Exploring Fernie’s Five Back Bowls
Tucked away deep in the Kootenay Rockies along the legendary Powder Highway, Fernie Alpine Resort holds a unique reputation in the ski world.
Authentic in its presentation and rowdy under the surface, it stands out for deep snow and serious alpine terrain. That reputation comes to life in Fernie’s five alpine bowls: Siberia, Timber, Currie, Lizard and Cedar, each offering a distinct personality, and style.
Spread across the headwall of the Lizard Range, these bowls drop away into long, sweeping fall lines. The skiing ranges from approachable intermediate lines into wide open powder fields and demanding expert descents.
Fernie’s back bowls are what put this place on the map but they take time to explore. The resort is massive and reaching each bowl requires multiple chairlifts. Knowing how each area differs can help make the most out of your trip.
This guide breaks down access points, terrain profiles, notable runs and planning tips to help you experience all five bowls
Siberia Bowl
- Access: Timber Quad / short hike
- Flavour: Deep snow, groomed runs & gladed heaven
- Ability Level: Intermediate & Advanced
On the far left of the map lies Siberia Bowl. One of the resort’s quietest areas. It’s an excellent place to enjoy some mellow groomers or hike up Siberia Ridge to find stashes of powder amongst glades and chutes.
From the Timber Chair, ski left to drop into Shooting Star or take a short hike up the ridge for access to the main gladed zones here. The fall line is smooth, consistent and presents some of the most scenic views on the map.
Runs like Siberia Ride Chutes and Mars offer advanced skiers something exciting you can access right from the first chairlift of the day. For those who don’t immediately head to Currie Bowl, this is a great starting point for the day.
Timber Bowl
- Access: Timber Bowl & White Pass Chair
- Flavour: Natural features, open glades, winding runs.
- Ability Level: Intermediate & advanced
Sheltered from the high winds higher up, this is where deep powder builds up. There’s a blend of groomed runs, playful features, gladed zones, rollers and sendy drops. While Fernie doesn’t have a traditional terrain park, this zone is where you can find an abundance of natural features.
Pillow Talk about Secret Stash holds some really fun lines through more mellow ridgelines often loaded with snow. Falling star is a free-flowing groomed run that traverses across the bowl great for groups and families.
To access Timber Bowl, take the Timber Bowl Express for the lower part of the bowl or tack on White Pass Quad to hit the highest part of the Timber Bowl.
Currie Bowl & Polar Peak
- Access: White Pass Chair & Polar Peak
- Flavour: Big mountain terrain, technical lines, glades, long runs
- Ability Level: Advanced & expert
Ah the Currie Bowl. Fernie’s most iconic bowl and home of the “Currie 500” during pow days. Where people line up and frantically mob down the cat-track once patrol drops the rope. It’s chaos but nab an early lead and you’ll encounter some of the best black runs on the map.
A solid mix of advanced terrain sits below the Currie Headwall, accessed via Polar Peak. The fall line here is consistently steep, dominated by with double-black terrain with a handful of triple-black lines off the headwall.
Over on the West Side, you’ll encounter blind entrances, seriously steep chutes, rocks, mandatory cliffs and drops as you ski through headwall territory. Polar Peak and Currie Headwall are only for the most extreme and self arrest knowledge is extremely important here.
As you move below Polar Peak into Currie Bowl, terrain turns into tree islands, more steep chutes and sneaky powder stashes. There’s a slightly more gentle pitch here but technical nonetheless. Concussion and Alpha Centauri on the far side of the bowl are local gems which spit you out into the guts of the bowl.
Currie Bowl is no short of epic but it takes time to lap here. From base to peak, it’s 3 chairlifts and these are long runs.
Lizard Bowl
- Access: Elk Chair, Great Bear, Boomerang & White Pass (Currie Entrance)
- Flavour: Skier-friendly greens and blues, scenic, wild ridgeline
- Ability Level: All abilities
The Lizard Bowl offers the most variety on the map. Ascend the Elk Chair and Great Bear Express to access the many gentle greens and blues in Lizard's broad open bowl. For the advanced skier, hit North America's most unconventional tire run and other gnarly double blacks from the Currie Bowl entrance.
Bear run is one of the resort’s best groomed runs. It’s wide, boasts a consistent fall line great for laying out carves and can be lapped in fast succession. Corner Pocket on the far left, is the infamously quirky steep chute lined with car tires. Any of the runs along this ridgeline, 93-96 are all spicy chutes entrances into the bowl for expert-level skiers.
Lower in the bowl, there’s a variety of groomed runs and mogul fields. It’s serviced by a triple chair which whisks you back to Bear run.
Cedar Bowl
- Access: Great Bear, Boomerang & Haul Back T-Bar
- Flavour: Mellow bowls, gentle glades, sneaky powder
- Ability Level: Strong Intermediate & advanced
On the far right of the map lies Cedar Bowl, a quiet zone with a spunky personality. Standing at the top, it looks like you can go anywhere but you don’t know where you’ll end up. Accessed by the Great Bear Express, it’s a one-run special given it takes 3 lifts to get back to the tip.
Blue runs near the top funnel into natural rollers and pipes near the bottom while venturing towards the far ends of the resort offer a sneaky reward. The forests of Snake Ridge get windloaded. It’s a prime location for some of the resort’s best gladed skiing days after a big dump.
Ready to Visit?
Under Fernie’s laid-back exterior is a resort with a quirky character and terrain that rewards those willing to explore it. From mellow laps in Lizard to the headwall charging intensity of Currie and Polar Peak, there’s enough variety to keep visitors entertained for days.
To start building your trip, explore our Fernie Trip Planner loaded with local knowledge. When it comes to where to stay, our accommodation page will help you find the right base for easy access. For Fernie’s best ski-in-ski-out location, Snow Creek Lodge keeps you close to the action.
Fernie might not shoot for attention but once you experience its bowl terrain and uncover the legend of the Griz, this place grows on you.