14 Best Blue Runs for Intermediate Skiers @ Fernie Ski Resort!
No one wants to spend half their day starting at a trail map, trying to figure out where to ski within their ability level. And honestly, Fernie’s ski resort map is pretty confusing!
To help save you time and enjoy your ski trip, I put together this progressive list of the best runs in Fernie for intermediate skiers and snowboarders. I’ve lived in Fernie for 3 years now and even taught at the ski school here, so I know just the best spots to take anyone looking to practice their skills.
It’s worth noting that the upper mountain at Fernie is quite a lot more difficult than what you’ll find at other resorts around Canada. So if you’re not sure of your abilities, start with my novice trail guide.
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Contents
Quick Summary
Below is a list of the best blue and easy black runs in Fernie for intermediate skiers. The runs are listed from easiest to hardest and designed so you can easily get from one to the next (with directions).
For those of you wanting to try your hand at powder skiing in off-piste terrain, you’re in the right place! Fernie is known as one of the best resorts in Canada for powder skiing. All you have to do is pray to the Griz for a good dumping during your stay.
So if that’s what you’ve come to Fernie for, I’ve gathered the best off-piste trails to try in a special section at the end of this article. Each one has something a little unique, so you can easily try a range of different terrain and pick your favourite.
| 🟦Easiest Blue Run: | Holo Hike |
| ⯁Easiest Black Run: | Morning Glory |
| ⛷️Best Off-Piste: | Currie Glades |
| 😃Most Fun: | Facelift |
What does Intermediate Mean in Fernie?
“Intermediate” is by far the hardest category to define, as it really does mean something different to everyone. Not only does it vary by person, but also by resort. Something that I can say with confidence is that Fernie is not an easy mountain. In fact, many of the blue runs in Fernie would be labelled as black runs in other ski resorts.
So, for an overall rule, if you’ve never skied a black run before, you probably fall into the novice category at Fernie. And even if you’ve skied a few easy blacks at other resorts, I would start on the blues of this list and see how you feel. Fernie doesn’t really have any groomed black runs, so you should be pretty confident with off-piste before heading onto the black runs here.
If you aren’t sure of your abilities, start with my list of beginner and novice trails to get a gauge of Fernie’s unique terrain.
I honestly think that Fernie isn’t a great mountain for true intermediate skiers, as there is quite a big jump in difficulty between the easy blues of the lower mountain and the much more difficult runs in the upper mountain. That being said, if you’re brave and want to push your own boundaries while diving deep into off-piste terrain, this is exactly the place to come!
NOTE: Grooming (or lack thereof) impacts these trails a lot. The progression below is ranked under the assumption that the trails have been groomed the night before. Check the grooming report in the morning and skip any of the ungroomed trails if you are not confident. For those of you who want to go off piste, I’ve included a list of intermediate-friendly powder runs at the end.
Trail Progression for Intermediate Skiers and Snowboarders
This is a list of the best blue and easy black trails for intermediate skiers. You should already be comfortable and skiing in control on easy blue runs before starting this list. If you’re not quite sure, start with my list of novice trails before attempting the intermediate ones.
The access listed in this article is from the base area. Some of the runs (such as those in the Cedar Bowl) can be accessed via other lifts if already in the area.
1. Bear 🟦
📍Area: Lizard Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair
Head up the Elk Quad and onto the Great Bear Express Chair. From the top, turn right, and the Bear run will be directly in front of you, heading down the fall line (don’t take the narrow cat track along the ridge).
TOP TIP: This run gets full sun in the morning and then full shade in the afternoon, which means it can get extremely icy, but also extremely bumpy on the busy days. It’s a good idea to have a look at the conditions of the run from the chair lift before committing (the run will be on your right).
Other than the changing conditions, Bear Run is a wide, groomed run that goes straight down the fall line. Overall, a pretty straightforward run that takes you to the top of the Elk Chair. However, this run can feel super steep when it’s icy. Even I avoid the Bear Run when it’s sheet ice!
If you start making your way down but decide that it’s too difficult, head to the right of the run where you can pick up Tower 6 Trail (a green cat track) instead.
2. Dancer → China Might 🟦
📍Area: Lizard Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair
Take another lap on the Bear Chair, and this time turn left at the top. Follow the Lizzard Traverse cat track all the way until the end, where it intersects with Dancer.
Dancer is another run that is almost always groomed and has a steep fall line. But it’s short and sweet with some interesting off-camber sections. At the bottom of the run, the trail goes across a rather flat section heading back to the top of the Elk Chair. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, continue on to China Might, which takes you to the same place but continues following the fall line.
