Bush Pilot Biking

All The Places We Go

It’s a BIG place. Here’s a brief description of the areas we go to.

Okanagan Valley (Penticton, Westbank, Kelowna)

Our new home base. Semi arid zone. Much more open than the coast, and far drier. Cactus and sagebrush at lower elevations. Mostly clay and firm dirt, but some rocky areas. Some of the best riding we offer is here. Excellent XC and very progressive freeride trails, often in close conjunction.

The Kelowna Airport (YLW) is currently expanding it’s facilities to accommodate larger aircraft and trans-Atlantic flights for late 2008.

4-5 hours from Vancouver

North Shore & Lower Mainland

Coastal rainforest riding. Heavily forested and lush. Very technical singletrack, lots of variety in skill required, but mostly more advanced. Many wooden structures and stunts. Can be steep. Rocky and rooty throughout. Lots of shuttle access, but the best trails are bike access only. Typical vertical per trail is 2000′-3000′, or 600m-900m. Some XC riding, but typically more difficult.

20 minutes to 1.5 hours from downtown Vancouver. 4-5 hours from kelowna

Sea-To-Sky (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton)

Often very steep. More coastal in Squamish, quite dry in Pemberton. Can be hot (35-40C, or 90-100F). Freeride trails tend to be VERY steep, with a higher average level of stunts and drops. The trails tend to be smoother, however. XC riding is better here than the North Shore, especially the Squamish area, but it’s still very technical singletrack. Many 3000′ (900m) descents, with maximum vertical in the 5000′+ (1500m) range. The Whistler zone has very technical XC riding, and can be difficult for first time visitors.

The Whistler Bike Park is the prime destination for freeride enthusiasts in this zone. A must visit for everyone who calls themselves a mountain biker.

1-3 hours from Vancouver. 5-6 hours from Kelowna.

Vancouver Island

A huge area 2 hours from Vancouver by ferry. Large variations in topography and climate, but similar to the North Shore. Somewhat drier, and with less heavily used trails, it’s the next big thing. Less shuttle access, more pedalling involved.

2-6 hours from Vancouver, including ferry rides. 6-10 hours from Kelowna.

Sunshine Coast

A hidden gem a short ferry ride from Vancouver. Beautiful buffed trail networks, but limited shuttle action. Again, coastal rainforestriding, with extensive wood constructions and plenty of smooth singletrack. Best ridden with all mountain rigs, but big bikes and XC riders will enjoy this zone.

1-2 hours from downtown Vancouver.  5-6 hours from Kelowna.

Kamloops

Very similar to the Okanagan. Exceptionally smooth riding, with optional huge moves for more advanced freeride types. Not a lot of XC trails, but great riding for the all around rider. Some downhills are 20km (14mi) long.

4 hours from Vancouver.  2 hours from Kelowna.

Williams Lake

Shangri La on bikes. A bit of a drive, but worth spending a week in. LOTS of smooth singletrack, and excellent use of vertical. A great deal of variety, with several different zones within an hour of the town. Steeps, speed, stunts, airs, and true freeride areas with “off piste” riding abound. Strong community of core riders.

7 hours from Vancouver, 5 from Whistler, 5 from Kelowna.

Kootenays (Rossland, Nelson, Slocan)

Remote and wild area of intense riding in big mountains. Often very steep, with some very long descents of 6000′ or 2000m available. Many built up structures. Multi day or epic scale XC routes exist for the elite XC rider. Some heli access rides for the adventurous. Further afield, the Kootenays are best experienced with at least a week long tour, or even better 10 days.

8 hours from Vancouver.  3-4 hours from Kelowna.

Chilcotin (Spruce Lakes)

Incredible span of backcountry singletrack in BIG mountains. Multi day backcountry traverses, with varying degrees of support are possible. Day riding, float plane assisted, horseback assisted, or completely self supported with BOB trailers. For very fit riders only. Heavy duty XC bikes are ideal, as the days are long. Max elevations around 8000′, or 2300m. Vertical gains of up to 6000′ or 1700m are a dime a dozen in this area. Quite possible the ultimate cross country biking experience.

4-5 hours from Vancouver and Kelowna.