JORIS LAPERRE
Over the last few years, our passion for mountain biking has taken my wife and me to the four corners of the planet, and I've reported on our journeys here. All the while, though, I was acutely aware that we were tiptoeing around the elephant in the room: British Columbia (BC), Canada.
If California is the birthplace of mountain biking, then BC is arguably its spiritual home. With Whistler it has the world's biggest and baddest bike park, north-shore riding (think man-made obstacles such as skinny bridges and teeter totters) originated there and boasts some of the most iconic trails.
In August, we finally ticked BC off our list by joining the 12-day Sacred Rides "Ultimate BC" trip. Bleary-eyed after two long-haul flights and a four-hour drive west from Calgary, we reached our first port of call: Fernie. You know you've arrived in mountain biking heaven when the town, despite a population of a mere 5,000, has a dirt-jump park with pump track as its centrepiece and four fully stocked bike shops lining the main street.
And we quickly figured out why: you could easily spend a week or two in Fernie and not ride the same trail twice. Five hills overlook the town and each of these has a network of purpose-built and well-kept mountain-bike routes. Evidently a lot of money and volunteer work has gone into these trails. They are signposted, include options for all riding abilities, and most of them start on the edge of town, eliminating the need for shuttle vehicles.
Since we needed to test our climbing legs for the remainder of the trip, we skipped the downhill runs in Fernie Alpine Resort, the lift-accessed ski hill that transforms into a bike park during summer, and instead rode a selection of trails in the remaining areas.