kootenays

Rilor – Day 2

Posted on by Smoke

Ok, it’s time for our first full day, and we get to start out with me driving the truck while everyone else gets to warm up on Idaho Peak.  Ah well, it’s not really my favourite anyway.

I’d rather ride someplace with a bit of a view, like this nice washroom up near Meadow Creek.  I also missed out on the first trail up here, Deception Creek.   It would appear to be a fast and flowy singletrack.  At least the road was fun, with some freshly installed decommission trenches to negotiate.

The 3rd lap was Mineshaft, and this one is a true gem.  If I had to compare it to anything,it would be Cypress on the North Shore, but way more plush and longer to boot.

It had a little bit of everything, except maybe it could have used a big move or two.  Not that it really needs it, it’s just that it has every other kind of riding as you go down.

Kelly riding one of the creek crossings…

Mama Tillman out in the open with the mighty Purcell Mtns in the background.

Pops, not to be outdone.

I don’t get to see a lot of the boys on the trail.  These guys RIP.  Seriously, they’re not far off of World Cup pace out there. I noticed Riley sweating to keep pace, and he knows these trails.  The boys were riding blind at full speed.  Here’s a rare shot of Andreas.

An even rarer shot of the Ginja Ninja himself, Riley.

We ran out of safety margin to hit the Monster (too bad, but no biggie), so we raced back to the Slocan for some sunset shots on Tunnel Vision.  Another shot of Andreas railing the berms.

Oops, cut Michael’s head off…

Or was that Andi?  Or is this Michael.  Dang it, all ze Germans look the same to me…

Well, this one is blurry enough that I just can’t tell.  Probably Basti.  He’s not even related.

Ahh, this would be Toni, catching the last rays of the day.

Nice day, but tomorrow promises to be bigger and better.  Is that jet fuel I smell?

Rilor – Day 1

Posted on by Smoke

A bonus trip starts today.  I’ve been asked to come up to help Riley McIntosh with a group at his new operation, Rilor Wilderness (the site doesn’t always work, but check back when you can).  It’s a very high end and exclusive way to experience the Kootenays.  Not for the usual dogs…

OK, that’s just a coyote I saw on the Monashee Highway, but here’s the chalets we stayed in that overlook the Slocan.

In addition, we had some awesome company to help out.  Kelly and Darren came along from Endless Biking (congrats on the impending addition to the family, you two!), and Riley’s lovely girlfriend and assistant was cooking for us all week.

Our group was an incredibly talented German family, with a few boys and the parents all shredding the advanced trails of the Koots.  You can check out some more of their adventures in Canada at their site, InFocusMTB.

We were just hitting up the local line that Riley built in the back yard, Tunnel Vision.  A little getting to know you sesh…

Clearly, this was no ordinary family crew.  Here’s mom, ripping it on some rad curvy bridges a al Rilor.

Of cousre, dad being the styler that he is has caught himself a much younger woman, but you can see that he’s not letting any of his 67 years be an excuse to not hit all of it while in Canada.  Yeah, you heard me.  He’s past mandatory retirement in this country and is shredding the gnar.

Should be a crazy week…

WSFE – Day 7

Posted on by Smoke

OK, this is the reason why I ride bikes. Epics…..I love epics. Especially when they start with the largest water bomber in the world overflying the ferry you gotta take to get to the trails….

OK, so maybe Ian looks…non-plussed.

Holt, Wade and Nicole seem up for it.

It was an epic drive just to start off this one. We had to cross Kootenay Lake to Crawford Bay, then drive over Gray Creek Pass into the heart of the Purcell Mtns. 60 km of gravel got us into this valley:

Since we couldn’t get anyone to be our shuttle driver, the task fell to the lovely Danika. Does here lower lip seem a little larger than usual in this pic?

I don’t know what she was bummed about, it was obviously going to be a bit of a climb.

The PowerBoys do this climb to the pass over into Lockhart Creek in an hour, so I was thinking a little under 2 for our crew….

Because mere mortals such as we are, we require….uhhh…..rest stops.

Even Wade couldn’t pedal up this stuff.

Kind of scenic climbing for all that it was a bit rough.

Some trees to put it in perspective. That’s Nicole in there somewhere.

Some deep shrubbery as we got close to the summit.

Almost there means a good excuse to crack a smile.

Artsy fartsy shot.

Snack break with some 9 000′ peaks in the background.

Action shots….

The reality behind the action shots. Next time you see a pro rider in one of those epic backcountry shots, here’s how it really happens.

Ahhhh, finally the top. I made everyone enjoy a brief moment of silence at the top with closed eyes…

Just so I could crack a beer to break the moment. Good times….good times.

The first pitch was quite technical, and really scenic, so we took some time to shoot some pics.

This rocky area was the setting for an epic shot of our late buddy, Pat von Blumen. Couldn’t find the shot online, but if you want to see some epic shots by the same guy, check out Dave Heath’s site.

Look close, there’s a rider in there someplace…

Wade at work again….

OK, so shortly after this shot, we got the greenlight from the photographers to start rippin. I was all keyed up from being in such a stupendous arena that I kind of lost my head and started pinning it on some sketchy sidehill. Wade said it was one of the more violent crashes he’s seen. I ended up cartwheeling about 60 feet and got out of it with some holes in my tongue, a chipped tooth, assorted bruises, and a hyperextended elbow ( I found out later that I got a hairline fracture in my humerus too). Ooops. I’m an idiot. Oh well, I was overdue for a good bail.

I hope it didn’t impact anyone elses day too much.

The trail down Lockhart Creek semed more like the coast than the deep interior. Huge trees and a dark forest. The only part that was like the interior was the speed. I’ve nover gone so fast in big trees.

Niclas is a big dude. Those trees are bigger…

Can’t even get Wade in focus. It’s fas-s-s-s-s-t….

All I remember about the lower part of the trail was preloading into corners with both wheels drifting…..for like an hour straight. Totally worth it.

Oh, and some beers on the beach at the bottom were sort of OK, too.

If one thing could improve that day…..I think some pints over dinner at the local were maybe all I could come up with.

Cheers! That was epic…..

Oh, and I’ve got a special treat for all you geography geeks out there. Check out Lockhart Creek with Google Earth.