10 Best Beginner Ski Runs @ Fernie Alpine Resort!

Having learned to ski as an adult, I remember just how intimidating it can be to turn up at a new resort without a guide. Nothing’s worse than spending all day getting lost and being scared by runs far above your ability level.

As a Fernie local and a ski instructor, I decided to make this beginner ski and snowboard guide to Fernie Alpine Resort to help save you the guesswork. The runs below are split into “Beginner” and “Novice” and go step by step through the best beginner runs on the mountain from easiest to hardest. Once you feel like you’ve mastered this list, move on to the intermediate runs here.

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Quick Summary

Here you’ll find a progressive list of the best beginner runs in Fernie, listed from easiest to hardest. You can follow it step by step to enjoy a gradual increase in difficulty with each run you take. That being said, you should always make sure you’re comfortable (enough) on each run before progressing to the next to avoid any mishaps.

📍Learning Zone:	Mini Moose
🟢 1st Beginner Trail:	Meadow
🟦 1st Novice Trail:	Holo Hike
😃Most Fun:	Giggly Gully → Incline Trail

Best Ski Runs for Beginners at Fernie Alpine Resort

This list is intended for skiers and snowboarders who have mastered stopping and turning in control. You should also be ready to ride your first chair lift.

If you have never been on a chair lift before, make sure to get a lesson or ask the lift attendant for directions before getting in line. It’s better for everyone if you take the time to learn what to do in advance than get hit by a chair and hold up the whole line (or worse).

1. Meadow 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Deer Chair

The Deer Chair takes you up to Fernie Alpine Resort’s Lower Mountain area, which is the perfect place to try your skill on a longer run with the comfort of knowing this terrain is designed for beginners.

After you reach the top, turn left off the chairlift for the easiest access to the Meadow run. This is usually where ski instructors take their first timers, so you know that you’re all in the same boat.

At the very beginning of the trail, you’ll come across a moderate hill that can seem quite intimidating, but I promise it’s not as bad as it looks. Just go slow, make big turns and stay in control, you’ll be fine. Once that is out of the way, this run is super mellow and extra wide, making it perfect for your first run. The Meadow comes out right back at the base of the Deer Chair, so you’re ready for your next run!

2. Bambi 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Deer Chair

This time you’re going to go right off the top of the Deer Chair onto Deer Trail, which is a mostly flat cat track. Quite soon after leaving the lift, you’ll see a sign for Bambi on your right-hand side. Much like Meadow, Bambi is extra wide and fairly mellow. That being said, Bambi is a little steeper than Meadow, so you’ll be challenging yourself to stay in control while making quicker turns.

3. Incline 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Deer Chair

Next in the same Lower Mountain area is Incline (not to be confused with Incline Trail). Take the Deer Chair up and exit to the right. Follow Deer trail passed Bambi (the previous run) and drop down the next trail on your right.

Incline runs parallel to Bambi and is much the same as what you have just done. The main difference is that the steepness of the terrain is more consistent, meaning you really need to be in control at all times.

4. Elk 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Elk Quad

Now you’re ready for a bigger chair! From the base of the Deer Chair, ski passed the Mighty Moose Learning Area and continue down to the Elk Chair. The Elk Chair is a 4-seater chair and a bit longer, meaning you get a more comfortable ride and a little longer of a ski run.

The first run you should take on the Elk Chair will be Elk (go figure). This is the big, wide run that you will see to your right when riding the chair lift. Turn right off the top of the lift and follow it all the way down to the base area.

There’s not much to worry about on the Elk, the run is just as mellow in terrain as the trails you’ve already done, it’s just a bit longer, which may get the legs burning!

5. Holiday (via Elk Run) 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Elk Quad

Back on the Elk Quad Chair, go the same way you did on your previous lap, starting on the Elk run. About halfway down, you’ll see a sign on the left of the run or Holiday, turn down here.

This will be your first taste of a “normal” ski run. While it’s still more than wide enough for a beginner, Holiday is going to feel a bit narrower than you have been used to so far. So if you have been having trouble turning exactly where you planned, keep practicing until you feel you have enough control to do moderate turns (half the width of Elk Run or less).

Best Runs for Novice Skiers and Snowboarders

Once you’ve got control over turning and stopping on wide and mellow runs, it’s time to introduce some more varied terrain. The runs below each have more challenging features to master, so make sure you still feel comfortable before progressing.

6. Holo Hike 🟦

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Elk Quad

Even though Holo Hike is officially a blue, I don’t feel that it is too much harder than the runs you’ve already done if you have been following my beginner list.

From the top of the Elk Chair, turn right at the top of the chair and look across the run, you should see the sign for Holo Hike practically at the top.

Holo Hike has a couple of short sections that will be steeper than you are used to, but overall, the gradient is pretty mellow. The good thing about this trail is that because the steeper sections are fairly short, you’ll have time to re-gather yourself in between. There are also some fun bridges that you get to ski underneath towards the end (don’t worry, you don’t need to duck).

7. Dipsy → Lizard 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Elk Quad

Finally, it’s time to turn left off the top of the Elk Quad.

The reason I’ve ranked this green run as harder than Holo Hike is that the very top section can be quite intimidating. This area is where trails of all abilities intersect, which means there are usually a lot of people going in different directions.

