A great area if you’re looking for an early season or mid-winter powder lap ski touring spot around Fernie. Bring a 4×4 and radio programmed to RR2. You might have to contend with some sled traffic early season, but tends to be much quieter mid-winter if lumber prices are high and the road is plowed!
Find the parking spot at 44.5km on the Lodgepole/Harvey FSR located at 49°16.917′, -114°42.550′. The parking area is around 1800m!
The sequence of FSRs is as follows: Morrissey turnoff from highway 3, Lower Morrissey FSR, River Extension FSR, Lodgepole FSR, Harvey FSR.
From the parking area, skin SW along an obvious road/sled track for 1.5 hours, through a burn that occurred in 2017. This skin will bring you to a ridge feature (Curveball Ridge?) at the end of the valley with some great powder laps. Dropping off the other side of the ridge also gives you a ton of options to ski for the day (Gasoline Alley). On the way back, you can either drop down into the valley and ski out the sled track, or traverse along the ridge towards tree triangle- a short but exciting cliff/pillow run down to your car.
Skinning up the sled track with Curveball Ridge in the distance.
View of the valley looking back from Curveball Ridge. Scopin’ some lines. Typical snow cover for November.
Reaching the top of Curveball Ridge.
Looking southwest from Curveball Ridge towards Gasoline Alley and Wild Thing, above. Gasoline Alley is a gulley feature located between the cliffs at 49.2578, -114.7303. If you have stability, you can skin up Gasoline Alley to access Wild Thing, which are the big lines dropping from ridge.
Fun skiing down Curveball!
The kids call this feature the “Rad Chutes.” The parking area for this feature is around the 42.5km mark. View is from the McLatchie FSR.
