INGHAMStook the brave step of becoming the first UKtour operator to introduce the relatively little known ski resort of Fernie to its 1998/1999 brochure.
According to its sales manager Laurence Hicks, the riskpaid off because the level of repeat bookings has been high.
“I can’t put a figure on it but I would say it would be higher than the norm,” he said.
Fernie is renowned in the Canadian Rockies for its large snow fall. It enjoys an average of 10 metres of snow a year, compared to the four metres that falls in most European ski resorts. And the snow is frequently of the powdery variety that experienced skiers love most.
All agents who took part in the Inghams educational agreed that the skiing in Fernie was excellent but said the resort itself needs significant development.
Thanks to an ú80m investment by its new owner Charlie Locke, the necessary development is now underway.
Locke already owns the well known Rockies’ resorts of Banff and Lake Louise and purchased Fernie in April 1997. As well as making significant investment in Fernie, he is spending an equal amount transforming the nearby ski resort of Kimberley. Both projects are scheduled to be completed within four years but some of the details have yet to be finalised.
The developments include new hotels, chalets, condominiums, retail outlets, restaurants and bars, plus the opening up of new ski areas.
Dave Watts, who is the Australian representative for Fernie, said the changes have been met with a mixed response from the locals. “But most people are welcoming it because they see the opportunities,” he said.
One problem at Fernie is that signposting and resort maps have not been clear enough and the ski runs are currently graded under a local system, rather than the internationally recognised system.
This has meant skiiers have found themselves on runs which are more difficult than they expect, but the resort has pledged to rectify this for the next ski season.
Agents on the trip said they would be happy to send ski enthusiasts to Fernie before the resort was revamped. But they said they would prefer to wait three or four years before recommending it to more mainstream clients who would demand all the usual apres ski facilities – as well as good skiing.
But Hicks said there are benefits for clients to experience the resort before it is developed.
“There will be no lift queues and more open space for skiing. There are advantages in going before and after. Fernie has tremendous potential, particularly for those advanced skiiers who are looking for new challenges in North America.”
n See In the Picture on page 52