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Our Region

The Southeast Kootenay region is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the southeast corner of the province of British Columbia in western Canada. The region features spectacular mountain scenery, clean lakes, forested hillsides and wide-open spaces. World-famous Banff National Park.

Popular activities in the sunny summer months are golfing, swimming,boating,fishing, hiking, and camping. The top summertime tourist attraction in the area is Fort Steele Heritage Town, a restored mining boomtown of the 1890s. Complete tourism information about the region can be found here.

In winter, the region is located on the warmer side of the Rocky Mountains. Conditions are ideal for snowboarding, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The major ski hills in the area are the Kimberley Alpine Resort and the Fernie Alpine Resort, which recently hosted a World Cup Freestyle Skiing event. The Fernie Alpine Resort receives about 9 meters of snow each year and is ranked as the 9th best ski resort in North America.

Cranbrook (population 25,000) is the professional centre of the region, providing almost all the services found in larger cities. The newly constructed Cranbrook Recreation Complex includes a 4,250-seat ice arena, which is home to the Kootenay Ice hockey team, and a swimming pool, complete with waterslide and wave pool. The Key City Theatre hosts a multitude of performing arts concerts each year, including regular concerts by the Symphony of the Kootenays. The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel is a nationally significant railway museum and, nearby, the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Interpretive Centre celebrates the proud aboriginal culture of the region.

Several airline flights service the Cranbrook Airport each day from the Vancouver and Calgary International Airports.

Other cities in the Southeast Kootenay include Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford. Students interested in skiing should especially consider studying in Fernie, with the Fernie Alpine Resort located only 5 minutes from town. Fernie also features a modern recreation complex with a swimming pool and waterslides, and an ice arena, which is home to the Fernie Ghostriders.