Ski Kimberley or Fernie? You can have both when you cruise into Cranbrook

Kimberley, 20 minutes north of Cranbrook, will strike stateside skiers as the Powder Highway resort most like its south-of-the-border counterparts.

Steep, fall-line blacks and long, cruiser blues make the most out of nearly 2,500 feet of vertical. But it’s the trees where Kimberley excels; expertly spaced and nicely graded glades comprise roughly a third of the resort’s 1,800 acres – the largest gladed terrain in North America. From the fixed-grip Easter Triple, drop into the Black Forest for top-to-bottom tree skiing.

But that’s not to say there aren’t big-mountain views. The Columbia Valley, above which Kimberley sits, boasts the most sunny days of anywhere in the province, and Fisher Peak and its Selkirks siblings to the east frequently make an appearance.

Kimberley shines after the sun goes down too. The resort offers weekend night skiing on the longest lit run in North America. And in town, the pedestrian-only Platzl, its Bavarian-styled storefronts strung with lights, invites après-ski strolling (stop in at Pedal and Tap for hip pub fare and a large beer and wine menu).

An hour’s drive east of Cranbrook, Fernie Alpine Resort boasts the kind of big-mountain terrain for which the Powder Highway is famed: vast alpine bowls and steep, cedar-lined alleys.

Fernie’s unique microclimate sees some 30 feet of snow each year. Time your trip right and you might benefit from the “Fernie Factor,” the resort’s tendency to get unexpected dumps of snow, storms that result in a surge of “sick days” in the surrounding communities.

From the top of the cloud-piercing Polar Peak chair, it’s more than 3,500 feet of vertical drop back to the base area, with a quintet of snow-collecting cirques providing lots of opportunities for off-piste powder lines. But there’s plenty for the green-circle skier too, and no matter your skill level the slopeside views enchant.

New this season to the base area is Legends Mountain Eatery, which offers upscale pub fare. It’s across the plaza from another local legend, the Griz Bar, which credibly lays claim to the title of “#1 Après Ski Bar in Canada.”

For après closer to your Cranbrook base, the city now claims the key ingredient to ski-town status: a craft brewery. Fisher Peak Brewing nests inside the Heid Out, for years known to locals as Cranbrook institution Heidi’s. Owner Heidi Romich and chef Rusty Cox, formerly of the Fairmont Hotel Group, transformed the restaurant from continental cuisine to stylish, locally sourced pub fare, while retaining some of the locals’ favorites, such as the perennially raved-about schnitzel.