MTM ski off piste camp - the first couple of weeks

After the first couple weeks of NONSTOP's 6 week MTM off piste camp in Fernie, our crew of skiers and snowboarders are already pushing the boundaries of their skiing and having fun in the backcountry. Here's the first update from Christy...

 Lessons with Terry, at the top of Sky Dive on a powder day

Happy days on the mountain (Christy)

The first two weeks of the MTM course have whizzed by so quickly with a jam packed schedule on and off the mountain.

At this point we are half way through our formal instruction session and headed towards more off-piste adventures. We’ve explored Fernie Mountain from top to bottom and we’ve started to discover some of the out of bounds terrain on our amazing backcountry touring days.

Girls powder day out! (Freya and Christy)

Dinner at the lodge

The first week here in Fernie saw the MTM course settled in to the Red tree lodge as a group and navigating the evaluation of new gear as well as the black ice all around town. Despite the close calls on and off the mountain, we all made it through to our first Thirsty Thursday with plenty of energy to hit the Grizz. Our first scheduled days off the mountain were shelved as fresh new snow arrived and the whole group continued into week two ready to master the mountain without a break.

Lessons at Kimberley

Avalanche training

As the extreme cold of week two hit, and all of our senses of humour were tested, I realised that no matter how numb my fingers and toes were, how painful and difficult it was to move, I was shortly laughing and enjoying my day. The MTM group is lucky to have some great instructors who keep us moving and entertained, warming us up and reminding us of the amazing experience that we are having in this amazingly beautiful place. Even on the super cold days it is easy to see why people have left the desk job for the peace and adventure in the friendly little town of Fernie.

Louise on top of the world

Jen ski touring

Off the mountain the MTM group has discovered the many other fun things in Fernie, frequenting the bars and great restaurants, supporting the Ghostriders, the thrill that is shopping in Canadian Tire, and the delight of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The constant close interaction has formed a tight group of skiers and boarders from all over Europe, UK and Australia – all here seeking adventure away from the constraints of work life we’ve made some great friends and shared some wonderful insights and adventures.

Christian, Al and Jen touring

Louise skinning up

For some of us the end of week two brought our 15th straight day of skiing, and for all of us our first attempts at ski touring in the bowls outside of the Patrolled areas. Everyone loved going beyond the mountain and into the nearby open bowls to stretch our legs up the hills and take the new lines down the fresh open powder runs.

Jen and Louise touring

So far, we’ve learned how best to survive an avalanche, Shaky’s left nut and the extreme cold of a -29 degree morning. We are all getting stronger and braver, and more excited about the second half of the on mountain sessions and the upcoming hut trips.