Day 1. Arrive Calgary/Fernie
Your guide will meet you at Calgary Airport and drive the group to our beautiful lodge in Fernie. This is our base for the next few days of Fernie trail riding - Fernie overs over 80 incredible mountain bike trails to choose from, most just minutes from town. Tonight we'll dine in one of Fernie's excellent restaurants.
Day 2. The Fernie Epics
After a good sleep and hearty breakfast at our lodge, we'll build our bikes and spend the 1st hour of the morning working on mountain bike skills with our instructors. Once we've got the cobwebs cleared, it's off to the trails we go, heading out into the massive trail network of Fernie, with over 80 trails to choose from. We'll start off with a few warm up rides, come back to the lodge for lunch and a rest, then head out for a full afternoon of riding. We'll hit up some of the classics such as Roots and Roots Extension, and throw in a few of the soon-to-be-classic new and secret trails. When we come back to the lodge we'll shower up then prep for the always-fun communal meal!
Day 3. More Fernie fun
We're only beginning to scratch the surface of the Fernie trailriding scene. Today we might throw in a few longer rides, such as the epic Slunt trail (it's a slog and a grunt), well worth every ounce of effort on the way up for the incredible time-stands-still-and-the-world-is-perfect descent. Tonight we'll dine in one of Fernie's excellent restaurants - maybe some sushi, maybe a burger on the patio by the Elk River?
Day 4. Even more fun in Fernie (and a bit of rest)
After breakfast at the lodge, we'll have an optional morning ride up Dem Bones or another skills session. After returning to the lodge for lunch, you'll have the afternoon off to to rest your legs and explore the wonderful town of Fernie. There are myriad options for outdoor fun in this recreational paradise, including river tubing, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, chairlift-assisted riding at Fernie Alpine Resort, fly fishing - you name it!
Day 5. Nipika Mountain Resort
After an early breakfast, we'll hop in the van for the drive to Nipika Mountain Resort, stopping for a soak in Radium Hot Springs. Nipika is a spectacular backcountry resort on the border with Kootenay National Park (part of the chain of National Parks that includes world-famous Banff and Jasper), surrounded by jagged peaks and handbuilt singletrack. The riding is sublime, as is the lodge. After we get our fill of the local trails, we'll enjoy another soak - this time in the resort's wood-fired hot tub. A few cold beverages await us before we retire to the lodge for an epic Rocky Mountain dinner.
Day 6. The Rocky Mountains Are Ours
We'll enjoy a full day of playing at our private singletrack paradise at Nipika, before returning to the lodge for dinner, perhaps an evening disc golf session, and a campfire under the stars.
Day 7. Banff National Park and Canmore, Alberta
After breakfast we'll squeeze in one last ride at Nipika before hopping in the van for a short and spectacular drive through Kootenay National Park, stopping in the town of Banff to get our tourist kicks (Banff is a must-see on any traveler's list!). We'll check in to our hotel in Canmore, then squeeze in a later afternoon ride on the Canmore trails, under the shadow of giant mountains such as the Three Sisters and Ha Ling Peak. Tonight we'll enjoy our final dinner and post-ride celebration together at a local patio.
Day 8. The best %*#@^!# trail ever !!!
The 'pot of gold' ride, this is the incredible, amazing, scintillating and stunning Jumping Pound / Cox Hill Ride. Imagine a challenging, switchbacking, singletrack climb up the side of a mountain, followed by lunch at the top. Then a ridge ride at 2185 metres (7000-ft) surrounded by the massive Rocky Mountains. Another challenging singletrack climb, then the icing on the cake, 7 kilometres of sweet singletrack and almost 930 metres (3000-ft) of vertical descent. We finish riding in the early afternoon and with huge grins fixed on our faces and a sad tear in our eyes, we'll hop in the van for a quick ride back to Calgary. Tonight you stay in a Calgary hotel (we can also drop you off at the airport) and celebrate your best week of riding ever, drink a beer (or more) with your new friends and relive the many, many highlights of an unforgettable week.
