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You always see the whole total bike park whistler type riding in BC, but question is, where to ride for more 'normal but still ****in awesome' singletrack? It's my fortieth year in 2015, and mrs Nobeer and I have always wanted to go and see vancouver and San Francisco.
After extensive negotiations (not really, she's a smashin lass!) I've been granted a pass to stay on for a week after our 2 week holiday for riding.
Short of getting in touch with 13thfloormonk, where do I start looking?.
All the trails around the Whistler valley are worth a go if you have an AM bike. They were a bit of a slog on my dh bike but still good! Bike park is definitely worth a go as well, so much fun.
Squamish looks immense as well, gutted I never got to ride there in my whistler summer..
nelson.
and the kootenays in general...
Fantastic, keep it coming!
Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish. Epic trails. All within an hour and a half of each other. Stay in Whistler as you will want to do a day in the park (at least) and do day trips to the others. I highly recommend staying with Bearback in Whistler. Nice people and a great location for the trails. You'll be totally spent so having dinner/breakfast sorted will just give you more time to ride and have a swim in the lake when you're done riding.
One other thing. Get as fit as you can. The climbs are tough/brutal and the fitter you are the more days you'll get in.
Tyax lodge, floatplane biking.
Fantastic.
Everything is BIG. They are nuts. It is brilliant. Squamish is ace; get trail map from tantalus bike shop. Even the small lost lake trails in whistler are good fun. The Nelson stuff is MENTAL. From memory, a [b]blue[/b] started with a 6-7ft ladder drop.
Squamish was one of my best days riding. Loved the day there.
My memory of squamish was hitting a wooden booter and totally clearing the berm and looking down to see my mate had done exactly the same thing and landing on him.
Squamish is great.
Nobeer, there is not a huge amount of single track riding around San Francisco in the sense that we know it here. You should consider a spell riding in Oregon. Look out for stuff around Hood River, Bend and Oakridge. Waldo Lake and the MacKenzie River Trail. I could put you in touch with Sunnyside Sports in Bend and Willamette Mountain Merchantile in Oakridge. There are miles and miles of really good trails around there.
Goddamit! I'll probably be back in Scotland by then...
My personal recommendation is Cumberland, Vancouver Island. I had two awesome days there staying in the Riding Fool Hostel and riding with Island Mountain Rides. The singletrack is lovely, and less steep than the North Shore stuff so you can occasionally get off the brakes! I rode my Pitch and it was perfect.
The North Shore in Vancouver is a no-brainer, if only because its easy and there are some pretty historic trails to ride/cower beneath. I was like a schoolkid the day I found Flying Circus and GMG even though they're both WAAAAAAAY beyond my abilities.
Wish I could have ridden Squamish/Whistler trails, I only rode once in the Whistler Bike Park, not really my sort of riding but it was still cool.
All I remember of San Francisco is wishing I had my road bike with me to do some riding in Marin County!
Definitely try the Lost Lake side of Whistler, so many cheeky, technical and fun trails on that side it's just endless, if your not a fan of Northshore stuff you soon will be out there as there is plenty of it just shame i didn't have the AM Bike to make the most of it.
And get a pass for the 'Top of the World' 5000ft of fun and easily done on a AM rig.
The best thing is you feel like you are in the middle of know where but really your only ever about 10-15mins from the Village.
Enjoy!
If you've the money for the big occasion, the adventure spirit and the health/fitness to do it then seriously consider a multiday Chilcotin adventure!
As a couple, what about driving up the West coast from SF through Norcal, Oregon, into WA and then into BC
If prefer to fly, time in SF then up to BC and do either the island and coast, or the interior and back to Vancouver to wave the wife off and up to us for a holiday in Whistler 😉
Info in profile!
I would echo Nelson or kootneys in general but as above just beware that the interior BC grading is a little different to the UK. If coming from Vancouver then I think Squamish and the XC around Whistler would be good for a week though with less travel needed.
McM - I wouldn't plan on riding in San Francisco, only up in BC once the family has departed.
Ian - coming home? I thought you were in it for the long haul mate!
Bear back - your website looks great, I may look into that..
'A River Runs Through it' in Whistler is great for practicing slow speed skills, with no or very little consequence, linked up with some back country stuff to make a loop.
There's plenty of XC stuff around Whistler and Permberton, i'd also recommend at least a day at the bike park, possibly hiring a DH rig for a bit more fun as your bike will also take a battering.
If you're heading over Nelson way The '7 Summits' ride at Rossland (I know it's another few hours) is a cracking big mountain ride, there's also loads of back country off piste stuff around here.
I have stayed with Bearback a number of times, and fully recommend them. I have also been fortunate enough to ride in a number of places in BC. In my opinion, Nelson is fantastic, and can be combined with Rossland quite easily. To get the best out of any area, and yourself some level of guiding is almost essential. Many rides benefit from shuttles for altitude gain or simple logistics. It is possible to hitch some, like the Seven Summits at Rossland, but if you do, you'll be a sweaty dehydrated gibbering nutter waiting for a lift.
Bear in mind that the riding in BC is endless and a week is not long. Whistler to Nelson will take a long day driving each way...
Have fun.
Bearback sounds a good option then.
Always use protection boys.