NOTE: This run isn’t really worth it for snowboarders, as the traverse across the top of the bowl is very flat. You’ll need a lot of speed to get all the way to the end without unstrapping.
3. 100% → Silver Lining 🟦
📍Area: Timber Bowl
🚠 Access: Timber Chair
Hopefully your legs are warmed up because it’s time to head to Timber Bowl for some longer runs! If you’re following my progression and coming from the Lizard Bowl, make sure to pick up Deer Trail at the top of the Elk Chair and follow it across to the Timber Chair at the base.
From the top of the Timber Chair, you’re going to turn right and take 100%. This run is a highly trafficked cat track that nearly everyone uses to access the White Pass chair, so be prepared for it to be quite busy.
100% takes you underneath a chairlift and then intersects with a run called Highline. Cross the run and continue on the 100% cat track until it intersects with another run, Silver Lining. The reason I recommend starting on Silver Lining rather than Highline is that it is the less popular option of the two (since it’s a little further out of the way). This means you’ll usually find better conditions and fewer people here. Silver Lining will introduce a few more contours to your route with a couple of concave sections of piste while still remaining fairly mellow, perfect for an intermediate skier.
TOP TIP: Keep your speed around the corner at the bottom of Silver Lining. Even skiers will need a lot of speed to get all the way along the flat cat track at the bottom, which brings you to the White Pass Chair.
4. Heartland → 100% → Highline 🟦
📍Area: Timber Bowl
🚠 Access: Timber Chair & White Pass Quad
Welcome to the (almost) top of the mountain! After riding the White Pass chair, you’ll be at 1,925 m (6,312 ft), which is the highest point most people reach at Fernie. While Polar Peak is technically higher than this, it’s all double black terrain and rarely open, so I’m not counting it for now.
Turn left off the top of Whitepass, and follow the cat track (Falling Star) along the top of the bowl.
TOP TIP: Make sure you keep your speed, as there are a few sections of this cat track that go up!
After traversing the cat track for a few hundred meters, you should see the sign for Heartland on your left. Heartland is usually (but not always) groomed so you can have a look from here and decide if you’re feeling ready. If it’s not groomed or you’re not feeling confident, continue following Falling Star back to the top of the Timber Chair instead.
We’re only going to do the top part of Heartland until it intersects with 100%. There’s plenty of fun side hits here if you’re up for an adventure, but the main part of the run is probably enough of a challenge for most intermediate skiers.
The second half of Heartland is a lot steeper, which is why I recommend you turn left onto 100% and take it to Highlign (the first intersecting run) to get back to White Pass load.
5. Falling Star 🟦
📍Area: Siberia Bowl
🚠 Access: Timber Chair & White Pass Quad
Read for your legs to burn? This is the longest run on the mountain (5 km/3 mi), Falling Star, and we’re finally doing it top to bottom.
Turn left off the top of the White Pass chair and remember to keep your speed along the cat track as we’re going all the way to the end. You’ll probably need to skate at least once (I do too) to get all the way across the top of the Timber bowl, but as soon as you hit the wider section of Falling Star, you’ll be back on track.
The majority of Falling Star is just like an average Blue run, but it’s looooong! My legs always burn, and I often have to take a break partway down at the beginning of the ski season. To make it a little more challenging, about halfway down it gets quite steep and often mogully (right where your legs are starting to die). To finish it all off, we have quite a long (but not too flat) cat track to get back to the base area.
TOP TIP: If you weren’t 100% comfortable on the previous run, do 100% → Summer Road → Timer Trail to get back down to the base area instead of Falling Star. There are no Blue Runs from the bottom of the Whitepass.
6. Currie Powder → Gilmar 🟦
📍Area: Currie Bowl
🚠 Access: Timber Chair & White Pass Quad
Back to the top of the mountain and onto a new bowl. Turning right off the White Pass, you will see the powder-filled Currie Bowl in all its glory. This is my favourite bowl at Fernie Alpine Resort!
As with many trails in Fernie, we’re beginning with a cat track across the top of the bowl (this is the beginning of Currie Powder). Continuing following it down and around until it opens up into a large flat area, this is where Currie Powder turns into a real run.
NOTE: Currie Powder is often, but not always, groomed. If you haven’t done much off-piste skiing, I would advise avoiding it on a powder day, as it quickly turns into a large, steep mogul field.
When it’s groomed, this is a super fun run with varied steepness throughout. If you’re feeling up to it, you might even want to try tucking in and out of the trees on the right-hand side of the run.
When you reach the base of the bowl where all the trails join into a large plateau, look for the sign that indicates Gilmar Trail to your left. This is a narrow and highly trafficked run that will take you back to the base area, but it’s the best way down.
