But Fernie sadly just lost the most inspiring legend of them all in Heiko Socher, I feel blessed to have met with him on occasions, mostly on Heiko’s trail that he lovingly constructed and continued to put in numerous hours to upkeep well into his 70’s. Heiko was Fernie’s original trailblazer, creator and owner of Snow Valley ski area, later to become Fernie Alpine Resort. He almost single-handedly carved out from the Lizard Range mountains the ski hill runs and set Fernie on it’s way to being named one of North America’s best ski resorts. In his passing he leaves behind a legend that will stand shoulder to shoulder with the others in Fernie’s rich past and that will inspire a generation of future trailblazers. Rest in peace and thank you Heiko Socher.