It’s a new year, and if spending more time together as a family made your resolution list, then there’s no place like Fernie Mountain Resort in 2012!

While staying at our Stanford Fernie Resort, be sure to check out these weekly activities for the whole family.  And since they’re all FREE events, you can help keep those financial resolutions too…

Wednesdays:  Griz Kids Craft Kids – kids will love this free arts and crafts evening at the Slopeside Coffee Shop.  Children aged 6-12 (younger if accompanied by an adult) can create their own souvenirs of their trip to Fernie, and have a fun and educational experience at the same time.

Fridays:  Movie Mania Family Movie Nights: Sit back at the Slopeside Coffee Shop Friday evenings with a bag of popcorn and enjoy a free family movie.  6-8pm

Saturdays (until March 31, 2012):   Kids Activity Nights - Come by the Slopeside Coffee Shop on Saturday evenings for a different themed activity each week!  Depending on the week there are games, fun activities, science and more!  For children ages 6-12 (younger if accompanied by an adult).  6:30pm – 8:00pm.

Check out our Fernie Ski & Stay packages for even more mountain fun this winter!

For more information on Fernie, BC events, check out their event calendar

Please note, while these events are complimentary, it’s a good idea to register in advance.

The Fernie Stanford Resort is pleased to offer you a number of great perks for your stay with us this holiday season:

- We will have a selection of family-friendly holiday movies in the activity room to help you get in the holiday spirit

 - On December 25h we will once again have our Christmas Day Buffet Dinner  Bring the family together for a delicious traditional holiday dinner without spending the day cooking and cleaning!  Dinner will be served from 5:00 – 10:00pm, so come on down!

For more information about spending the holidays at the Fernie Stanford Resort please call us at (250)-423-5000 or email us at info@ferniestanfordresort.com.

Happy Holidays!

This coming weekend, Nov. 26^th-27^th, Fernie Alpine Resort will be open for a preview weekend.  Come get a taste for what the 2011-12 winter ski season has in store!  With the Elk, Bear, and Mighty Moose lifts operating, there will be plenty of terrain to ski or ride this weekend.  Many mountain services, including food and beverage operations, retail, rentals/lessons, and kids daycare will be available as well.

 With over 38cm of snowfall in the last 24 hours, and 90cm of new snow in the last 7 days it’s sure to be a great start for this ski season. 

 If you can’t make it for Preview weekend this weekend, don’t fret!  Fernie Alpine Resort officially opens on Friday December 2, 2011.  Be sure to check out our winter Fernie Resort packages for great deals this winter.

See you on the slopes!

Mountain bikers who have enjoyed their time on the trails around Fernie may not be pleased with the approaching colder weather that will mark an end to the season. They may even have been experiencing the doldrums which occur when conditions are not quite ready for them to leave the previous season, but are too early to embark on the next season of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, dog sledding in their Fernie winter wonderland.

 There is no “off season” for Fernie weather, particularly its winter weather. Case in point:  Have you noticed how Fernie is being transformed on Second Avenue, Fernie Museum, Fernie Courthouse, City Hall, and Coal Creek barn, into the snowy locations of a new family Christmas movie, Disney’s Santa Pups?  What biker or snow bunny would not enjoy Merry Christmas banners strung across the street, candy canes in October, fluffy white puppies or fake, machine-made snow? (film crews consider the disadvantages of having too much snow when they’re trying to film)  They may even enjoy donning ski jackets to act as extras, joining local fellow skaters acting as extras in the new ice rink being built outside Coal Creek barn.  If they don’t get into the film, they still might like to watch for well-known cast members such as Charlie’s Angel actress, Cheryl Ladd (Mrs. Claus) or Seinfeld actor Danny Woodburn (Santa’s head elf).

Winter was recently recreated in Fernie In 2009. Fernie locals donned their own retro ski jackets to appear alongside star, John Cusac, in the movie, Hot Tub Time Machine, filmed at the Fernie Alpine Resort, aka Kodiak Valley ski resort. The now-famous hot tub from the movie, which was used to transport four men to the 1980s, can be rented at the Timber Chalet.

Last November, huge avalanches were created and filmed around Fernie for the epic thriller, Inception, that starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ken Watanabe.  Now what frustrated mountain biker would not trade his or her “off season” for a chance meeting with one of the stars or crew in Fernie’s restaurants or hotels?