After turning left off the chair and crossing the plateau, you’ll be standing at the top of Dipsy. Dipsy consists of a steeper slope that funnels everyone into a narrow cat track. Because this area is so heavily used, it usually has large bumps towards the end of the day, so it’s best to try this for the first time earlier on in the day if possible.

While that probably sounds scary, this section is super short and will be over before you know it. Remember that you have the right of way over anyone skiing behind you. So don’t worry about holding anyone up, take your time, stay in control and ski within your abilities.

Once you’ve done the scary part of Dipsy, you’ll see the super wide, mellow Lizard run where you can relax all the way to the bottom.

8. Giggy Gully → Incline Trail 🟢

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Elk Quad

Now let’s add in some obstacles! Turn left off the chair and follow the same trail you just took on Dipsy, but instead of turning down the big wide Lizard run, continue on the Deer Trail cat track and round the corner. The first trail to your left is Giggle Gully.

This run is not always groomed but is fairly mellow, so it’s a good first run if you want to try powder skiing as a novice. That being said, skiing in powder is extremely different from groomed runs, so if you don’t feel confident yet, only try this one when it’s groomed.

While Giggly Gully is super wide, there are mountain bike trails buried under this run, which creates a lot of dips and bumps. If a lot of people have skied it that day, the mountain bike trails become a little like a luge track for skis. While this may sound easier that a regular run, for adults with long skis it can actually be quite tricky to slow down, so I recommend staying out of the track and skiing down the middle of the run. On the flip side, this “luge track” is super fun for kids with small skis as it’s much easier to maintain control for them.

This is probably my favourite run on this list, it’s super fun for skiers of all abilities.

You can see from the top that Giggly Gully meets back up with the wide Lizard run pretty quickly. What you may not be able to see is the narrower run that peels off to the right at the bottom of Giggly Gully. Take this for some fun up and downs – a bit like a ski roller coaster (don’t worry, it’s not scary).

9. Power Trip 🟦

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Elk Quad

Before we leave the Lower Mountain area, I’ve got one more fun challenge for you. Turning right off the top of the chairlift, don’t go down the hill, but come around next to the chairlift, and you should see a sign for Power Trip.

This trail is like a natural half pipe, and kids absolutely love it. While it is a fairly wide half pipe, you need to be sure you can ski in control before tackling this one, because by nature, a half pipe means you need to turn up and down hills.

10. Arrow 🟦 → Ballet 🟢

📍Area: Lizard Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair

Ready to go higher? We’re going to the Lizard Bowl in the upper mountain! To get here, you first need to take the Elk Quad Chair and turn right onto the Elk Run. A few hundred metres down, you will see a sign on your right, pointing you in the direction of the Bear Chair. This flat cat track takes you around a corner and straight to the Bear Chair load area.

You can also access this chair from a few other runs, but this is the most straightforward way to get there.

Once you reach the top of the Bear Chair, we’re going to turn left and take the first run down, which is Arrow.

Right from the top of the chair, you’re going to notice that the Lizzard Bowl is significantly steeper than the lower mountain. However, it’s still by far the most mellow bowl at Fernie, so I hope you’re ready for the challenge!

Arrow is the most chill of all the runs on this side and has a great variety of terrain, so you can pick your own adventure and try out side hills and off-camber turns. Once you hit the cat track at the bottom of the run, follow it down to your left, and this will lead you directly into Ballet, which is a cruisy green that deposits you at the top of the Elk Chair. From here, you can go directly back to the Bear chair for another upper mountain lap, or continue down to the base area.

11. Cascade (if groomed) 🟦

📍Area: Lizard Bowl
🚠 Access: Elk Quad & Bear Chair

For those of you who are keen for more, the next run I recommend you try in the Lizzard Bowl is Cascade. Even though I said that the runs go from easiest to hardest the further you get from the chair, Bow (the second run) is never groomed, so I recommend skipping this and going straight for Cascade if it is groomed.

Cascade is quite similar to Arrow, but a little more extrapolated. There’s even more varied terrain and an open, steep section towards the end.

Bonus: Meadow Trees 🟦 – For Kids

📍Area: Lower Mountain
🚠 Access: Deer Chair

You’ve already skied the Medow (first run on the beginner list), but did you notice the “Minute Maid Kid’s Trails” on your way down?

From the top of the Deer Chair, begin skiing down the Meadow just as you did before, but keep your eyes peeled on the sides of the runs for archways that mark the entrance.

These trails through the trees loop back and forwards using the mountain bike berms to create a ski “luge” track. The thing to know about these trails is that once you’re in them, there aren’t many exit points. Kids absolutely love these trails, and as long as they can stop in a pizza shape, they’re good to go.

There are two sets of Minute Maid trails, the first is on the left of the Meadow run just after you come around the first hill from the chair lift. These trees are a little steeper and tighter than the lower trails, so I recommend trying the lower ones first.

The lower tree trail starts on the left of the Meadow about halfway down, where all the other trails merge together.

Ready to tackle something a little more challenging? Check out my recommended trails for intermediate skiers and snowboarders here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Skiing for Beginners in Fernie

By now, you should be feeling much more confident about your upcoming ski or snowboard trip to Fernie! Remember, you can repeat trails as much as you need and even stop when you’ve had enough, it’s your trip!

For those of you who are still planning your vacation, check out all my other articles on Fernie for lots more tips. And remember to share this article with your ski friends so everyone is on the same page.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions, and I’d love to know how you found my list. I’m always open to making edits.

Happy skiing,

Kate

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