Sun Valley’s computerized snowmaking system, the world’s largest, played a tremendous role in battling the Castle Rock wildfire threatening Bald Mountain ski area facilities.

The $12 million Seattle Ridge Lodge, perched at an elevation of 8,800 ft. on Baldy was threatened by torching flames Sunday evening, August 26. Also in the wildfire’s path was the Seattle Ridge high-speed detachable quad chairlift and one of the mountain’s main communication’s buildings.

As flames got within 50 yards of the day lodge, snowmaking guns were turned toward the blaze shooting 150 gallons of water per minute.

Sun Valley’s assistant mountain manager and snowmaking manager Peter Stearns and the fire operations supervisors from California Incident Management Team 3 worked side by side to determine where to direct his arsenal.

“The team effort was seamless,” Stearns said.

“The expertise of the firefighters coupled with our snowmaking technology saved the Seattle Ridge Lodge, the lift and communication building, from the fire’s assault Sunday evening,” he said.

“The cooperation our team has enjoyed from the Sun Valley Resort has been tremendous on many levels. This is an example where it was crucial to the firefighting effort,” Pat McElroy, Liaison Officer for California Team 3, said.

About 20 of Sun Valley’s snow guns continue to work on selective areas of Baldy to curb the fire and support the fire fighting effort.

Normally, a water line and air line work in tandem to deliver a fine mist of snow when temperatures are 32 degrees or colder. When used to fight fire, only the snowmaking system’s water lines are used. And, because the entire system is automated, the snowmaking system’s computer technology can strategically select and target areas needing the water flow.

Baldy’s snowmaking system continues to operate as needed to support the fire fighting effort against the Castle Rock fire, currently the number one priority fire in the nation.

Anaheim Ducks star Scott Niedermayer will be bringing the cup to Fernie Alpine Resort Tuesday, August 28th for a ride up Timber Chair to the Lost Boys Café. Time in resort is expected to be limited but if you’ve ever wanted to see the cup up close this is your chance.

The ride up the lift will take place at approximately 11:30 am and should last about a half hour. Fernie Alpine Resort will be offering complimentary rides up the Timber Chair between 11 am and 1 pm for this event.

In addition both Scott and Rob Niedermayer will be in Cranbrook on Monday where a small pep rally and skate around the ice are scheduled to take place.

Here in fernie, summers can feel like pure heaven. With temps reaching into the high 30’s, most skiers are having dreams, or nightmares, about the lack of bluebird powder days and re-crystallized snow.

Unwillingly, some have replaced riding ski lifts with riding lawnmowers. And instead of skiing hard, they are just sweating hard. Few skiers have been able to break this tortuous cycle, mainly because of the unfeasibility of changing the summer season.

But there is a alternative land. A land that gets 3 foot dumps in July. A land that offers 6,000 vertical foot heli runs in August. A mountain range, second in size only to the Himalayas, that gets pounded with snow June though October.

This paradise is called Valle Nevado. (The Valley of Snow Covered Mountains)

Only 37 miles east of Santiago, Chile lies the largest ski complex in the Southern Hemisphere. Over 22,000 acres are accessed by 44 chair lifts between Valle Nevado, El Colorado, and La Parva Resorts.

Of these winter recreational options Valle Nevado is the premiere, world class ski resort of the Tres Valleys ski area in Chile.

With the 2007 season starting off with a record snowfall of 6 feet, the mountain opened 100 percent of its terrain on the opening day. With a start like that, it is guaranteed the resorts will be open until the beginning of October.

Since the start of the season, the Andes Mountains, outside of Santiago, have received over 14 feet of snow. With the first snow fall in the city of Santiago in 40 years, this season is lined up to go down in the record books. Many local Chilean skiers and riders have been claiming it as the best season in 10 years. Some have even gone as far as to say “muy bueno,” and one native ripper even declared “muy, muy bueno.”

Gringos worldwide are canceling the Disneyland packages and flying nonstop to Santiago. Since most flights from the US are red eyes, many are on the edge of heat stroke one day and skiing pow the next.

And if after a few days of ripping down endless bowls of the white gold gets a little tedious, the heli operation at Valle is there to help. Since it is one of the most economical heliskiing options on the planet (10,000 vertical feet for $623), it is a no-brainer to get the credit card and file the expense under the “once in a lifetime” category.

The Chilean spring skiing season officially starts mid September, and with over a 100 inch base in areas the resorts will have plenty of snow until the end of the season. In celebration of this snow event, Valle Nevado is currently offering all inclusive packages throughout September. They are even running a week long (5 nights) 2 for 1 package starting at $420 each, that includes lift tickets, lodging, breakfast, dinner, and a lot of other perks.

So if the summer heat is getting too hot, and the thought of waiting until December to ski is unbearable, there is a cure. Experience a Chile summer.

FOMO: www.vallenevado.com

Congratulations to the Fernie teams who participated in the TransRockies - you made us proud!

A special thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers who helped support and ensure a very successful TransRockies finish: Blackstone, City Of Fernie, TinHorn Creek, Fernie Real Estate, Fernie Brewing Co, 901 Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort, The Guides Hut, Overwaitea Foods, Fernie Getaways, Lizard Creek Lodge, Stanford Hotels and Resorts, Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge, Pinnacle Ridge Resort, Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club, Park Place Lodge, Ski and See Adventures, Fernie Fire Department, Fernie Auto Parts, Elk Valley Pizza, Carosella, The Arts Station & Island Lake Lodge.

Photos are compliments of Roly Romanchuck.

