heli biking

Rilor – Day 3

Posted on by Smoke

Ahhh yes, the helicopter.  I just can’t get enough of these things.

Plus it’s a nice day for it.  Well…it’s actually snowing at the top, so I’ll just let everyone else go first.  No point in hanging around in the alpine if it’s cold, eh?

Bye Kelly!  We’ll miss you!

And there go the bikes…

The West Arm of Kootenay Lake.

Capt Serious, so happy to be here.

Our destination is the top of BaldFace.  This sure beats the usual approach of an hour up the gravel road and another 40 minutes of hike a bike to Cherry Tops.  An 8 minute flight with views of the mountains (and illegal crops dotting the mountainsides) is far more preferable.

Surfs up, yo.

OK, we’re ready to drop in now.

Darren, what did you do to our nice blue skies?

Riley, showing some Viking like disregard for the climate.  Red heads are weird.

Mama Tillman, again with shot of the day.  Damn girl, you’ve got the photogenic thing figured out.

Another random Tillman.  Hot bike, but cold hands.

Dad on the steeps of the Meadow Trail.

There’s been a lot of work on the trails up there this year.  Much improved over last time I rode it.  Here we are back at the creek, having a snack and preparing for the climb up to Shannon Pass.

Shannon Pass was the usual collection of shit eating grins.  One of my favourite Kootenay trails for sure.

Of course, that wasn’t enough for the boys, so I took Dad over to NRG to meet some locals that were having a post Triple Crown BBQ.   Damn, does everyone around here have red hair?

DOUBLE RAINBOW!!!

As is usual with mountain bike groups, we had a sausage party.

Nerds.

Hurtin’ For Vert – Stage 3

Posted on by Smoke

I won’t tell if you won’t tell…

Yes, the torture never stops on this trip.  It’s beginning to feel like another stag party, but no one is getting married.   Today we’ve got a double header with the classic Nelson line of the Paperbag to warm up, and one of those little helicopter jobbies to take us up to some alpine for the main course.

The Bag is a good reason to visit Nelson.  A long enough climb to make it feel like you’ve done something with your day, and a technical descent through endless rock slabs down to a beach.

Oh, and it gets pretty technical in spots.  Enough to even stress out the North Shore riders a bit.  Not much, but a bit.  Matt made it look simple.

Hey, it’s a rad ride… but we were just getting warmed up.

Ahhhh…that’s what I like to see.

Sollid Mtn., and a very small landing zone.

It’s two ridges over from yesterday’s ride, and we could see Cherry tops easily from here.

Don’t get too excited, there Burchie.

Mario, overacting in a corner.

So cliche…

Looking north to the Kokanee’s.

Here come the Whistler boys.  Two up…

…and one down.  Silly Dingo, loosen yer cleats.

A couple more postcards for you.

So, the flat fest continued.  Luckily, it’s about the best huckleberry season in living memory.  Only one thing to say about this next shot…

“NOM NOM NOM NOM”

Whoa, those berries really go through ya.  The lake is THAT way…

It’s too bad you can’t see how steep this section is.  Probably the steepest continuous section of the whole four days.

The last section of this ride is all about open rock faces, hence the “Doz Slabs” handle.  Lower Hitman gets you all riled up with a rock garden of big tombstones, and then you get into a series of 12 burly rock lines that culminate in this bad boy here.

The usual finish into a lake for continuity, and we’re happy campers. 

Here’s your stats…

And your

Interactive Map

goodies.

The Happiest Place on Earth – Pt. 2

Posted on by Smoke

Yeah, it’s too much for just one post, so I split it.  Anyway, back to our story.  As you recall, I’d eaten a lunch that had some dubious looking lettuce on it, but food is food….right?

Things were fine at this point, as Wade showed us the proper technique.

Everyone took the advice to heart, and a mad session ensued.

Pic o’ the day….

Somewhere around here I was siezed by some chills, and felt the urge to barf, which I manfully (stupidly?) repressed.

OK, no pics for a bit. I was definitely poisoned.  Somehow, I manged to throw up FIVE times, and interstingly only the lettuce came out.  So now Ihave to live with the fact the Tippie out climbed me.  Oh the humiliation…..

Meh…whatever.  By Awesome Rock I was feeling a little bit better.


Pics never do this one justice.  Arthur is on an 85 degree slope there.

And now the standard scenic shots from the last viewpoint.


Yes Burton, I agree.

Simmons, quit posing.

You too, Brett.

A big ride and a big beer.  two great tastes that go great together.

Another one in the books.  Not sure about the random psycho who came by and stomped ona  bunch of beers, then peeled out giving us the finger, but it added some spice to the day.

Oh, and by the way, Brett doesn’t need to stick his dick in a jar of peanut butter.  The end result is already there.