After a group of ski media tracked up Fernie Alpine Resort last March for a Helly Hansen gear test, the quest for more first tracks led to the new Fernie Wilderness Adventures. The intimate cat-skiing operation utilizes a 12-sq-km tenure full of open glades and secret stashes starting at about 2,200m and dropping more than 600 vertical metres each run. A 20-minute drive from the resort’s lifts will drop you at FWA’s cozy day lodge, where its 11-person cats start grinding up to the goods about an hour away in the alpine.

FWA offers cat-skiing that doesn’t break the bank, and some of its mellow terrain is perfectly suited for habitual lift-resort skiers who want their first taste of real powder. Spectacular scenery and a familial vibe, combined with pretty much first tracks every run, leaves a group contagiously giddy. ferniewildernessadventures.com

by STEVEN THRENDYLE in the Fall 2016 issue