The Blackstone TransRockies Bike Rally was a highlight of this years TransRockies Finish in Fernie. Over 60 kids participated in the five stage event that started at the Guides Hut and ended at the Arts Station. The theme was safety, nutrition and looking cool with face painting and bike decorations. Special thanks go out to all the volunteers and the sponsors; Blackstone, The Guides Hut, Carosella, Fernie Fire Department, Overwaitea and the Arts Station.

Thanks to the parents of the participants and remember to pick up your photos at the Guides Hut. Here are a few images from the event:

The TransRockies Challenge runs through some very wild and remote country, and in the past, riders and organizers have dealt with conditions that have ranged from crushing heat, snow, copious mud and even forest fires. The unpredictability is one of elements which makes the TransRockies unique among epic events.

2007 has seen some of the driest conditions on record in Eastern British Columbia and Southwestern Alberta with beyond extreme wildfire risks. As a result of fire-related forest closures in Alberta, the TransRockies Challenge will be re-routed in 2007 and will not be making its popular and traditional stop in the Crownest Pass community of Blairmore.

Fires are a risk which is given intense consideration by the TransRockies Challenge organization and plans were implemented to reroute around this stage to offer the riders a revised course which still includes seven great days of riding.

At this point in the race the riders will enter Elkford on Thursday, one day later than anticipated, and ride to Sparwood on Friday and finish in Fernie on Saturday.

For daily results visit: blogs.fernie.com/transrockies

For information on the fun events planned for the Blackstone Fernie TransRockis Epic Finish visit: fernie.com/transrockies

Fernie Alpine Resort announces the “Reels of Wheels” Mountain Biking Film Contest, presented by Island Lake Lodge. The contest is part of the many activities scheduled for the annual Full Throttle Mountain Bike Festival, taking place August 24-26, 2007.

The “Reels of Wheels” contest aims to provide amateur filmmakers the opportunity to showcase Fernie’s amazing mountain biking terrain and/or local mountain biking talent. Entries should be submitted to the Resort in DVD format, and should be a maximum of five minutes in length. The deadline for entries is Monday, August 20. The “Reels of Wheels” registration form is available for download at www.ferniefullthrottle.com.

The DVD entries will be judged prior to the festival, and the top five entries will be shown on the Big Screen during Friday’s festivities. The winning video will receive a 2008 Fernie Alpine Resort Summer Mountain Biking Season’s Pass!

The Fernie Full Throttle Mountain Bike Festival will feature activities, races, and competitions, with something for everyone, both on the mountain and in the plaza.

Fernie Alpine Resort is pleased to announce more grant recipients from the Community Summit Fund, a $150,000 five-year initiative that supports a wide variety of causes, benefiting all members of the community, with an emphasis on positive opportunities for youth. Since its inception in the spring of 2007, over $30,000 has been contributed to local Fernie community causes through the Fund.

The Community Summit Fund recipients for June and July include:

• Fernie TransRockies Society

• The Taste of Fernie

• The Emily Brydon Youth Foundation

• The Isabella Dicken Elementary School Playground Project

All local organizations and charities are eligible for the program. Grant applications are typically reviewed by the Community Summit Fund committee on a monthly basis. To be eligible, a written application must be presented, outlining the following: the background / history of the beneficiary organization; a description of the Project receiving the grant; and date / timeline of the project in question. Applications are available for download at www.skifernie.com/summitfund.

In 2007, the TransRockies Challenge will reverse its traditional northerly direction, and will travel south for the first time. After starting on August 12th at Panorama Mountain Resort in the rugged Purcell Ranges of the Rockies, the 600 participants from 25 countries will face 600km of riding with 12,000 metres of climbing over the course of seven epic days before finishing in the historic downtown of Fernie on August 18th. During the week on their bike, the nearly 300 teams of two riders will travel through the 3000m peaks and steep valleys of the spectacular Kootenay Rockies.

“We’re really excited to have the finish line in Fernie this year,” said TransRockies Event Director Aaron McConnell. “They were one of the first, and have been one of the greatest, supporters of the race. As our start line for the first five years, they have seen the event quadruple in size as it has grown from an idea to become one of the monuments of mountain biking.”

Unlike most other endurance events, the athletes of the TransRockies Challenge spend the full duration of the event together– whether on their bikes, or eating, sleeping and recuperating in the moving rider village which is built and staffed by a dedicated crew of staff and volunteers. The entire infrastructure to support the 1000 racers, crew members and friends is moved in, built and moved in an enormous feat of logistics. The crew work first thing in the morning and deep into the night, preparing meals, fixing bikes, marking the course, setting up and tearing down tents, and doing the hundred other things necessary for the smooth operation of the event.

The TransRockies Challenge would not have grown to its current stature without great riding and from the first year when 65 teams of rode off the start line into the unknown, participants in every edition of have had a full Rocky Mountain smorgasbord of epic riding and conditions. They have taken to the trails in everything from snow, rain and mud, to baking temperatures, dust and smoke. Whatever each year brings, the riders can be sure that they will be tested by hundreds of kilometres of great mountain biking while they’re supported by the best organizational team in endurance sports.
The finish line of any endurance event is an emotional place and the two-person format of the TransRockies Challenge gives the finish line special meaning, as the journey and reward is shared. This year’s finishers will be greeted by friends, family and the entire town of Fernie.

In 2006, the always emotional Finishers Ceremony had a new element as a commemorative “5 Finishes” belt buckle was given to a select group of four riders who were the only riders to complete all five editions of the TransRockies Challenge. This year, several more riders are eligible for the belt buckle that signifies five successful TransRockies attempts including returning three-time champion Andreas Hestler of Team Rocky Mountain/Haywood.

Visit blogs.fernie.com/transrockies for daily race reports and behind-the-scenes coverage from the most raw and rugged test in epic mountain biking.