Momentum built, and the current
location of Fernie Alpine Resort was
identified for development. With
a donation of land from Galloway
Lumber and an enthusiastic army of
volunteers, construction quickly began
and Fernie Snow Valley Ski Resort
officially opened on January 10th, 1962.
An A-frame Lodge was located at the
current site of the Day Lodge and the
Rabbit Ridge Rope Tow and Elk T-Bar
offered a variety of terrain between
the current sites of the Griz Inn and
Bear’s Den. Underground miner Louie
Sclippa was the ski hill’s first employee.
On requesting a change of work, he
was paid by Crowsnest Industries, one
of the ski resort’s financial supporters,
to cut the ski hill road, clear trails, and
operate machinery during the early
construction phases. While he never
skied, Louie loved his new work and
continued at the ski area for seven
years, operating lifts, rescuing injured
skiers, and taking care of the day lodge.
Louie was posthumously honoured for
his dedication at the inaugural Fernie
Ski Hall of Fame Banquet in 2012, just
weeks after his death at the age of 88.
PASSING THE TORCH
In 1966, Crowsnest Industries President
Bill Prentice employed Heiko Socher,
a forestry student at the University of
British Columbia, to come to Fernie
and manage the company’s woodlands.
On arrival, the UBC Ski Team alumnus
discovered that Bill had also recently
founded a ski area in Fernie, and wasted
no time becoming a key figure in the
local ski industry along with his new
wife, Linda. In 1967, Linda opened the
ski school and one of the first ski rental
businesses in the Rockies, building
the A-frame store and office with the
help of Margaret Stokie. After 3 years
operating their ski school, the Sochers
started to envision the hill’s potential.
The couple acquired a 30% share in the
flagging business and the board agreed
to Heiko becoming manager. He set to
work on developing Fernie Snow Valley,
adding terrain, lifts, and infrastructure,
and became well known for his
boundless work ethic and dedication to
the ski area, constantly picking up rocks
and garbage as he went. Heiko’s knack
for marketing brought The Griz to life
as Fernie’s official mascot.
In the 1980s as snowfall records
regularly exceeded 10m per season,
Heiko and Linda really began to make
their mark. The Boomerang Triple and
Elk Quad chairs were installed. The Elk
T-Bar was moved, and the old rental
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