Winter Trail System Grooming Update

The City of Fernie has a great network of multi-use pathways along our dike system and through our City parks that we typically maintain in the winter through a third-party grooming contract. Unfortunately, this year the City has been unable to secure a contractor for our regular winter grooming program.

A Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued in late 2023 resulted in no submissions, and this has meant a significant change in the level of service for those using our winter trail system. Last week, we were able to work with a local contractor and take advantage of the warmer weather to provide a one-time leveling of most of the dike trail and historical grooming route.

Staff are continuing to work on a regular grooming solution for the season, and are exploring partnering opportunities to resume the usual service. If we are unable to secure a permanent solution for the remainder of the winter season, we will continue to look for opportunities for temporary fixes to allow the community to continue enjoying our trail network for xc skiing, fat biking and walking.

We know that our trail network is well used in the winter and we apologize for the unscheduled service level change.