Arrival and Departure Airport

You should fly into and out of Calgary International Airport (YYC). Please see the schedule page for the exact pickup times for your particular trip. Please note: we do not book air travel for our Riders - please contact your local travel agent for assistance with flights or visit igougo.com to book online.

Pickup & Drop-off Information

We offer an airport pickup and dropoff service to Calgary airport. Cost is $80 Cdn total for both pickup and dropoff. This can be added to your trip when you make your booking.

The pickup point is at Meeting Point A, next to the information counter at the domestic arrivals area.

Our shuttle departs Calgary airport at 4 pm sharp, unless we hear from you in advance. We will wait for delayed passengers until 5 pm, but after 5 we have to leave, as it is a 3-hour drive to Fernie and we typically have tired people who have been flying for most of the day. If you are experiencing delays with your flights, please call our BC office at +1.250.278-0364 as soon as possible.

On the last day of the trip, we depart Fernie at 9am, arriving in Calgary at approximately 12:30/1 pm. drive to Calgary. We recommend not booking a flight that departs earlier than 3 pm to take into account unexpected delays. If you cannot find a suitable fight, you can book a night at our partner hotel, the Sandman Airport Inn Calgary. Please contact the hotel directly and mention Sacred Rides to get a discounted rate.

Early Arrival/Late Departure

If you want to extend your trip by arriving early or staying on after your trip, there are a few things you should know:

1. We can arrange special pickups if you are arriving before the scheduled pickup date, however the price for a private shuttle is expensive ($400 CAN). An alternative is taking the Greyhound bus to Fernie from Calgary. There are 2 buses/day: departing 6:30 am, arriving 12:05 pm
   departing 10:10 pm, arriving 3:05 am If you are taking the bus, please let us know and we'll arrange to have a taxi meet you at the bus depot for the five-minute drive to our lodge.
2. You can book accommodation at the Sandman Airport Inn in Calgary before or after your trip. Please contact the Sandman Airport Inn directly and mention Sacred Rides for a discounted rate.
3. You can book extra nights at our lodge in Fernie, depending on availablity. Price is $45/person/night - this can be added to your account when making your initial trip booking, or added later.
4. If you want information on places to visit and things to see in British Columbia or the Banff area after/before your trip, please contact our office. Many of our clients choose to visit the Canmore/Banff/Lake Louise area after their trip. The easiest way to do this is to arrange a shuttle to Banff or Canmore when you get to the Calgary airport. These can be booked onsite or in advance by visiting the Banff Airport Taxi website.

Getting to the Lodge On Your Own

If you are travelling to Fernie on your own, please visit this link for directions to the Canadian Powder Tours lodge in West Fernie, your home for the duration of the camp. You can check in any time after 5 pm on the Friday before the camp starts. The lodge is at 1410 McDonald Ave in West Fernie, just off Highway 3.

For directions to the lodge, click on 'Get Directions' at the Google Maps link above and enter the address you will be driving from.

To reach the lodge, call Susan at +1 250 423 3019

Bike Rentals

If you don't feel like hauling your bike to BC, an alternative is renting a bike. We can arrange a variety of rentals through the local bike shops - contact our office for more information.

Travelling with your bike

If you've never traveled with your bike, don't worry - it's much easier than you think! If you don't have a case for your bike, we recommend one of two options:

1) if you think you may be travelling more than once with your bike, then we recommend purchasing a purpose-made bike bag. This will protect your bike from damages, and makes shlepping your bike around a little bit easier than with a rigid box or cardboard box. We sell beautiful handmade bags by PikaPackworks in the United States. For more information, visit our online store.

2) If you think this is the only trip you'll take with your bike for a while, then you can pick up a cardboard travel box for your bike at your local store. Some stores will also pack your bike up for you for a fee.

Alternately, you can courier your bike to our partner store in Fernie. For $40 they will take delivery of your bike and assemble it. We will then pick up your bike and have it waiting for you at our lodge.

