The Porky Blue Group mountain bike ride descended into Fernie today as bikers rode the black diamond trail from the top of the Coal Creek summit.
A hundred and eighteen riders took a shuttle from the Fernie Hotel to the Coal Creek Summit this morning. Riders finished the fun 26 kilometers with blue skies, smiles and beverages at the refreshment garden outside of the Fernie Hotel.
The route had two options for experienced riders as the trails splits at the Fernie Ridge summit: Porky Blue is black diamond (very difficult) or Porky Pine Rim is the expert option as it’s a double black diamond (extremely difficult). The top of the Fernie Ridge descent starts at 7000 feet, which is the same elevation as the Polar Peak at Fernie Alpine Resort. The ride took about four hours to reach Fernie with the last nine kilometers on the Coal Discovery Trail. “It’s a lot of fun, the whole social aspect of the ride,” said Peter Harrison-Edge. “The views are beautiful. I liked the gummy bears at the water station run by Overweightea,” said Laurel Harrison-Edge.
Two townie bikes were raffled off thanks to a generous deal from The Guide's Hut.
The annual ride is a fundraiser for the Fernie Trails Alliance, organized by the Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club.