So, don’t fret, Fernie-ites, for winter is never far away.  Release of the Fernie-made movies will soon be at a theatre near you or on DVD, allowing you to enjoy views of your local terrain over and over.  Or, during this “off season”, count the few days left before opening day (first week in December, weather permitting) of the resort’s 50th year, and a chance to shoosh down the most ski runs (140) in the Rockies, on the most snow in the Rockies, enjoying the most vertical in the Rockies, making laps on the only new lift in the BC Rockies-- the Polar Peak Lift.

Check out some of the biggest acts in the Canadian indie scene this Friday and Saturday, August 19^th and 20^th, at Fernie’s Annex park. Elliott Brood, Said the Whale, Library Voices, and dozens of other acts from Fernie and across Canada will take the stage in what promises to be one of the most exciting outdoor festivals this summer.

Situated beside the Elk River at the foot of Mt. Fernie, Annex Park provides a breathtakingly beautiful setting for live music.  The gates open at 6pm on Friday and 11pm on Saturday. There's food and beer inside, and at $40 a ticket for both days, it’s one of the best deals for a music festival anywhere.

To learn more and to purchase tickets, visit the Wapiti Festival website. And don’t forget to book your Fernie Stanford Resort accomodations soon, as bookings are filling up quick for this much anticipated summer event.

Back-to-Nature fanatics have long reveled in the countless number of outdoor experiences available every season in Fernie.  They have become increasingly fond of what has rapidly grown into a world-famous mecca of recreational opportunities, especially since the closure of the last coal mine in the 1950s.

With the dazzling beauty of the offerings right in the Fernie area, and with the availability of first class rocky mountain accommodation at our Fernie Stanford Resort, (info@ferniestanfordresort.com) many visitors kick back locally until the end of their vacation. After hiking and biking the trails (www.bikefernie.ca/trails/fernie-trail-guide) overlooking the valley, there’s barely enough time to explore the community’s historic, 1911 Provincial Court House (http://ferniemuseum.com/content/fernie-courthouse-0), the many other heritage Victorian buildings, or the local arts scene with its plethora of pottery, dance and theatre events.

Vacationers are encouraged to plan for  two-three extra days in to fully enjoy two different types of day trips.  From Fernie, have a photograph taken in Sparwood of yourself next to the world’s largest tandem axle dump truck as you travel the Crowsnest Pass to visit fascinating old coal towns clustered around the Alberta border.  You will never forget historic sites such as the Frank Interpretive Centre  (http://www.frankslide.com/home.html) and Hillcrest Mines, where you will learn how dozens of people were killed in rockslide and mine tragedies.

Coming to Fernie the week of July 17-24, 2011 is a not-to-be-missed celebration of writing through courses, readings, and mingling with local and national award-winning poets, authors and songwriters such as Sid Marty, Tom Wayman or James Keelaghan, who might be convinced to perform his “Hillcrest Mines” for you.  This celebration is set in Fernie’s renowned rocky mountain backyard and is sponsored by the Fernie Writers’ Conference.  Full registration details, instructors, schedules, scholarships, events and more can be found at http://ferniewriters.com.

With so many events attracting so many visitors, be sure to book your room soon at Fernie Stanford Resort to enjoy them to the fullest while relaxing in the lap of luxury.

It’s not quite Summer yet, but if you find yourself in Fernie during the next few weeks, you’ll find plenty of places where the entertainment is hotter than high noon in July.

On Tuesdays, cinephiles can enjoy a film on the cheap with $5 movie nights at the Vogue theatre. Check out showtimes here. After the movie, head over to The Pub bar and grill at Park Place Lodge on Hwy 3 for their Cheap Wing Tuesdays.

Can it get any better than wings and a movie? Only if you can wait until Saturday and the FMBC Bike Biltz where you can sell your old bike and make some cash or buy a your very own two-wheeled ride to hit one of Fernie’s countless world-class bike trails. The event takes place from 10-2 on Saturday at Elk’s Hall and features a BBQ, community bike parade and more. The event is hosted by Bike Fernie.

If golf is your game, now’s the time perfect time to hit the links at the Fernie Golf and Country Club. You could save a bundle with one of Fernie Stanford Resort’s Golf Pacakges. And if you’re around next Saturday, June 5, you can take in the Fernie Men’s Pro-Am golf tournament

With so much to experience in Fernie, why wait? Book your Fernie Stanford Resort accommodations today!