THE NEW MECCA: HAS NELSON SURPASSED THE SHORE?
Click on the photos to enlarge

Going back to the usual shore trails after my second Nelson trip was a bit like lunch bag letdown: I was hungry for my fix but when I got onto the shore trails it was the usual white bread with PB and J. It got me thinking about "North Shore" riding and how it's lost some of its lustre when compared with Nelson's progress. Is the North Shore more reputation than ride these days?

With the dismantling and stunt removal on Cypress, the senseless destruction of the Swollen Uvula on Fromme and the closure of Seymour trails like Hangman and Aftertaste coupled with the threat of more closures on the horizon, I say the mecca that the Shore once was is gone. In its place is the new mecca of hardcore freeriding: Nelson.

My first exodus in August was a truly religious experience. So much so that I had to go back for "one more no more" before winter. Once again the Nelson freeriding gods shined on us with bone dry conditions, friendly locals and trails that were in great shape. The way I figure it Nelson and the surrounding area - Slocan, Kaslo etc. is a tastier treat than the North Shore: Cypress, Fromme, Seymour...more or less.
Brent Upson on 13 steps to doom

Here's why...

More is better:


Brent on 5 Knuckle Huckle 		1. More narrow log and skinny bridge riding than the shore.
Trails like PollyPissyPants, Eye of the Madman and Burl Ives take log riding quantity and quality to new levels. I've never spent so much time riding above ground before.

2. More huck-style launches. No need to wheelie drop and worry about your landing here. Just point and shoot.

3. More downhill landings on the drops. I talked to some Nelson locals who said their biggest beef with the Shore is the flat landings; I agree and so does the box of broken parts in my shed . Any Nelson drop over five feet has got a downhill tranny which makes for a smoother more flowing ride.

4. More long, flowing steep downhill riding. Forget the stop and start of the Shore. There are so many trails that keep you behind the saddle for minutes at a time. And length; I thought I had ridden long trails (GMG,Hangman) until I rode a Nelson newcomer called the Bedframe. This one is over 2000 feet of vertical. That was in August, then in October I went with 12 locals for the longest and steepest ride I've ever been on. This one is called The Monster. It was built by three teens (two guys and a girl) who really know how to combine quality building with fun and fear. Picture the steepest section on GMG ( "the streets of San Fransisco"), then make it steeper, thirty times longer and throw in a bunch of bermed switchbacks, hucks, log rides and flow,flow,flow.
Brent Upson on 719


Diva following Jay 		5. More opportunity for stunt ingenuity. They've got the swivel teeter-totter, double teetering spank machine, ladder bridges that go from a foot wide near tree safety areas to six inches wide out in the open, bridges with launches and berms built into them, grooved log ride sections but most importantly they've got a builder that has the time and the permission of the land owner to build more. The Shore's creative force, Dangerous Dan, is constantly being thwarted in his efforts to take stunt building to greater heights.

Less is More:

1. Less bad attitude None of their trails have been taken down nor are they in danger of being taken down. Riders encourage builders instead of whining about trail "flaws". I didn't hear any of the usual Shore negativity ("They should've built it like_______"; They should've put a______here") You will not see any litter on or near the trails.

2. Less riders = better trail conditions.
Jay and Jake

Jay Greenwood on Polly Pissy Pants 		3. Less riding time (April - November) = better trail conditions.

4. Less gnarled up greasy root sections. (Don't pretend you like them - look how much more fun Upper Oil Can is now that Old Man Peter's one man log and paving company has been through there)

5. Less rain = more tires staying on the logs.

So why don't I just shut up and move there if it's so great? That would be the easy thing to do. But I think I'm gonna stay, maybe use Nelson's example to help make the Shore greater than it ever was. I can't just go out and ride and let a half dozen builders do all the work to ensure that I have a playground. If that means being politically active or trail work one day for every five days of riding I guess the payoff is worth it. The Nelson builders modelled their trails after the Shore so why not turn things around, get off my "just accept it cause it's too hard to change ass" and take the best of what they have been doing and apply it to our terrain. I hate the thought of having to kowtow by staying within the bounds of what the politicians have set out for trail builders but some of their ideas (not West Van's) might make for higher quality trails. The shore has got the the terrain, the riders and the builders. If the NSMBA can help by setting standards and calming the bureaucrats down the builders can renew the North Shore.


Lycra Jay on Polly
Spd Jay still on Polly


No Dab Jay on PPP 		The Shore was built by a few and is ridden by many; I want to be one of the few. I want to get working on the trails to improve the flow, to create the transitions, to push stunt ingenuity to a new level (while staying sane for the butt-covering politicians), to fill in mud holes, to decrease erosion, to increase log/bridge rides and launches. I realize that the only means these days is to work through the NSMBA adopt a trail program to keep everything copasetic.
To this end my co-pilot on the first trip to Nelson and I built a "mini-trail" resembling an air-only trail in Nelson called 719. Our effort is a rip-off of a Nelson idea but we changed it around to suit our terrain by building dirt jumps, steep upward angled launch ramps, water bars and landing transitions. By taking an old Shore bike trail and making it more interesting we've added something that didn't exist here before. The workload has been immense, the learning exhausting but the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment has been exhilarating. We've got a long way to go but at least it's been a fun start. There are hundreds of options out there without ever having to cut a new trail again. Who cares if the hours of labour are immense. The thought of putting the best of Nelson in my own backyard is motivation enough.
Lycra Jay where he's most comfy


Trevor on 13 steps to doom

Hmm...bringing Nelson to the Shore...sounds like a hell of a lot of work...maybe I'll just move there.


Trevor hansen on 719
Blondie Getting Pissy

Story Trevor "blondie" Hansen
Photos Blondie and Lycra Jay


Blondie on 5 Knuckle Huckle 		Editor's note:
If you haven't checked out the riding in Nelson, view te first section of Kranked 3, the section in New World Disorder or Hidden Pleasures which is filmed entirely in the Kootenays. For those of you from outside of Western Canada, Nelson is in South Eastern B.C. in an area called the Kootenays. It is blessed with mountains, lakes and mellow inhabitants descended from draft dodging Americans. And some of the best trails in the world.