58 Photos - Get Your Pedal On, Fernie Style
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 Fernie 3 is a pedalling race held annually in town. After driving out to Fernie we'd rather have a second espresso in the morning than tag on big days of racing in wet conditions. |
It goes without saying that Fernie riders are passionate about riding and their little slice of paradise. Armed with a diverse and extensive network of local trails Fernie can be pedaled, shuttled and always shredded. High alpine to valley floor descents, tight technical single track or fast and flowing trails Fernie is a destination to hit when planning a BC bike trip. If spending the day riding mountains under your own steam isn’t appealing, the Fernie Alpine Resort Bike Park has lift accessed trails covered with some classic BC style riding just minutes from town, but we'll talk more about that later on.
The local trail builders in town come from all walks of life, reflecting the diversity available for riders coming to Fernie. Mostly hand built by volunteers over the past couple of decades, the trails are as ingrained in local culture as skiing and mining. The ease of trail access in Fernie is a huge draw card when it comes to a biking destination. Everything is close to town, easily accessed and can be linked together to make for some full and rewarding days on the bike.
With over 50 trails around town and 37 at the Bike Park, riders will find themselves resting tired legs with other fellow riders as they enjoy a well-deserved beverage at one of the many Historic Downtown patios.
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| Main Street aligns perfectly with views of Fernie Alpine Resort, still melting out from a great winter season. |
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| Big Bang Bagels, Fernie resident's number one recommended breakfast joint. |
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| Straight Line bike shop hooked us up with beta for the days ahead. |
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| Throughout the long weekend hilarious family events booked up a couple blocks of Fernie's main drag. |
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| The children's skill park was chuck full of rug rats. Nearby, swing sets and playground equipment stood vacant. |
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| Paul Stevens and Stephen Matthews were our photogenic pedal friends. Waiting here for that darn photographer to hurry up and get a shot. |
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| Local knowledge assured us we had to ride a trail by the name of Project 9. The trail starts at the base of an avalanche chute. Late spring storms triggered big slides, tearing tall strong trees from the ground. |
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| Alan Golds, one of Pinkbike's own office men, dives into the loam to take a soil sample. |
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| Paul Stevens in the thick foliage of the avy chute. |
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| Paul Stevens - Deep in the undergrowth |
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| Indian Paintbrush and other plants normally found in alpine, find turf in the avalanche chute's meadow. |
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| Stephen Matthews taking his turn. |
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| Alan Golds making his mark. |
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| Our chauffeur for the trip, Mike Budgen. |
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| Stephen flatted half way down the trail, and this wonderful grouse came out of the bushes. Reuben, seeking a cool shot grabbed the camera and knelt down to start shooting. |
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| The bird then transformed to an evil demon and chased him down the trail. Then returned to attack the others as they threw rocks in defence. Sharing the tale with Fernie locals they all knew the winged beast as well. Beware the bird. |
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| Alan Golds and MIke Budgen enjoying the flow on the lower portion of Project 9. |
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| Roughly half way through the high speed descent, the trail enters a meadow of old cedar tree stumps. -Stephen Matthews |
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| Fernie's birth goes back to resource extraction: logging and coal mining. Before being harvested, these hills were home to countless numbers of massive cedars. Paul Stevens and Stephen Matthews |
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| Now, their stumps stand like tombstones. A forest's graveyard. -Stephen Matthews |
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| Paul Stevens turns it to eleven. |
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| And, more coffee. 'Loaf' bakery has the best caffeine in the valley. |
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Hyper Extension:
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| Coal mines populate the underworld beneath these mountains. |
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| Across the valley, on the south side of town, Hyper Ventilation climbs before dropping into Hyper Extension. -Stephen Matthews |
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| Hyper Extension, Stephen Matthews |
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| Fernie = Fern Gully |
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| Paul Stevens, Lizard Range in the background. |
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| If the sun were out in the evening, the silhouette of a horseman is created by shadows on the mountain in the background. |
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| Stephen Matthews |
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| Paul Stevens |
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| Stephen Matthews |
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| Mmm singletrack -Stephen Matthews |
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| Paul Stevens, Stephen Matthews, Fernie, BC |
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| Stephen Matthews |
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| Dark storms of the spring. |
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| Glad we weren't riding at Island Lake Lodge, it may have been a bit moist |
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| Hyper Extension -Paul Stevens |
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| Lizard Range |
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| Fernie has a kickass brewery that is pumping out some great new brews. |
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| We saw a cool mountain bike edit where people drank beer in the closing scene. It seemed like a good idea, so why not try it out? Turns out, it was a good idea. |
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| Darkness Falls |
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| And in the dark of night we prep our big bikes and ready ourselves for a huge day of resort riding and pedalling |
Stay tuned for more action from Fernie BC as the crew hits the lifts and local shuttle zones on their DH bikes.
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Too late. www.pinkbike.com/video/360343 Looks like a dream roadtrip.