Kootenay Candle | LINE Skis at Fernie

November 7, 2022

Last March, we traveled north to meet up with 15+ athletes on the LINE Team in Fernie, British Columbia. Amongst the freezing temps, greasy poutine, and Canadian cold ones, the crew put on a clinic at Fernie Alpine Resort and Fernie Wilderness Adventures. Check out the full recap right here.

How do you have a good time in Fernie, BC? Well, the Kootenay Candle is one way, but the best way is bringing 15 athletes to shoot a new hyphy edit and letting them do their thing. Last March, that’s exactly what we did. From lapping in bounds at Fernie Alpine Resort to building backcountry booters with Fernie Wilderness Adventures, the crew put on a clinic all week long in Fernie.

Photo by: Steve Reed

The crew spent a total of five days on snow in Fernie. Four days were spent hot-lapping the lifts at Fernie Alpine Resort and finding fresh tracks in the neighboring country. On the final day of the shoot, Fernie Wilderness Adventures hooked it up for a day of legendary cat skiing. With a solid mix of in and out-of-bounds skiing, the crew could split up and find features that suited their respective styles, making this one successful shoot, thanks to the amazing help of everyone at Fernie Alpine Resort and Fernie Wilderness Adventures.

Photo by: Steve Reed

Photo by: Connor Clayton

Photo by: Jon Canning

On the third day at Fernie Alpine Resort, the patrol opened up the Headwall for us, and man, it went off. For some of the crew, it was the first time they had ever had the opportunity to ski a legit headwall, and the nerves were definitely running high, but after watching them ski it, you wouldn't even know it. The locals of Dylan Siggers, Liam Morgan, and Rob Heule were among the first to drop in and show how it's done, but heavy hitter Jonnie Merrill was the star of the show. In the words of Dylan, Jonnie essentially "made Patrol sh*t themselves" with his line choice. Ripping through the white room and dropping an insane double stager, Jonnie conquered a never-before skied line on the Fernie Headwall and proceeded to appropriately name it 'Triple Shot Americano' as it's bound to give you quite the rush. Check out images of the line below and in the full video above.

Photo by: Steve Reed

Photo by: Steve Reed

We reached some far-out zones on the fifth and final day of the shoot, thanks to Fernie Wilderness Adventures. Early in the morning, the crew piled into a snow cat geared up to take us 40 minutes into the Fernie Wilderness to find fresh tracks and untouched pockets. After a few hot laps, the cats took us to a well-renowned backcountry booter zone, and that's when the show started. Tom Wallisch, Mitchell Brower, and Dylan Siggers were quick to shape and step out a few booters for the crew, and after a few speed checks, the booters went off. From floaty cork 3's to Rodeo & Cork 7's and big ole switch fivers, the crew was in their element, sending it off of these lofty backcountry booters.

Photo by: Steve Reed

Photo by: Steve Reed

Big thanks to our insanely rad team, Jake & AJ on the video, Steve and Jon on the photos, and of course Fernie Alpine Resort and Fernie Wilderness Adventures for hosting us.

Athletes: Mitchell Brower, Dylan Siggers, Tom Wallisch, Rachael Anderson, Garrett Capel, Rob Heule, Liam Morgan, Jonnie Merrill, Jeff Ashton, Taylor Lundquist, Rian Zetzer, Treylin Steel

Locations: Fernie Alpine Resort Fernie Wilderness Adventures

Filming: Jake Strassman, AJ Dakoulas

Editing: Jake Strassman

Photo: Steve Reed, Jon Canning

Photo by: Steve Reed

Photo by: Steve Reed