March 11, 2001

Morbid Curiosity

March 12, 2001 update - Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, Fernie Alpine Resort's parent company, sent out a press release today, which said in part:

'To assist with the orderly restructuring, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies decided to file under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) to receive short-term creditor protection and to ensure it is busness as usual at all Resorts of the Canadian Rockies properties'

and:

'Under court supervision, existing debts are frozen as of March 9, 2001, pending the restructuring and presentation of a Plan of Arrangement. On-going operations will proceed as usual with payment under normal business terms. PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. has been appointed Monitor under the CCAA.'

Hmmm.
I fear that the impulse that sent me up on the slopes today was more related to the one that draws folks to a gruesome accident scene than any real expectation of fine skiing. After last week's sun, it has been mainly cloudy for the last few days, which may have helped preserve the snow somewhat, but did suggest rather firm conditions.

Sure enough the skiing was predictably horrible although a bit of new snow in the upper bowls did take a bit of the edge off the ice in places. Even there though it was a matter of threading the soft bits together and minimizing the treks across the connecting boiler plate. The slick spots added challenge to missing the rocks etc., but somehow my boards once again escaped serious injury and I must admit that I still had fun - well a bit.

Alas I was so impressed that I forgot all about this report until this evening, but since I had some pictures, I thought I would post this short report nonetheless.

At 9:30 PM the sky is clear but it is still 4 C and you can all but hear the snow evaporating in the warm wind.

The lovely glistening of ice on lower Cedar Center. It wouldn't be so pretty under ski I bet, but the run was closed.

Lower North ridge might have been skiable on the skiers right but I wasn't going to try it. I got here from Cedar Trail.

The racers in the Kootenay Zone Race were perhaps the only folks who really appreciated the firm conditions. The course did kind of monopolize the only skiable portion of Bear though.

The bit of soft snow I found on Down Right suggests the 123s might actually have been not bad, but I didn't head back around to check it out.