Fernie advice
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Submitted by nzboarder on Tue, 16/06/2009 - 12:52am.
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Posts: 1
Joined: 16-06-2009 |
Hey, Was just wondering what you guys could tell me about what the fields like? general weather/snow conditions? the town? how easy it is to find work? and costs of living etc. We'll be coming over late November, will this be to late to find work? Also my friend is coming back to New Zealand around late january, what are snow conditions usually like at that time of year? From what I've read there is no park up Fernie? and the resort isn't the best place to work? are there other jobs around town that can be had? I've read alot about Fernie on the internet and books, most of it positive, in fact the majority of bad things I've seen have been from these forums. Is Fernie really becoming as bad as some people make it out to be? How does it compare to Big White? Thanks in advance to those that reply. |
Joined: 23-10-2007
A good buddy of mine, a CASI 3 snowboard instructor, who was going to Fernie since I persuaded him to give a season there a whirl back in 2001 has now switched away mainly because of the management of the hill, the rocketing prices, the withdrawal of the park, the lack of on-hill facilities, the lifts, the list goes on. He's now emigrating from the UK to live in BC full-time.... but is heading for Big White. He's not the first of my friends to switch allegiance from Fernie to Big White because of the hill.
Fernie's snow is awesome, the terrain is awesome, the town is awesome, the people in town are awesome, the community is awesome, the customer-facing staff on the hill are generally awesome, the dudes who drives the cats and plough and maintain the hill are awesome - everything about Fernie is utterly fantastic.... except everything negative you've read here about RCR which in the main is all true and pretty much the way it is.
You're probably reading negative stuff only here because this is the only forum used a lot by people who actually live in Fernie and who have witnessed the changes brought about on the hill over the last decade.
Joined: 18-05-2008
snoboardr
who is your buddy that is the CASI level 3?
Mabye I know him?
Joined: 18-05-2008
Having been an employee of the resort for the past 10 years
the manangement of the hill
is no worse or better anywhere else in BC, in my opinion.
Joined: 10-06-2007
come on over for the season you will have a great time ,
if you don,t , skip it the following season
Joined: 24-11-2007
Endlessly knocking RCR while saying how awesome everything else is, is hardly doing any favours to the people and place you find awesome.
I've skiied in most countries in the world, and the favourite place I have ever skiied is still Fernie. True, there's no park, and if you want that obviously don't come here. Otherwise, if you want great snow, terrain and uncrowded lifts and slopes, Fernie's hard to beat. Sure there's plenty that could be improved, and always will be, wherever you are.
Joined: 04-06-2006
as long as you limit your interactions with RCR itself (i.e only buy your pass, pick it up and ride the lifts) you will have an awesome time in Fernie.
by avoiding working for them, buying their food or other non-essential riding items and activities you will maximize your pleasure.
Joined: 17-06-2009
do you/ have you worked for RCR? I have in the past, and having nothing but good memories of it. In fact, working there actually enables you to be able to buy food and other non-essential riding items with their staff discounts. Not a career job, but perfect to enjoy a ski bum season.
Joined: 30-03-2008
i'm with ski bum on this. skied all around and choose to live in fernie.
most people's complaints about RCR come from RCR not running the ski area the way they think it should be run. and most of those folks have never run a ski area, so their actual basis for making the complaint is rather limited.
the skiing's great. this year fernie had a low snow year and we still had great skiing all year. to RCR's credit, they groomed and groomed and farmed the snow so we had a great year. without their effort, it would have been a really nasty year.
Joined: 03-06-2008
I don't understand people like snoboardr, who continually feel like the hill owes them something, continually complain how bad RCR is and how great such and such is, but still buy a pass and ski here every year. It makes no sense to me. Buy a pass, and then dis RCR on every forum that allows them to. And try to convince people to go somewhere else. Maybe the people that should be going somewhere else are the ones complaining how bad the ski hill is. Whats the number one complaint. Price of a lift ticket? Even at $1000 for a season pass, if you use it 20 times...thats $50 dollars a day.. try going golfing for $50.. If you become a RCR employee you get a 40% discount at the daylodge.. and you don't pay the chill charge on beer at the mountain pantry.. This is my 12th season at RCR. I've gotten a raise every year without asking for it. My benefits increase every year with out asking.. they gave me an aprentiship ... paid for all my schooling.. and are now paying me one of the highest rates for lift mechanics in the industry.. RCR has only done good things for me, and for that I would recomend working for them for sure.. If you figured out who the people that are on here slaging RCR, you will relalize they have a biased view, and everything they say on here is not true.. rnelson was banned for life, although they did let him buy a pass last year, after he stole from them by using his friends pass while wearing a full face helmet the year he was banned..snoboardr is mad they don't have underground heating people movers to saftely move people around the hill...gag me!
http://www.ourfernie.com/forums/killing-people-ski-hill-road
and want all Albertians(the reason we're open) to go home http://www.ourfernie.com/forums/if-you-go-hill-today So I would say, come to Fernie, be a lifty... and you'll have a blast... I am at least 90% sure you won't be sorry you did...
Joined: 06-05-2007
I guess it depends on what you are going to compare Fernie to. If you are riding the small club fields in NZ ( that's where I went when I was there), Fernie is going to seem big and commercial. If you are used to the larger commercial fields I imagine lots of things are similar. I've ridden in Fernie for several season and met and lived with lots of Kiwis in that time. Not one of them was truly disappointed in their Fernie experience. Some of them had a harder time than others and sometimes that was their own doing, not the town or the hill's fault. Some of them have loved it so much they stayed here for good.
The hill and town usually have their job fair in October or early November. I think that is too early, but since that's when they hold it, it must work for them. In the past few years there have been jobs open after the hiring fair, maybe not the prime ones, but I'm pretty sure all the seasonal entry level jobs pay the same anyway. There is usually a lot of job shuffling that goes on as the year goes on and I'm sure you can move around if you want.
Generally the weather here is great! We get a ton of snow and it stays at a fairly reasonable temperature for most of the winter. It is more likely to be too warm than too cold in my experience. January is a great time to ride here because the crowds that come for christmas and new years have gone and it can be really quiet on the hill. The snow can be a bit mediocre at that time of year, but that is only by Fernie standards!
My advice is to focus on why you are here: riding, having fun, making friends and learning about Canada (the reasons why I am a ski tourist). If your job sucks, you decide you hate RCR, you don't find a bar you like, you share a room with 4 smelly dudes, you get an STD (wait, that never happens in ski towns!?!), whatever. It will be what you make of it.