Getting Wet
Cam McRae
It rained for 19 days straight immediately following Hallowe’en, but before that we had literally months of precip- free riding. We eventually ended up with the driest period on record for the south coast of British Columbia before the dampness returned. When the rains come on the North Shore it’s a bit like winter in Inuvik;: you don’t expect to see the sun until spring. This year continued to be remarkable, though, and after the soggy 19 we enjoyed another three stunning weeks of record high temperatures and postcard sunsets. During most of this blissful period we were also spoiled with temperature inversions - when we reached the top of the mountain it was even warmer. At the end of a glorious day of shuttling in Squamish we drove to the top of the mountain to get the vehicles. Normally late November at elevation in Squamish means snow, wind and rain but on this afternoon we soaked in temperatures in the mid -teens Celsius (60s Fahrenheit) as we watched the sun dip behind the Coast range.
Photo Noel Hendrickson
This juxtaposition of summer and winter conditions over such a brief timeframe had me thinking about riding in the wet. For those of you who have only visited the Shore in the summer, when the woodwork is as dry as a cutting board and the roots grip like sandpaper, (not every summer!), I must recommend a trip in the off-season.
On a rainy Saturday before Xmas Christmas I climbed up Fromme to Seventh Secret with Paparazzi Pete Chambers. He had a new set of Monster Ts on his Bullit and I was still getting schooled by my Sherman-equipped Torrent. It had been a blustery night and when we parked at the bottom on McNair a disgruntled homeowner, hands on hips, was inspecting roof damage where a Douglas fir had landed. The weekend before, when the weather was fine, this street had been alive with riders preparing to climb, but today we were alone. I stowed my Hoots armour in my pack while I waited for Pete to arrive and then we grannied up to the gate. The climb was killing me for some reason but Pete’s easy conversation kept my pedals turning over. We ran into Eamonn, Pilgrim and his brother Ezra at the entrance to Air Supply and, after 10 minutes of bike talk, we continued the grind to our destination.
Seventh Secret is one of the oldest trails on Fromme but last year it was the pet project of the NSMBA – our local trail advocacy group. There was a time when an oar would have been the appropriate weapon for a wet day on Seventh but after several trail maintenance days it now drains extremely well.
Pete was giddy about the Monsters and his new 8” rotor and I was focusing on smoothing out the bony bits despite my lack of rear travel. After three years of riding full suspension bikes I seem to ride them on autopilot but on the hardtail I really need to be deliberate about working my body with the terrain to avoid getting hung up. Seventh leads right into Leopard Trail after the big log ride and Pete Morin (old man Pete!) gets the credit for the masterful buffing of this section – it’s now like riding through a park. It cross countries along for a time, drops some more, and then leads you up to where Crinkum Crankum begins. I had forgotten all about the wet conditions and there was a moment when I realized I was having as much fun as I would have had on a dry, sunny summer day. Crinkum gets steep and the new ladder bridges seem to be thrust under your rubber before you realize they are there. This section has been getting some love by a different group of builders and they have made the trail durable without sacrificing any kinetic joy. The stoke seemed to amplify with each successive drop and ladder until the awareness of my good fortune for being a mountain biker in this heavenly place squeezed laughter from my belly. |
 Photo Noel Hendrickson |
Wet weather riding used to be much more perilous. In the days of vee brakes or cantis if your cables weren’t new and well lubed, and your pads perfect, you were in for a rough ride. Disc brakes and soft rubber tires have made wet weather riding far less adventurous but no less fun. Several times on that weekend I challenged my Maxxis Super Tacky tires to release their grip but they were amazingly clingy and rolling over shiny roots isn’t as treacherous as it once was.
One of my favourite sections in Back in the Saddle, a new film by Pist 'n Broke productions, follows Andrew Shandro and Cory Leclerc on a ride on Fromme. It is wet and dark but Ambrose Weingart does a masterful job capturing the dank beauty of the North Shore and the joy of getting out there even when it's pissing. On a cold rainy day I rarely feel a burning desire to saddle-up but, once I get into the rhythm and begin to enjoy the surroundings, I'm always glad I did. My ride on Cypress the next day made me realize that, after I’m once again initiated into the soggy riding fraternity, there are many trails I enjoy more wet than dry. Getting loose around corners and anticipating the slide takes me back to riding my CCM Duomatic when I was 12. Add to that the feeling that you have battled the elements bravely enough to have you earned that beer and you have an unbeatable afternoon. Bring on the monsoon – I’ll be riding all winter.
Postscript – In the winter I choose my trails carefully. There are some lines that simply can’t take the punishment dished out by 2.7” tires and 8” rotors when the ground is wet. I tend to ride trails with more rock and wood and less fall-line sections digging into the mineral soil. This way the more vulnerable trails can be allowed to recover some until spring. Now bring on the snow riding!
