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THE PEOPLE & THE TOWN
Fernie's reputation isn't just built on great snow and an epic mountain. It's the local community that tempts people to move to Fernie. The town of Fernie has an exceptionally friendly atmosphere and the laid-back environment will rub off on even the most stressed out souls. It's the sort of place where it's considered weird not to say hello to people you pass on the street or to make conversation with the server at the supermarket checkout. In a nutshell, it's the sort of place that most people wish their society was more like.
The town of Fernie is two kilometres from the resort and offers a great selection of bars, restaurants and coffee shops. The Central is normally one of the busier bars with regular live music and great bar food. The Royal is a western style bar with a great atmosphere and a weekly open mic night. The Eldorado stays open the latest with frequent performances by Canada's rising bands and visits from international DJs. With so many travellers from all over the world staying in Fernie for the winter the nightlife is normally lively although there's always somewhere for a quiet beer with friends.
Fernie has a load of good quality snowboard shops and Edge of the World even has an indoor skate park. There's a swimming pool with large hot tub, an ice skating rink, museum, gym and much more. Unlike most North American towns, Fernie has loads of heritage buildings and the main street, 2nd Ave, in particular has some great ‘western style' architecture.
Fernie was founded in the late 19th century after local coal deposits were discovered in the valley. Mining remains one of the area's main economic activities and its because of the mix of local interests – tourism, mining, and forestry - that Fernie has retained its enviable community atmosphere rather than turning into a purpose-built tourist resort (such as the likes of Whistler, Val'Disere and Meribel).
The resort itself has a range of hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés, as well as a small supermarket. The accommodation at the resort is aimed at tourists staying for a week or two and it's the town of Fernie that provides the true entertainment and a flavour of the local area.
And as if that isn't enough selling points for one town the locals swear that the summer season is even better, with activities such as mountain biking, white-water rafting, canoeing, hiking, golf and fly fishing in abundance. A frequent saying in Fernie is ‘I came for the snow, but stayed for the summer.'
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We are proud to be the new owners of a 42 bedroom lodge in the very centre of Fernie. The lodge, which underwent a $1.2 million refurbishment through the summer of 2007, has a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere and fantastic facilities. Breakfast and supper are served at our adjoining restaurant which is also open to the public and one of Fernie's premier restaurants.
The lodge has spacious bedrooms each with double beds and an en-suite bathrooms. Each bedroom has views of the stunning local mountains and some have private balconies. There are a variety of bedroom configurations: the majority of rooms are twin rooms (two double beds), some are triples (three single beds) and a select few are quads (two bunk beds).
Lodge facilities include:
Sitting Rooms - Cable TV, DVD player, WiFi, Kitchen & dinning facilities;
Swimming Pool & Hot Tub - Chill out after a hard day on the slopes;
Restaurant & Lounge - eat, drink and socialise in homely surroundings;
Internet Room - Keep in touch with friends and family;
Movie Theatre - Have a quiet night in;
Ski and Snowboard Tuning Room - Keep your snowboard sliding smooth;
Mess Room - Pool table, table football & comfy sofas. The place to hang out.
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Fernie is made up of five wide alpine bowls laid out in a row each facing the same direction. The top sections offer great open powder turns which then funnel into tree runs, groomed pistes and gullies. The spines between each bowl have some of the steepest and deepest runs and also tend to be the quietest areas of the mountain. Fernie is the fourth largest ski area in Canada. 
Locally known as ‘Snow Valley,' Fernie receives an amazing annual snowfall of over 29ft (875cm), one of North America's highest. There are resorts that get slightly more snow each year (e.g. Sunshine, Banff) but as Fernie has a comparatively short season (mid December to mid April) its easy to see why its renowned for having more powder days than almost any other ski area in the world. Each season Fernie regularly has the deepest snow pack in the Rockies and you'll become accustomed to waking up to the bangs of the mountain patrol's avalanche bombs and a foot of fresh snow on your doorstep!
Since the start of NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard, Dave Richards has been instrumental in the development of our programmes. Dave and his family live in Fernie throughout the year and run a white-water rafting company during the summer. He is an experienced instructor, guide and college lecturer on mountain activities. Dave instructs many of the additional courses.
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info@nonstopsnowboard.com 
