Month: July 2003

Mountain Biking Kamloops

Posted on by Smoke

Wow.

I’m spent.

The Florida boys really threw it down out here. I will be updating you on that trip in a day or two when I get all my pics back. For now, let me update you on how the NSMB.com trip went.

I won’t bore you with the offical verision of events. For that you can go to NSMB.com .

When we got there, it was to find a stellar pad outfitted with several large beds and an outdoor hot tub. I think I showed marvelous restraint in keeping myself clothed and dry for about, oh, five seconds. Here’s the scene…

The first day we raged on the Peaks bike park. If you haven’t been, get there. I’ve got the hook up for cheap on hill accomodation if you want it. The One Way Traveller has unbeatable deals. I have no shots of it as we were too busy ripping the hill to stop and take photos. However, after the hill closed we went to check out a little hidden gem just outside of the ski area. Last year it was a feast of stunts and hucks, but unfortunately was decommissioned over the winter. At least a few good ones are still left.

I almost landed on Cam with that jump. Have a look at the extreme close up. Can’t you just smell the fear there?

Then we retired back to our palatial condo for maritini’s courtesy of the NSMB Hemingway.

This proved to be a little much for our intrepid team member, Colin. Or maybe he doesn’t trust my driving.

Anyway, Day 2 we spent shuttling on Harper and Lolo. Harper has some big new stuff, as well as some of the sweetest smoothie singletrack in BC. a real hidden gem. Here’s some examples.

Barb on a ten foot high ladder with a six foot exit huck.

Colin stylin out the inside line of the double spiral bridge.

To end the day we went up Lolo. A cold front was approaching and the wind was absolutely HOWLING at the top, and the rain was beginning to spatter. There was a lot of electricity in the air and I thought for sure that lightning was going to start popping at any second. Lolo has about three foot high grass at the top and then gets into crazy skinnies and hucks down in the forest. With the wind the grass was waving everywhere and obscuring the trail. So far, the most intense day of the year. Here’s an idea of what it felt like. Barb hanging it out in the tall grass:

Finished the day with a huge feast at the Oriental Gardens in Kamloops.

We rode some more on the weekend, but we were all somewhat flat after that.

Tomorrow, I’ll get you up to date on the Florida crew.

Mountain Biking North Vancouver

Posted on by Smoke

OK, so here’s the big update with pics I promised ya. First up, the TeamUglyStick guys.

This is Tony pulling out a bridge on Pangor. These guys looked the most hardcore ut of all the Yankees so far this year, and they were also the most XC of the bunch. Appearances, eh? Tony looks a lot like a smaller Jesse James (Monster Garage).

This is a pic of this huge bug we found on one of the climbs. Apparently they are naturally occurring, but this is the first one I’ve seen in thirty two years.

And Jason styling CBC. I told him that the trails got smooth in places. Here’s proof.

Then we have a ton of stuff from the Newfies. John, John, Mark, and Evelyn. EVelyn and John both got hurt, but I dragged them off to Rancho Relaxo anyway for some serious R&R.

This is the back way to Rancho. Kind of twisty.

Assorted wildlife on the way. No John, only the purple ones are wild.

Of course, the van can get pretty boring. Maybe you’d better just have a nap.

Then there is the riding. It’s OK.

So is the jumping.

And the scenery.

And the stunts….which are not always so OK.

Back on the Shore, it’s time to get reacquainted with the big stuff. This is Diggers Cliff. All 23′ of it.

Of course, the size of the trees make it look kind of small.

And then the Eurotrash show up and it all looks big again. One of these little guys was riding big logs clipped in with his seat jacked and those little semislick tires. What a freak. Check out Cedric Ravanel results at the Grouse Mtn World Cup for an idea of his lifestyle.

Speaking of World Cup, Barb did all right, considering she’s hardly raced in two years. She had some trouble in training, but pulled out some fantastic sections in her race run. Shandro summed it up well.

“It’s just hard to pin it all the way down when you haven’t done it in a while, but I had a great time and didn’t embarass myself.”

Special congrats to Trevor Porter (17th), Stewart Hilder (33rd), and Danica Schroeter (12th) who all posted career high finishes in downhill. And to all the Canadians, for that matter.

That’s all for now, I’ll have more soon.