Band of Bros – Redux

Ahhh yes, returning customers. My favourite…..

Ted and Jason came out here last year. Kevin and Matt didn’t make it back, but Steve and another Matt did to keepthe numbers up. They came for a few more days this time around to make it more interesting.

Oh look, the typical building of the bikes on my front lawn. So much more room than the old place.

This is Matt. He’s new here. He’s not really having any problems adapting to the BC style though. I guess all those years of BMX back in the day in Cali are still with him.

Ted picked up right where he left off last year.

So did Jason, although a crash at Whistler had left him with a badly sprained thumb that was holding him back a little.

Steve was having a few issues adapting. He only picked up the freeride bike a month before, and was feeling a touch of stress at the scope of Builders Only. Luckily he had guys like Ted and Matt and Jason to inspire him….but it’s still a bit of a shock to be thrown right into moves like this:

Round two we went over to the old 2.5 line on Powers. Once again, the boys were on fire.

The skinny skills were what surprised me the most. In general, skinny riding is dying out these days, but these guys were killing every stick, twig, and log line out there.

Jason preferred the wall rides though.

So did Matt, even if it took himm a couple of tries at it.

Ted sends a one hander….

Pic of the day, Matt on a small road gap. Not quite an X-up, but it’s early in the trip.

Heli Treat

After showing George around the local trails, he decided to return the favour with a gratis ride in a helo. He’s taking a mountain flying course in Penticton, so he’s got some hours to fill. In spite of the Pixies t-shirt, I took him up on the offer (punk rock and pilots……hmmmmmmmmm).

Another average day in the Okanagan, as we head out over Skaha Lake.

This is Penticton, looking south from Okanagan Lake to Skaha in the distance.

George didn’t do all the flying. After doing a recce overflight of Ellis Canyon, the instructor took the controls and put on a clinic of how to fly through tight spaces.

This is one tight canyon. At times, it was less than one rotor width to either side. The guy is so smooth, you felt like you were cruising Main Street.

Now if I can only convince them to drop me off at the top of Snowy Mtn. with my bike…

Local Classic

I’ve been trying to hit a few certain local trails ever since I moved up here, but due to a relutance to pedal exhibited by most of my riding partners, I haven’t managed it. There’s also the issue with weather. If I’m going to do a 13 km climb, I don’t really want it to be 35C out.

Luckily, Geoff Pendrell was in town this weekend and he called me up for an XC romp. Geoff is one of the more talented all round racers in Canada, able to win in any discipline, so neither his skills or fitness were in question. Compared to that guys resume, I’m the one to be in question., but no matter, I was determined to hit up the McDougall Rim today.

Oh and it was raining slightly, and George (who will be joining us o the Wade Tour later this summer) was also coming along.

The climb wasn’t too bad. It started off with one really steep pitch, but for the most part it was steady middle ring stuff.

A few extended granny ring efforts for sure, and it got a bit tougher up higher, but with the cool weather it was actually a pretty decent climb of about 90 minutes or so.

Near the top, the trail switched from double to singletrack, and the first view was a true eye opener.

We could just see Bear Creeek below us, and the ridgeline extending off to the east. The big trees and misty conditions made me feel like I was back on the coast. Here’s George, a bit awestruck by the experience.

The singletrack that followed was spectacular. Nothing tech, just great flowy smooth trail with some uphill sections that were actually fun. Yes, you heard me, fun uphill. Really.

After another 20 minutes of rolling trail that was slightly more up than down, we kicked over into the descent. Lots and lots of descent. It hardly ever got steep, so it rolled for a long, long time. Excellent singletrack, the kind that would be a bit more fun on a DH bike, but that you can go stupidly fast down on anything.

Oh and also tons of clifftop viewpoints on the way. The final descent was a wide open blast down some bermed up hyperspeed. I haven’t gone this fast since Prevost on the Island earlier this spring.

Totally wicked ride, a true classic. I doubt I’ll be up there until after summer, but I’m definitely doing that one again.