Wade's Excellent Adventure Wrap
The TRUE SHORE – CLIMB and be FREE.
Words by Dan Gronross. Photos by Danielle Baker unless noted.
Date: 2008-05-30
FINALLY! Sun, glorious sun! Sun so bright that most were sporting goggles/sunglasses in the forest for the event! What an event it was! A true adventure; on the forested slopes of Fromme Mountain.
But don’t take my word for it…
Frommpah, Loampah dome pa di do could be heard throughout lower Fromme.
To a casual person strolling up Mountain Highway, it must have been a sight to behold. 7 people dressed in white short shorts, white eyebrows and green hair.
Frommepah, Loampah, dome pa di do,
Wade has a set of riddles for you.
Frommepah, Loampah, dome pa di dee,
Smile, cause your picture’s on NSMB.
What do you get when you ride Fromme at night,
Scaring the bears with your halogen lights?
Making strange rules only governments can.
Should we abide this night, ride, ban?
I do not think that we can.
Frommepah, Loampah dome pa did a,
Listen to James and you will go far.
You could ride on loamy trails too,
Like a Frommepah, Loampah, dome pa di do!
James Wilson, our Leader, our Champion of Rippers, who oddly always looks like he is preaching.
With that the Frommepah Loampahs all stepped down and James took centre stage. “What a great turnout for an event that doesn’t really make any sense!” he bellowed from his post. I am sure that my sister and her husband felt the same as they stood there and listened to him speak. In his normal priest like manner, James told us how it was going to be.
James constructed this Wheel of Fortune like Puzzle. Too bad there was no Vanna White.
Each team would be given a list of clues each of which correlated to a trail that had to be ridden to collect the letters to make up the mystery phrase. For those unlucky few that didn’t attend, the clues and resulting trails are below.
1. shh shh shh shh shh shh _________. (7th Secret).
2. Jamaican _________. (Bobsled).
3. Remember when it was only $50.00/gallon? (Lower Oilcan).
4. Home Grown (Natural High).
5. Bean around the world (Espresso).
The letters were then unscrambled and placed in the right order to produce the mystery phrase.
The TRUE SHORE – CLIMB and be FREE.
For this event your Team could be as large as you wanted; the only requirement was to have at least 2 people riding at all times. This integral component to the event allowed the rest of the team to sit back and enjoy watching the pain on the participants’ faces grow with each pass of the “base camp” to collect the next clue. If you wanted to, which many groups did, you could ride every leg of the event.
Dan Barham and Laura Gill… were they doping?
The action of this event was definitely at the base of the mountain at the Water Towers. Everyone was gathered there, participants, spectators, and the people that had decided to ride Fromme that day.
It is true, Nav Evangelista of Marzocchi Canada managed to climb (yes that is right, climb) Fromme. I asked him to make sure and no, he wasn’t lost, thinking that Ned’s had changed mountains.
Layne Marett, chef and fellow team mate. He cooked up some great burgers and hot dogs, all the while managing to throw a few laps in as well. Some where behind the smoke, I swear he is there… Layne?
The Frommepah Loampah’s were the most visual of the bunch with their green hair and white and brown costumes. Their opening act took the edge off the “death march” air of the event. If a bunch of people could complete it dressed as they were, surely it wasn’t that hard.
Mathew Bond, Andrew Prenty, Chris Hassell, Nick McManon, Monica Sliva, Amanda Prenty and Tony Adamson starring as the Frommepah Loampah’s
What is a Ripper without Pirates? Maya Klvana, Helena Juhasz (missing from the picture) and Brian Earle donned their best threads, complete with pirate hats… and rode the course.
Was there bike riding going on? Kyle Simpson dropping in to Natural High.
While the point of the event was to get people out riding, it seemed that the antics at Ground Zero were far more interesting and the result was that many stayed and chilled for at least one of the five laps.
The lovely ladies that come out to most of the events to help run them - and Wade. Many thanks!
From the BBQ to trying to figure out what the mystery phrase was, most people opted for some sunning. I am sure that once the clue was deciphered and it was discovered that the team had to climb to the 7th Secret; a few of the members were less than willing to do that run. The lower trails I am sure were far more popular.
1 + 6 = 7? Then why do I have 3 left over? Deciphering the phrase proved very difficult for a few.
Riding was actually quite fun. I got to ride trails that I hadn’t ridden in a long time, as riding the park a lot means less time on the local mountains. Lower Oilcan was prime thanks to the work of Andrew Major. Ian Collings and Rob Hlus have constructed one of the most beautifully built trails on the mountain with Natural High. These two dedicated gents have even moved on to Floppy Bunny. Huge props to Pete Morin, Peter Campbell and Dean Reid with 7th Secret, Krinkum Krankem and the rock work on the Baden Powell. Even the big wind storms of last year couldn’t hurt that masterful work. To Dieter Bahr and the trail day volunteers last year that put so much love into Espresso. Espresso was a lap that I chose to sit out, after almost passing out due to the two climbs to 7th and Oilcan. I am going to have to get out there and give that trail a ride for sure.
As it was Wade’s Event… with the help of the organizers of course, I am going to let him say a few words. Wade… the microphone is yours….
Wade Simmons served as roaming ambassador riding multiple laps with as many groups as possilbe. Here he had hooked up with team nsmb.com/Cowboy Coffee with (L to R) Eron Calderbank, Motion Macivor and Geoff Boeda. Forest gnomes deposited refreshments in strategic locations on the course. Photo ~ Cam McRae
I'm so happy at the response to the event. I have to admit at first I was a little worried because Veronica was reporting poor on-line pre-registration numbers. I was thinking "Shit no one's gonna come out to my event, it's gonna be a bust". With only 3 registered and one more day to go I was calling all my friends recruiting the troops. Then on the last day people started to sign up and the numbers jumped. In the end I think we had a great turn out with about 90 people showing up. And
from what I hear, they loved the format. It really motivates me to step it up next year. There is so much potential and new ideas we can throw into the mix. The race format sounds daunting at first, but once people realize that they can sit out turns, it made it feasible for everybody. It's the type of ride we all love to do on Fromme but now it's with a really big group. Of course the fabulous weather contributed to the glorious day but really it was the positive attitude of the participants that drove the fun. I thank all of those that came out and I hope to see you all next year. Get your teams together early and start training cause you know we'll make it tougher! Thanks Steve Mitchell for some cool trophies, and to Layne for the food. Sharon for the wool jersey and Matt Warburton for the design and Ingrid Doerr for making the cool W.E.A jerseys. A special thanks to the NSMBA crew who really put this event on, all riders owe you thanks!
Climb and be free!
Wade
The trophies created by Shore Local Steve Mitchell.
Aimee, how do you feel about hot, sunny riding days?
With that I would like to thank all the sponsors, without these folks, the events would not run as well as they do. They provide us with both financial support and swag to help run the events and save the North Shore trails.
Jim Pattison Toyota North Shore
Specialized
Obsession: Bikes
NSMB.com
NSMBA
Cycles Lambert
Lezyne
Bean Around the World
Dakine
Pedros
OGC
Ryders Eyewear
Bella Candella
Manitou
Hiro
Syncros
Emdoubleyu Design
Reaction Lab Communications
Trident Sports
Insurance provided by the good folks at,
GRMBA
Up next, the Legendary Triple Crown on July 5th. Will you shuttle or will you climb? Will you wait until the last minute to register and go for the glory of laying claim to the drama of climbing three of the mountains that dot the North Shore. Join us on July 5th, 2008. Now I am going to find my legs! I think they are somewhere on Oilcan!
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The Frommpah Loampahs take on the rotating teeter on Natural High.
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