7. Cruiser / Cedar Center→ Tuckout 🟦
📍Area: Cedar Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair
Last but not least for this section, we’re heading to Cedar Bowl. From the base area, you’ll need to take the Elk and Bear Chairs. When you get off the Bear Chair, you will see a small, groomed hill straight ahead. Walk up here and strap in at the top, this cat track traverses the top of Cedar Bowl and is the easiest way to access this terrain. Depending on the day, the entrance to Cedar Bowl can be quite intimidating, but once you’ve passed the first 10 meters, it gets much better, trust me!
NOTE: For the most part, Cedar Bowl is actually less steep than Currie Bowl. The reason I have put it lower in this progressive list is that it’s not groomed as often, and accessing this area can be a little tricky.
The top sections of Cruiser and Cedar Center are pretty similar in difficulty, so you can pick whichever run is groomed most recently, or try both! All the upper trails in Cedar Bowl end at a flat trail that traverses to your right, leading you to Tuckout. If you took Cedar Center, you may notice that it continues across and down past tuckout, but don’t try this just yet. It’s a steep, mogully black run and is never any fun.
Tuckout will take you to the bottom of the Haul Back T-Bar. After riding the Haul Back, to get back to the village, you’ll need to ski the lower section of North Ridge (dark blue run) to the Boom Chair, which will take you back up to the top of the Lizard Bowl / Bear Chair top.
TOP TIP: If you aren’t feeling confident in your ability or don’t want to ride a T-Bar, take View Trail instead of Tuckout. This is a cruisy, flat green cat track that goes under the Haul Back T-Bar and deposits you at the bottom of Boom Chair.
Intermediate Off-Piste Runs
Off-piste skiing is where Fernie Alpine Resort really shines! If you want to continue progressing your skiing or snowboarding, this is the point where it’s time to take the plunge into powder skiing (if you haven’t already).
NOTE: Off-piste runs are a little harder to rank in terms of difficulty and progression because there are so many factors to consider. I’ve done my best to rank them from easiest to hardest and give good descriptions, but with this type of skiing, snow conditions, and personal preference have a big impact.
8. Bow 🟦
📍Area: Lizard Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair
If you’ve already skied other runs in Lizard Bowl like Arrow or Dancer, Bow is the perfect first off-piste run for you. It’s rarely groomed but still just as wide and intermediate-friendly as the other runs in Lizzard Bowl.
Turn left off the top of Bear Chair and drop down the second run on your left, Bow. There’s not much else to say except try your best!
Another reason I recommend starting on Bow is that if you feel that you’re not quite ready after your first few turns, you only need to make it down the first third before you’ll hit the Tower 6 Trail cat track that will bring you safely to the top of the Elk Chair.
9. Meadow Trees 🟦
📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Deer Chair
I’ve actually already talked about the Meadow Trees in my beginner’s guide to Fernie Alpine Resort, as technically, the meadow is green. However, I only recommend it for beginner children. Adults should wait until they are at the intermediate level to try these trails.
There are two trails through the trees that branch off from the Main Meadow run in the lower mountain called the Minute Maid trails. In the summer, these are mountain bike trails that become like a luge track through the trees for skiers and snowboarders in the winter.
You’ll find the first trail on the left of the Meadow run, just after the first hill from the chair lift. The lower tree trail starts on the left of the Meadow about halfway down, where all the other trails merge together.
NOTE: The upper trail is a little steeper and tighter than the lower trail, so I recommend trying the lower ones first.
10. Facelift 🟦
📍Area: Lizzard
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair & Hike
Unfortunately, Facelift is not open very often, but when it is, it’s absolutely the place to go for intermediate skiers or snowboarders wanting to get their first chance at a legendary face shot!
From the top of the Bear Chair, you’ll need to turn left and ski a few meters down the cat track. On your right, you’ll see a break in the fence and a sign pointing up the hill. Unstrap, get comfy and start hiking.
Whenever facelift is open, there is usually a line of people hiking up to the top, so it should be easy to spot. Once you reach the end of the footprints (and the top of the hill), it’s best to traverse a little further away from the lift for the best lines before dropping wherever takes your fancy.
Most of this terrain is pretty mellow with a low angle and minimal trees, but there are some dips to look out for. Other than that, enjoy the powder! Since it’s rarely open, snow accumulates here throughout the season, which means you will usually get knee-deep pow at the minimum. Facelift ends when you get back onto the Lizard Traverse cat track so you can pick your favourite run down from here.
