Bowl, Fish Bowl and 2000-Foot Ridge. Climb up to Liverwurst Pass. Choice of skiing down to Easy Street and then up to the cabin, or climbing up the ridge to Big Steep Mother and skiing down to the cabin. This route traverses steep avalanche terrain across Fish Bowl and 2000 Foot Ridge. FAR Ski Patrol closes this route under high avalanche conditions.
b) Traverse Curry Bowl to Polar Peak Saddle, down Polaris Bowl to Easy Street and up to the cabin. This route crosses numerous slidepaths and can be a deathtrap in higher hazard avalanche conditions. FAR Ski Patrol often closes this route when snow stability is poor.
2) Mount Fernie Park
a) Ski up Mount Fernie Park road for 5km, climb Cabin Ridge and Cabin Bowl to Cabin Pass. In hardpack conditions Thirstquencher Creek (to the immediate north of Cabin Ridge) may be an easier route than Cabin Ridge.
b) Ski up Mount Fernie Park road for 3.5 km to the base of Orca Bowl Trail, climb Orca Bowl and ski down Burnt Slope to the cabin. This route can be very hazardous in higher avalanche conditions.
Silver Star is Western Canada’s premiere Western Themed ski resort and is a winner for children and good skiers. As a sister mountain to Big White dual mountain packages are available.
Apex Mountain Resort remains one of the hidden gems of Canadian skiing. Located a short 30 minute drive from Penticton, BC, Apex is a full service destination resort with quality snow, great weather, incredible terrain, and friendly people. Apex being located in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, features the perfect mix between large amounts of precipitation and low humidity that makes for the lightest champagne powder snow imaginable. Smiles stretch from ear to ear, as locals and visitors alike hoot and holler amongst the glades & open terrain, leaving clouds of powder snow to lightly settle behind them. With an average temperature of -4º C, Apex receives about 600 cm of dry “Okanagan” powder each season.
We offer backcountry adventures in both Summer and Winter. Skiers and snowboarders find challenging runs in famous Selkirk powder. Hikers and mountaineers have opportunities to cross glaciers and climb an exciting selection of 9000’ to nearly 11,000’ peaks including Mt. Iconoclast, one of the highest in the Selkirks.
We are finding that we book up earlier every year. If you are looking for an exciting backcountry trip, based out of a very comfortable lodge, please contact us right away as we would hate to disappoint you. This is a spectacular area that has grabbed the heart of many and I would be proud to have the honour of showing it to you and your friends. We are happy to book individuals or groups.
Can you imagine what it would be like to have the mountain to yourself on a powder day? Register for the First Trax program at Sun Peaks and make your dream a reality.
First Trax ticket holders meet at the Sunburst Express Chairlift at 8:00am, and get exclusive runs on all trails leading to the Elevation Quad for the first hour of the day. The Elevation Quad services Bluff, Cariboo, OSV, Upper Half, 5 Mile, and three gladed areas. With a seven minute travel time on the Sunburst and a nine minute travel time on the Elevation, you do the math for how many runs you are going to get before regular lift operation hours begin.
Shames Mountain is located 35 km (22 Mi.) west of Terrace in the spectacular Shames Valley. Shames is nestled in the majestic Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia.
Shames Mountain’s terrain leasehold is 7,800 acres, only 225 of which are patrolled-this means backcountry options are truly endless. Backcountry travel opens up a whole new world of adventure. There’s nothing like exploring seemingly endless terrain filled with an abundance of untracked powder, adventure and challenge.
Venturing into the backcountry can be a transformational experience and thousands of people are figuring that out. Backcountry snow travel has become exponentially popular over the last few years, especially as more ski areas open their boundaries to allow access to terrain that goes on as far as the adventurer is willing to travel.
Powder King is located in Pine Pass in Northern BC.
Within its impressive 4000 vertical feet (1220 metres), Panorama Mountain Village offers some of Canada’s longest fall-line cruisers, backcountry style skiing in Taynton Bowl, and the biggest and best freestyle Terrain Park in the Canadian Rockies region.
