New fear unlocked (wild animal content)

I think you will find it is marmalade sandwiches that bears like, they keep them safe under their hats.

It can get quite spooky round here riding or running through the forests at night, I just hope it is wild boars that I occasionally hear crashing through the undergrowth, one night when I was emerging into a clearing I just suddenly had about a dozen pairs of eyes staring at me, I couldn't see what they were just the eyes reflecting my light, they then turned and scarpered, it was just deer but for a second I had a bit of panic.

I was preparing a BBQ for guests in Whistler and word came in that there was a bear in the driveway across the road , luckily it's sense of smell was a bit rubbish because he didn't come and join us . .Might have been the same one that sat watching me hanging washing out previously.

Just remembered I went for a ride with a bunch of guides in Squamish and I was hanging! The leader was talking to another group coming out way , they'd seen Cougar poo just up the trail , what did we do ? Kept riding towards the poo ! I'd read about Cougars stalking prey and taking out the weaker ones , did nothing for my nerves !

About halfway through my sandwich I looked back the way I had come and saw a wolf strolling across the trail. It saw me at about the same time I saw him/her and it broke into a sprint and disappeared into the woods

Yeah the wolves that have survived centuries of persecution have a very deeply ingrained instinctive fear of humans. I don't think they will ever come close to humans.

As far as bears are concerned the risk they pose to MTB cyclists must surely bearly register compared to the other risks MTB cyclists face :

https://suspension-traveler.com/downhill-mtb-dangers/

While specific data on mountain bike deaths per year are scarce, there was a recent study focusing on the Austrian Alps over a 16 year period recorded 97 fatalities among recreational mountain bikers.

Out of those 96 were male. The average age was 55.

The majority (55%) died of non-traumatic cardiovascular causes mainly while uphill riding. 41% died due to traumatic events while riding downhill.

Combined with the number of total accidents, the mortality index for MTB is 1.34 (out of 1.000 accidents = 0.13%).

So if you want to minimise the risks cycle downhill rather than uphill 

Edit : Blimey I have just realised that's one MTB death every couple of months in the Austrian Alps!

@Brucewee that's a cool kid 💪

A while back now mtbing in Whistler and riding the huge berms just before the bottom of the Garbanzo (spelling) chairlift sat a black bear at the bottom of the berm  just watching one mtber after another railing round the top of the berm. 

Later that day we got on the chairlift and saw another bear sat at the exit of one of the big table tops, everyone ahead of us was screaming at the mtber entering the tabletop, he cleaned it, how he missed the bear I've no idea to this day.

they'd seen Cougar poo just up the trail

I'd be asking for the eye bleach.

"You are now entering bear country" signs in Canada always scared the crap out of me.

they'd seen Cougar poo just up the trail

Couldn't you wait @Cougar ?

Posted by: BruceWee

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nutella peanut butter jam sandwich (don't judge me)

Judged, and I can confirm absolutely outstanding sandwich choice. 

Posted by: MonkeySpacePilot

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I think you will find it is marmalade sandwiches that bears like, they keep them safe under their hats.

I am so proud of this forum that this was the first response. 

We had our honeymoon in the Rockies many years ago. Walking guides were keen to tell us that a cougar had killed a hiker near Banff a couple of months before we were there. If I needed a wild wee I did no go far from the path.

A rare and privileged encounter! I’d be telling that story for years to come.

Yes, lucky, lucky you. We're heading to a wedding in Naples in May and I've booked us a few days in Abruzzo to hike, but I am under no allusion the likelihood of seeing a marsican bear or appenine wolf is vanishing small.

Just make sure you go riding with someone slower than you.

I nearly rode into a bear with hot_fiat in Whistler in 1995.

Edge of town just round a corner while we were heading down a back lane. We got a shock. The bear got a shock. Luckily the bear went one way and we ran back up the hill with our bikes.

Bears are big; that’s my only takeaway from the experience! 

If you are firm, but fair, they will respect you.

Posted by: thols2

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If you are firm, but fair, they will respect you

Pretty sure in the longer version the bear gives him a clip just to remind him who's boss

Posted by: TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

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Posted by: thols2

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If you are firm, but fair, they will respect you

Pretty sure in the longer version the bear gives him a clip just to remind him who's boss

Yup, the geezer had had a few too many beers apparently 

Whatever you do, then, don't listen to this:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/storytime-with-seth-rogen/id1583325095

Or this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0g8cjmj?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Or, God forbid, this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0hvnw7p?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Bears, lions and mountain bikes aren't a great mix.

It pulls me

into its trap of attention.

And when I turn again, the bear is gone.

- 'October', Mary Oliver

Seeing a wolf in the wild is so lucky, wow.