11. Cedar Glades 🟦
📍Area: Cedar Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair
Between Cruiser and Cedar Center (the two runs we talked about earlier in Cedar Bowl), you’ll find a tree island with unlimited possibilities.
This is a great place to try out gladed tree skiing for the first time, because, unlike the Meadow Trees, there are no bike tracks here to guide you. The reason I picked Cedar Glades to introduce you to tree skiing is that it’s easy to get in and out at any time if you are finding it too difficult.
Once you reach the plateau, take the same run as before (Tuckout) to get to the bottom of the Haulback T-Bar.
12. Currie Glades ⯁ → Down Right 🟦
📍Area: Cedar Bowl
🚠 Access: Timber Chair & White Pass Quad
These are some of my favourite glades in the whole of Fernie. And in the spirit of not gatekeeping, I’m sharing them with you!
From the top of the White Pass chair, turn right and head into Currie Bowl. Currie Glades can be found in the tree between Down Right and Currie Powder (#6 on the list above). The most straightforward way to get here is to ski Down Right and stay on the left of the run. When the tree island starts, this is where you should duck into the trees.
TOP TIP: This gladed area is steeper and narrower than the Cedar Glades. There are also a couple of cliffs deep into the trees that you will need to avoid. Stay close to Down Right for the easiest path through the glades, and to keep your ability to exit at any moment.
13. Morning Glory ⯁
📍Area: Siberia Bowl
🚠 Access: Timber Chair
Morning Glory is a local’s favourite on a powder day, so make sure to head here early!
Take the Timber chair and go straight off the top towards Falling Star. As you come around the first corner, keep an eye out on your left for a little path into the trees; this is where you can access Morning Glory.
After following the narrow path for a few meters, the trees will open up into a large powder field. While there are small groups of trees in here, it’s much more open than the gladed areas I have already talked about, so it really is a choose your own adventure time. Wherever you drop in Morning Glory, it funnels you back to Falling Star, which you can take all the way to the base area.
TOP TIP: After you come into the clearing, you can continue traversing for quite a while. However, the terrain gets steeper the further you traverse, so head downhill whenever you find a section that takes your fancy.
14. Freeway ⯁
📍Area: Lizard Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair
In the summer, Freeway is a large riverbed that runs the length of the mountain. In the winter, this frozen river bed becomes a full natural half pipe!
From the top of the Bear Chair, take the Lizard traverse to the left of the chair lift all the way to the end, where it merges with Dancer. About halfway down Dancer, stay to the right and you will see the half pipe between the run and the mountain.
It’s easiest to enter here at the top of Freeway as the walls get steeper as you go. It’s also important to note that when you’re in Freeway, there isn’t really any way out but down. But don’t worry, it’s a very wide half pipe and you can do pretty moderate turns for most of the way.
IMPORTANT: When you reach the bottom of the first “halfpipe”, you will see a path on the left that allows you to exit the run onto China Might. Take this as the bottom section of Freeway becomes a lot steeper, narrower and more technical.
Frequently Asked Questions about Intermediate Sking in Fernie
Is Fernie Ski Hill good for Intermediate skiers and snowboarders?
While Fernie is not the best mountain for intermediate skiers, it does have plenty of blue terrain and great off-piste runs to push your limits.
What is the easiest Blue Run at Fernie Alpine Resort?
The easiest blue run at Fernie is Holo Hike, which is more like a green trail.
What is the best off-piste run at Fernie for intermediate skiers?
Currie Glades is the best off-piste run for intermediate skiers at Fernie Alpine Resort.
What is the easiest Black run at Fernie?
Morning Glory is the easiest black run at Fernie, however it is not groomed, so conditions can vary greatly.
As you may have gathered by now, for scaredy cat skiers like me, Fernie is not the best place in the world to progress as an intermediate skier. However, if you are on the higher end of intermediate, it sure is the best place to push your limits and start exploring the world of off-piste skiing!
I tried to write this list with a true progression in mind, so there aren’t any huge leaps in difficulty from one run to the next. But if you think I missed your favourite run, let me know in the comments below.
And for those of you who’ve already mastered these trails, make sure to check out my list of advanced and expert runs here or check out my other articles on visiting Fernie. There is so much more to explore at Fernie when you start to get comfortable with steeps, powder and moguls, so try to practice in as many different conditions as possible!
Happy skiing,
Kate
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Related Posts
➜ Where to Stay in Fernie – Local’s Complete Accommodation Guide
➜ First Time Skiing Fernie? Local’s Complete Beginner Guide
➜ Fernie’s Best Advanced Terrain – Runs That’ll Test Your Skills
➜ Everything You NEED to Know About Fernie Ski Resort – a Local’s Guide
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