Island Lake Lodge, Mountain resort in Fernie, Canada
Island Lake Lodge is a mountain resort in the Fernie area of British Columbia that sprawls across a large mountainous terrain. The property features three distinct lodges surrounded by peaks and dense forests.
In 1907 the North America Land and Lumber Company bought the mill and timber rights from the Cedar Valley Company; the mill stood at the junction of Mount Fernie Park Road and Highway 3, and logging reached only the lower access road. The land later passed to Shell Oil Company. Island Lake Mountain Tours began backcountry ski touring there in 1986, leasing from Shell, and introduced catskiing in 1988 after a founder bought a Pisten Bully snowcat. The company bought the land in 1994.
The resort's name comes from Island Lake, the small lake the lodges stand beside in Cedar Valley. Since the 1980s the property has hosted ski and snowboard film crews: Warren Miller's "Ride" (2002), Teton Gravity Research's "The Prophecy" (2002) and "Tight Loose" (2016), and an episode of Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls were shot here. Justin Timberlake spent his 31st birthday at the lodge with snowboarder Travis Rice.
In winter, guests reach the lodge by snowcat, while the public can use the cross-country trails in Cedar Valley; some touring groups traverse in from Fernie Alpine Resort. In summer, the access road to the lodge is open. The access road leaves Mount Fernie Park Road at its junction with Highway 3.
In 1994 Island Lake Mountain Tours bought the land from Shell Oil, making it the only cat-skiing operation in British Columbia to own the terrain it skis. The 7,000-acre property has drawn film crews: Warren Miller shot "Ride" here in 2002, and Bear Grylls filmed a Man vs Wild episode at the lodge.
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