Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/586302
up to head into the town of Fernie, five kilometres away. Fernie is a thriving his- toric mining town, where locals work and play. It's packed with shops, lively bars, cafés and varied dining options. PANORAMA MOUNTAIN VILLAGE After two great days at Fernie and a three- hour drive, we move on to Panorama Mountain Village, near Invermere. It's just dark when we check in at our slopeside condo in the upper village and head for drinks and dinner at Monticola, a casual Italian bar and eatery steps from the lifts. Having snowed overnight, in the morning we are treated to knee-deep powder under perfect blue skies. The resort features a well-appointed compact pedestrian vil- lage, huge verticals, extensive groomed terrain, learning slopes and, yes, spectac- ular scenery. But, what our guide Jason has in store for us, is to drop into Taynton Bowl, Panorama's natural backcountry ter- rain, accessed from the very top of the mountain. Is my comfort zone challenged? You bet! Steep chutes, bumps, deep powder, glades. It takes us about one hour to negotiate the descent, but we all arrive back in the village in one piece. Dinner is early today. Elkhorn Cabin is high on Panorama's slopes, so we ski to it late in the afternoon. It's a cosy log cabin, with two large communal tables, a minis- cule bar and panoramic views over the distant peaks. The menu is Swiss-inspired with raclette and fondue in high demand. By the time dinner is over the night sky is dotted with bright stars. Everyone is issued a headlamp before we ski in single file behind our guide. He's leading us to the top of Discovery chair, where we surrender our headlamps and join Panorama's night-skiing crowd enjoying the illuminated slopes above the village. FALL/ WINTER 2015 DREAMSCAPES 49 OPPOSITE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: A skier enjoys first turns on an untracked snowfield in Fernie. We reach the top of Cedar Bowl, in Fernie, before jumping in an intermediate run. Fernie is a thriving historic mining town packed with shops, lively bars, cafés and a variety of dining options. LEFT: It's a cold day at Panorama Mountain Village.