Bike Parks BC and The Ride Guide
The first day of Fall seems like an appropriate time to start reminiscing about the days of summer that passed me by far to fast.The Ride Guide shot an episode at the start of July that was to showcase some of the lift accessed riding in our beautiful province of British Columbia and I was able to get out of my school routine for a little bit to get out and ride some trails. The first stop was Kamloops and Sun Peaks mountain; on the road to the hill there was a forest fire that was quite spectacular. If you are in BC forests please don't play with fire!
The end of a hard day on the Mountain
After arriving at the hill I found out that my riding partner, Dan Csokonay, was not able to ride on this trip due to a unfortunately timed mid summer broken hand. Don't worry kids he'll be ok! I was able to ride with a group of locals for the next couple of days. Chase and Tysun Marshall and Steve Smith would be my guides for the short time that I was on the hill. The riding was just as good as it was on my last visit to the mountain a year ago, with some new trails to boot. Sun Peaks has a lot of natural trails to offer and with the addition of Route 66 and Steam Shovel the mountain has something to offer everyone.
The rain that I dragged into town with me didn't take away from the great riding that went down in the next couple of days. We were treated very well by all the staff at the mountain and part of the good treatment was great food at the local restaurants and bars. It would have been nice to sit out on the patio for a few drinks after the ride but the weather threw a wrench into that plan. Plan B was world cup soccer and food, on a rainy day it was much more comfortable than a wet patio.
The rain went on ahead of us to Silver Star while we got some sleep; and when we finally pulled into Silver Star the conditions consisted of super tacky dirt under sunny skies. Things got better when Wade Simmons and Thomas Vanderham rolled into town. Perfect conditions and superstar riding partners made for a great day of riding on one of the best mountains in British Columbia. Here are a few shots of the trails:
The riders and the village:
Silver Star has been one of my favorite mountains to ride ever since my tires hit the Vernon dirt for the very first time. The conditions, along with some well planned out trail changes made the mountain even better than what I had remembered from my last visit. After a couple days of riding it was time to get some dinner and check out Vernon so we descended from the heights of Silver Star Mountain into the city. The final destination was Earls and it was great finish to our time in the area. I plan on spending my Fall Winter and Spring waiting for this mountain to open up for bikes again next year.
The next stop on the tour was Golden B.C. so I jumped into my trusty Steed and headed off in the direction of more trails. The drive was beautiful and if it wasn't for construction it would not have taken very long, but just my luck I got to wait for an hour while a new improved road was being built, good thing there was a lot to look at.
Shots along the way:
Golden B.C. is a stunning little town near the Alberta B.C. border with scenery as nice as the people. Thanks to Aaron and Kim of the Golden Chalets for putting us up while we were in town! Aaron runs the mountain bike shuttle up Mount Seven, open to all those who need a lift.
The views and the locals are great but the real reason that I would go back to Golden in a heartbeat is the riding. During our trip we rode the two most popular and well known riding spots in near Golden, mount Seven and Kicking Horse Mountain. Mount seven is host to the world famous Psychosis downhill that occurs once a year. The name of the race is very appropriate considering the style of riding that is found on the race course. This mountain is home to one of the consistently steep trails that I have ever ridden. This trail is the start of the race and I can honestly say that I have never been so scared of starting a ride as I was at the tip top of mount seven. However, once I got myself rolling I was feeling fine and in control. The mountain has a great variety of riding and makes for a long day of biking. Seven is the perfect compliment to the riding at Kicking Horse Mountian Resort across the valley from seven.
First off, Kicking Horse Mountain is home to a Grizzly bear named Boo. Having a full grown Griz. right under the lift is exciting but only the start of the mountain experience. The trails are a blast, very fast and raw with lots of rock. Mostly natural, the trails are enough to challenge the best riders as they accomodate less experienced riders.
Aaron and Cory Horton (Ride Guide cameraman)
Mount Seven:
All in all it was a great trip and an experience that I will not soon forget. Ride Guide Episode 122.
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