Mountain biker dies in crash on popular Fernie, B.C. trail on Canada Day

A man died Wednesday after crashing on Trail Dogs, a popular beginner-to-intermediate mountain bike trail in Fernie, B.C.'s Coal Creek area, during what police describe as an unfortunate accident.

ELK Valley RCMP received a call from B.C. Ambulance Service at about 12:35 p.m. PT. The rider was with a group but no one else was involved in the crash. Fernie Search and Rescue was already on scene when police arrived, and doctors who happened to be mountain biking in the area also helped. The man was pronounced dead shortly before 2 p.m.

The incident occurred during Fernie's busy summer biking season, when the community's trail network draws local riders and visitors to the southeast B.C. region. Trail Dogs is part of Fernie's flow zone, a machine-built trail area close to town.

Constable Mike Wilson said life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and the RCMP investigation completed Wednesday afternoon. "It looked like just a super unfortunate accident," Wilson said. He noted the group appeared to have taken safety precautions, including wearing helmets and pre-riding the trail. There is no ongoing public safety concern for trail users.

Melanie Wrigglesworth, executive director of the Fernie Trails Alliance, called the incident difficult for the rider's family and the local trail community. "This is a very rare event for this type of thing to happen on the trails," she said. "And it's quite shocking for everybody."

Wrigglesworth encouraged riders to assess trails before increasing speed, following the mantra "pre-ride, re-ride, free-ride." "Mountain biking is an inherently risky sport," she said. The Fernie Trails Alliance temporarily closed Trail Dogs after the incident but reopened it at 2 p.m. Thursday under guidance from RCMP and Search and Rescue.