I saw a few bears along the Tour Divide route, all at least 75-100yds ahead of me just crossing the trail or road. One with cubs. Had a bear bell on the bike to try to avoid suprising one on a less open section of trail. 

I didn't take a tent partly because the idea of being enclosed while hearing something in the woods nearby was too scary. I used a tarp instead and was genuinely scared one night when I woke up and heard what turned out to be something smaller like a fox (coyote? dunno). I had to shine a headtorch at it to see how far the eyes were above the ground. It ran off and that was it, I was well awake, packed up and started pedalling to make the most of the adrenaline boost.

Another time there were some eyes on the trail lit up at night and I convinced myself that a raccoon was maybe actually a bear cub, I couldn't go ahead anywhere near it it until it was long gone and I knew there wasn't anything else with it. 

Plenty of people told me they camped in the woods in BC and Montana all the time as kids so before setting off I thought it would be ok - car traffic was a greater risk. Watched plenty of films about what to do or what not to do as well as knew I'd be terrified should I end up having to try to stand my ground with some little bear banger firework or spray as defence. That first week of bivies alone in bear country was both a racing time advantage and one of the more life-affirming things I've done. Something about knowing you're not the scariest thing in the woods, very different to my usual bivvies in Europe. 

I agree. Knowing there is a tiny but real risk of a bear attack stops me getting a good night's sleep. I have camped or bivvied around 200 nights all over the US but the few times alone in the woods in Montana were the only times I was a bit worried. I recall that a tent is supposed to be better than a bivvy as it is a barrier. Who knows though? This guy has a nasty one camped in a tent with a dog. A bear stomping around outside his tent for an hour.

"At 1:30 AM I was awoken suddenly. I looked at my clock and wondered why I was wide awake. Squirrel was on alert. We soon heard a loud snort, an animal completely clearing it's lungs of air. I could tell it was at the top of the pit behind the tent, but I did not know what it was. I have heard deer make this sound before, just not this loud. Another loud snort and i could hear rocks falling down the pit and then the animal making its way down. I was still thinking this might be a moose until it was 10 feet from the tent, snorted, and gave two quick "woofs". Now I was scared! I gave my bear spray away to Stan and Sally thinking I would be OK the rest of the trip. The bear then charged the tent , came within a few feet and stopped. It continued to circle the tent and expel the air from its lungs. Eventually it wandered off, but I could still hear it snorting. Then it would run back and "woof". This went on for a good hour before it left. Needless to say Squirrel and I did not sleep the rest of the night"

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3d2&page_id=81399&v=4B

.

Saw plenty of bears when I was in Whistler, almost rode into one on a bit of singletrack. Never felt threatened by them, they usually just look at you then walk away or carry on whatever they're doing. We did see a huge one with a couple of cubs on the trail whilst making our way up the garbo lift though so decided to take a different route for that run!

I was more concerned about the "cougar spotted" warning signs up everywhere.

I recall that a tent is supposed to be better than a bivvy as it is a barrier.

Not heard that before .. "now they tell me.." : )

Posted by: oldfart

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Just remembered I went for a ride with a bunch of guides in Squamish and I was hanging! The leader was talking to another group coming out way , they'd seen Cougar poo just up the trail , what did we do ? Kept riding towards the poo ! I'd read about Cougars stalking prey and taking out the weaker ones , did nothing for my nerves !

No fit healthy MTBer should ever underestimate the danger of an encounter with a horny middleaged woman.

Posted by: epicyclo

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No fit healthy MTBer should ever underestimate the danger of an encounter with a horny middleaged woman.

Especially if she's shitting on the trail!

I have a friend who lives in a wooded area high above Trento. One of his pals got attacked by a bear whilst out for a run, he received life changing injuries. Another pal was chased by a bear on a mtb ride and only escaped by riding off downhill at full pelt. Both attacks were by male bears, it seems that in the mating season males are spoiling for a fight, it's not just mothers with cubs. There's probably a fair bit of wishful thinking among the folk who pushed through the reintroduction of black bears to northern Italy.

We had our honeymoon in Whistler.  It was a late snow melt so loads of bears were in town and on the golf courses as they were hungry. 

We were with a guide who was giving us some skills coaching at a drop off and had suggested we put our bags to one side.

Turn around to see a black bear ambling up and start taking my bag. It seemed harmless until I remembered that my passport was in the bag as ID as we'd decided to hire some bigger bikes that day.

At that point I had to wrestle with the 'give them plenty of space, do not approach' advice, and the obvious solution of chasing it off.  Thankfully I chose the latter and it scarpered!

Waiting to receive a resupply by helicopter in Africa, one of my colleagues said he saw a bush move. We told him he was being a fanny.

We had some humble pie that went nicely with our water and rations that day. This magnificent creature wandered through the HLS after the resupply.