About three weeks ago I was browsing through internet land, when I received a message asking me to start off the Summer Bike Park Blog for Fernie Alpine Resort. I’m pretty stoked to do so!

Being a local for all 15 (almost 16!) years of my life I’ve been pretty lucky having a ski hill and bike park in my backyard. I’ve been skiing since I was about 2 years old, but I’m relatively new to mountain biking, about  5 years ago I was forced into a summer mountain bike camp.  I guess thats when my life turned around, I transformed from a winter ski maniac to a summer two wheeled adrenaline junkie....I guess that’s what I’m classed as. My first bike race was back in 2007 I did one Thursday night race, at the end of the season, I was super excited as it was down hollow tree (my favorite run at the time). I remember it like it was yesterday, just starting to get dark, buckling up my helmet and looking down at my shaking hands. That feeling of pure excitement, and energy is pretty unique, the feeling of your shirt flapping, and flying through the trees just seeing them through the corner of your eyes.

Like I said that feeling is pretty unique and i guess I got addicted to my mountain bike, that winter I swear my friends thought there was something wrong with me, because all I talked about was the snow melting and riding my bike! The following year I got a new bike (new to me) the old Devinci Johnsons that were the demo fleet for the previous years. I was so Excited to have a full suspension bike that was actually squishy! That year I think I broke everything on the bike, I did most thursday night races, and one Alberta Cup. By the Alberta Cup my parents were fed up with breaking bike parts and i got a new (to me) Kona Stab Supreme and had a ball of a time on that bike! Only early next year when I was shuttling 48 Hours with a good friend I found out I cracked the frame in 4 places. I sent the frame back to Kona and received a new frame on warranty, and a new bike through a grassroots sponsorship.

That brings us to where I am right now, for the past 2 years I’ve been racing B.C. cups Canadian National Championships and Various other races in the United States. To think all of this came about by being forced into a summer camp, and a thursday night race! As I’m writing this I’m sitting in a car with my coach, and family heading out to Kamloops B.C. for round 1. I’ve rode at every mountain in B.C. and a few across the border, Fernie Alpine Resort comes to my mind when people ask me where to go for the friendliest and most fun riding. I might say this because I’m a local, or because I started riding here, but I honestly think it’s some of the most developed trails in B.C. Not because of the jumps, log rides or steeps, Because it has been rode in throughout the generations, there is no best way to describe it. You just have to come check it out for yourself!  

See you on the trails!!
Nik Dunn