Cat Skiing in Fernie

Last week I was lucky enough to join the Nonstop participants on a Cat Skiing Trip at Fernie Wilderness Adventures. Fernie had been enduring a unfamiliar slow start to the season but a casual 30cm a few days before had been met with welcome arms. The difference with Cat Skiing is that you don’t need to worry about pesky punters tracking out your favourite lines; there literally a whole wilderness of untouched powder as your playground.

Our guide for the day, Andre, has arguably got one of the best jobs in the world. This is his fourteenth season working at this Cat operation and I’m not surprised he doesn’t want to leave. I’ve spent six seasons in various mountains renowned for epic snow but never in my life have I experienced fresh tracks every single run! And this was on the back of a slow start to the season.

We started the day with an avalanche safety briefing then jumped aboard out cosy Cat – our personal lift for the day. As we climbed our way up the mountain the sun was also rising and it soon became clear we were in for a bluebird day. We buddied up and our first run was nice and cruisey through the trees; now the legs were warmed up we went up higher and took on some steeper terrain…  powder slashing turns and face shots were the call of the day, not to mention a few cheeky (small) cliff drops!

No stopping for lunch but the Cat was packed with goodies so we could refuel on our ascents back up the mountain. My personal favourite run of the day was a long gulley forming a natural halfpipe with endless hits along the way followed by a weaving run through the trees… nothing but the random Yeeews from my fellow snow enthusiasts! At the end of the day we were taken back to Fernie Wilderness lodge for some hot soup and well earned beers. This was the finale of the guys 3 week stay in Fernie – everyone had either been on Nonstop’s 3 week instructor courses or our improvement camps – what better way to end a holiday?