Fernie conditions

[pistoncontracting]

Well last year at this time was poor too. But at the end of January the difference was 40cm in the snow pack and in feb it's 59cm year to year. So you can sugar coat it anyway you want to get clients but the fact is its really low this year so far.

Not compared to the average...

Just say you guys can't ride in anything but handle bar powder, or just keep sugar coating it...

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[fredw]

Slightly less snow... Lol you have nothing in my books, go two hrs south of you and that's snow....seeing logs, stumps, rocks all over is what I call very poor snow, cabin with more ice on it than snow is not a selling feature...

but maybe you locals like that type of conditions... Each to your own I guess

 

[Jvl]

I'm not saying that Doug's chart is wrong but it's a little deceiving the way it's set up. Also it depends what snow plot you look at to. Maybe Andy's snow plot is done in wind loaded trees.

 

[waynemags]

I was out on the 27th or 28th, don't remember which day. I drag my sled hours too for good snow. good snow is a day where your not breaking stuff and overheating. Andy showed me some new riding styles that allowed me to go to places I would never go. there was good snow there. not the over the hood, fluffy powder that looks great in videos, but step off the sled and sink to your knees. im not trying to stir ch!t here, but don't most people that drive for hours to get there, look at the snow reports and cameras on the web? if I was going to go 8 hrs away and expected to see 5ft or fresh I would prob take the time to check conditions. other than what someone on a forum says. I like the 4-5ft of fresh powder too but that doesn't happen a lot with all the sleds in the area and the lack of snow storms.
you could clearly see on the weather networks that there hasn't been much for snow since early jan, so why would you expect to get to Fernie and expect fresh, untouched powder every day? im just stating my opinions that's all. I don't believe that riders that live in the area are painting a picture just to boost tourism.

 

[Weirboondocking]

I dont guide so snow conditions are not a major factor... That being said I like taking clients into the best snow I know of. Depending on rider ability to what snow terrain... I choose.

I have a rider coming this week that the current snow conditions is going to make for a fun adventure up and down lines I'm not even sure are ridable yet. last year a client that came out a bunch of times. had his best ride in only average snow, and things got way more technical then i expected. We could have spun around but instead I talked him through what he was going to need to do. I dropped in made a line called up to him saying he should make it. down he came and was stoked when he made the bottom. after that his ridding/ confidence changed. For me rides like that when I see big advancements in a rider all what really pays. No amount of sugar coating bumper deep snow will get that to happen. I need my riders to trust my judgment as well as there own and if I start out by telling them the snow is epic when its not Im sure we wouldn't have the trust needed to develop the skills we are working on.

ANYWAYS enough talk about this.
There Is 150cm- 200cm in most of the places I have probed. Yes Ive seen rocks and stumps but we had a wind advent that pulled most the snow off the exposed areas. I have been in mostly knee deep snow when I'm off the sled. head into the most of big open areas and there is only maybe 6 inches soft snow.

 

[Jvl]

So your snow plot is in wind loaded trees. And for all the people that don't get guided to areas like yours they come to ride 6 inches instead.

 

[CatAttack900]

DONT come the sow sucks.... lol.

K maybe Its not handle bar deep but today was the best day riding I've had in 2 years. Its only bumper deep, a honest bumper deep in the trees, but holly smoke that was fun. I don't care if its -20 in the am or if I have a group of riders. the riding right now is awesome if you know were to look...

doug try one bowl towards town of the last place I saw you and run it up to the top end... DEEP AND FUN but don't tell anyone...

All I can say is In Fernie we can almost always find good snow if you know where the secret stashes are. (and that may be true every where but after all the years here I still find stashes that surprise me year after year.)

Could we see pics of so called bumper deep or knee deep snow that you have been riding? I having been thinking of riding fernie, but I have been getting mixed reviews about snow conditions. Pics are worth a thousand words.

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

So your snow plot is in wind loaded trees. And for all the people that don't get guided to areas like yours they come to ride 6 inches instead.

OK Jvl we get it, Fernie sucks and people who can have fun in less than 2 feet of powder are lying to tourists to get them into Fernie so they will have such a horrible time they will never come back and will bad mouth the area to other possible tourists.

We found the same knee deep snow last weekend and used the set up conditions to explore and found some riding that there was not a single track. I had a great day. I guess your opinion of good riding is just different than ours.

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

Could we see pics of so called bumper deep or knee deep snow that you have been riding? I having been thinking of riding fernie, but I have been getting mixed reviews about snow conditions. Pics are worth a thousand words.

Here is a vid I posted from last weekend. It has not warmed up in Fernie so the snow will be much the same. I did not make the video fancy, simply posted some clips to show the different conditions. The 40 second mark is pretty close to knee deep and the base under the fresh was soft enough to carve into.

Morrissey Feb 1st 14 - YouTube

 

[Jvl]

Look I know that you can have fun in almost all conditions. This whole conversation started when someone said to a regular poster that he should watch what he says about the conditions on a post about conditions. Because it can give the wrong impression to the people that aren't getting guided around to secret stashes. I'm on board that you can have fun sledding in low snow years. But I'm not trying to bring in clients and not going to say that the conditions are great when they're not. Also I saw that video when you posted, and thought that side of the rolling hills still needs more snow. But it looks like a fun line.

 

[moyiesledhead]

Holy crap! WTF happened to this thread while I was on Netflix?

 

[Weirboondocking]

lol no kidding

 

[Marley]

Yes, there are good spots and the snow is a little below average and as Andy says, a little below last year at this time. It is surprising, but if you have been reading this thread, here is the chart again. John, it is not a "very low snow pack this year"......We have had a lot of riders this year with not a lot of new fresh and the tracks are obviously not covered up and everyone is exploring the easy stuff. Grooming Friday night, I saw lots of tree riding with untracked fresh on the McEvoy. There are more tracks there than most years so even those secret stashes have been explored.

View attachment 166986

The graph simply shows that we are in the normal range but what is outstanding is that this year is showing flat for roughly a month - good start but we are not having the regular and mostly consistent dumps of snow that we would have in most years.
Last time out was spring like snow but cold winter temperatures.
Damn Russians screwing with the weather for the sub-tropical located winter Olympics...

 

[moyiesledhead]

The graph simply shows that we are in the normal range but what is outstanding is that this year is showing flat for roughly a month - good start but we are not having the regular and mostly consistent dumps of snow that we would have in most years.

"Normal" is kind of subjective too. Morrisey Ridge is the average from 1983 to present, but the next closest on Moyie goes back to 1971. Very similar historical weather patterns, but different "normals".

 

[rnygaard]

I have only been to Fernie a few times, reading the posts some said the conditions were bad! Our outfit went anyways; we found good snow, fernie is a big area, I think the people that bad mouth it have no sense of adventure(the notch and back).

 

[ferniesnow]

I like the Notch and the Notch is good! The trees are well spaced......:d

 

[LUCKY 7]

I agree with Ferniesnow as the area is good for the families or for the more aggressive riders.

 

[takethebounce]

I blame all the tracks in the secret stashes on all the XM's out there. Making average riders good.

sent from a top secret location

 

[jhard]

I blame all the tracks in the secret stashes on all the XM's out there. Making average riders good.

sent from a top secret location

I think you ment to say Polaris is making average riders good!!lmfao

 

[takethebounce]

I think you ment to say Polaris is making average riders good!!lmfao

Actually I think Polaris makes good riders even better.

Finally snow coming for the Koots.

sent from a top secret location