Kiwis – 3

They’re not just good bike riders, they’re also really nice boys.

Gonna have to make them honourary Canadians if they keep this behaviour up.

A bit of a slower start after the epic goodness of the past couple of days.  As they are off to Silverstar tomorrow, we were riding Kelowna today.  There’s been lots of work out on the Gillard trails (thank you, MTBco and all other like minded trail fairies), like this nearly finished skinny line on Squaw Hollow.

In fact, almost all of the old woodwork on Squaw has been replaced with awesome pieces like this.

Dr. No has also seen some much needed love.

That trail is so friendly now, it gives hugs to unsuspecting tourists.

What with all the rock rides we’ve done this week, it seemed only fitting that we finish with the Boss Hog rock.

You should know that all the wood on Boss Hog has been removed.  Sort of sad, but it was all rotten and it was all for the best.  Knowing the local trail fairies, I’m sure that something new and wonderful will appear to replace those features.  At least the rock won’t change.

A couple of more airs before we’re done.

The boys were pretty tired, the day was hot, and the rad in the van sprung a leak, so we headed off to the beach for some cold ones.

A full moon barbeque and some more refreshing drinks were all we needed to cap off this near perfect 3 day trip.

Alright, I think we’ll be seeing these guys again sometime.  Now I have to get packed, because I’m Kootenay bound.

RETALLACKA!

Gillard Session

Dave wanted to ride something different today, and since he was going to be in Kelowna we decided to go hit up Gillard.

Only one problem…too many Fags on the bridge.

Haven’t spent much time up in Gillard the past couple of seasons, but it’s looking great.  Tons of work has been done up there.  Hard to believe this network was essentially destroyed by fire.  Here’s Dave on Dr. No, which has had a substantial rebuild this year.

Also finally had a look at the new Casino Royale (lots of pics of the build from Bert and Ernie…I mean Andrew and Brant..at that link).  It’s an incredible trail.  While there are a few really large moves, for the most part it’s more of a technical ride with some 5′ drops and some really, really cool lines.  Highly recommended.

Oh, and thanks to Brooke for driving the shuttle today.  That was awesome.

Manfest! – 3

Yep, that’s one broken arm alright.  Good thing you’re a dentist.  Imagine if you needed your hands for work…

So, the deluge continues.  Unlike the North Shore, this area is not really built around wet weather.  The wood and rock here is deadly slick, which makes the riding in these pics doubly impressive.

We’re at Gillard this morning.  A few quick laps to see if we can get the stoke flowing today.

The crew seems to be enjoying themselves.  In case you didn’t figure it out, I’m one of the younger guys in this bunch.  There’s a couple of 20-ish year olds, but most of these guys are in the their 40’s or even 50’s.

And they’re sending this stuff blind…in the rain.

Makes ya think, eh whippersnappers?

Dr. No is rad enough in the dry.

In the wet?

Well, not everyone was nailing it.

Check it out, you can even see the raindrops in this one.

Hey cuz.  Those BMX skills never quite go away, do they?

This was one of the best sessions I’ve seen here.  Lots of the crew stepping up on Boss Hog.

I also didn’t even consider this rockface in the rain, but then again I can just come back when it’s dry.  Most of these guys won’t get back here again.

Sick drop.

Slicker wall.  Actually, it was the mucky bit after the wall that was taking guys out.

Traditional passed out in the van shot.

That was it for a lot of the crew.   The weather was just too much.  I have a feeling that the early departures will be regretting their choice, though.  This seems to be a group that knows how to hold a grudge.

The afternoon laps were just a handful of survivors.  We went back over to Powers to hit some of the older trails and some stuff we didn’t get to see yesterday.

Shiny wet.  With leaves.

And then, when you thought it just might clear up, the skies darken and the heavens open up:

Yeah, that really was the end of it.   Awesome couple of days riding with this bunch, and it’s hard to award a Princess when over half the crew splits early, but there ya are.

And I’m out.  Make up yer own story for this.