Assembling your bike when you arrive

We have bike stands and a full toolset available for assembling your bike once you arrive. You can build your bike the night you arrive, or the next morning. We will have a prearranged time for building bikes and our staff are on hand for assistance.

Spare Parts for your Bike and other gear to bring

Although there are some parts available locally, we recommend you bring the following parts and gear with you to avoid problems in case of breakdown or broken parts:

• rear derailleur hanger (at least 1, preferably 2)
• extra set of front and rear brake pads
• extra chain if your chain is more than 6 months old
• 4 tubes
• 4 extra spokes
• shock pump
• chain lube
• multipurpose tool for trailside repair (including chain break)

Trip Additions

We have a few add-ons that will make your trip even more memorable. These can be added when you make your booking or added later via your Adventure Engine account;

• post-ride therapeutic massage with a RMT(1 hour): $100 Cdn
• whitewater rafting on rest day: $104 Cdn
• extra nights at our lodge in Fernie: $45 Cdn/night/per person/double

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance, including emergency evacuation coverage, is compulsory for all our tours. Please do not attend any of our tours without purchasing appropriate insurance coverage. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance that includes cancellation protection so that you will be covered in the event that you are unable to attend our tour (due to injury, illness or other unforeseen circumstances) or in the unlikely event that our tour must be cancelled.

Visit our insurance page for more information. 

Passports & Visas

All travelers require a valid passport (with a minimum of 6 months validity). Citizens of some countries will also require a visa. For more information, please contact your local Canadian embassy, or passport office.

Emergency Contact

If your loved ones need to contact you during your trip for emergency reasons, they can reach us during office hours at the following numbers:

Dialing within North America: 1 (888) 423-7849
Dialing outside of North America: +1 (647) 999-7955

If you feel that you need to contact us outside of office hours, our BC office can be contacted at +1.250.278-0364

If you do not receive an immediate answer when calling the above numbers, please leave us a detailed message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Health Requirements

Vaccinations are not required for Canada, and Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Should you experience illness or injury while in Canada, rest assured that you will receive the best care possible.

Fitness Requirements

You should have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to bike for up to five hours a day in order to fully enjoy the riding on this trip. Although you won't need high cardio fitness for this trip for obvious reasons, you should work on your core and overall body strength to ensure you don't get too tired after a few days of riding. There will also be plenty of time for relaxation at our lodges or exploring the local shopping at a leisurely pace.

Safety & Security

To maximize your safety during our tours you should exercise common sense and caution at all times. We recommend that you always stick to set travel arrangements, and avoid unknown areas. We also recommend that you wear minimal jewelry and that you keep valuable items safely stored. Always keep a copy of your passport, airline tickets, travelers checks and credit card numbers separate from where you keep the originals.

Meals

On this trip, all breakfasts and lunches are included in the trip price. Dinners can be taken in local restaurants or you can use the kitchens at our lodges (from past experience, most groups decide together whether they will eat out or stay in on a particular night). You should budget $10 Cdn per meal prepared in-kitchen, or $15-$20 per dinner in local restaurants (depending on the quality of restaurants you choose).

Other expenses

Aside from meals, there are no required additional expenses for this trip, but you might like to take spending money for such things as souvenir shopping, nightlife and Internet cafes.

Laundry

The lodge has a washer and dryer available for your use.

Internet

Fernie has several internet cafés. We are also working on wireless access at our lodges in Fernie and Golden and hope to have this in place for summer 2009.

Tipping

Gratuities of 10-20% are common in Canada. We encourage you to tip your guides if you feel you have received excellent service and have had an enjoyable trip. A typical gratuity is $20-$100 per guide.

Useful Links

For additional information about traveling in British Columbia, visit:
Tourism BC website
Canadian Tourism Commission website

Currency exchange:
The Canadian currency is the Canadian dollar (CAN). For the latest currency exchange information use the Yahoo! Currency Exchange Calculator

Our Guarantee

We're so sure you'll have an amazing time on this trip that we're offering a satisfaction guarantee. View more information about our guarantee.