2006 Lift Extravaganza - Day 2: Sunpeaks

Day 2 of the Extravaganza..........

Lets go back to last night. 6 rowdy drunk mountain bikers getting re-hydrated with beer on the drive up and in the bar last night.

Lets just say we weren't exactly in great shape for riding today. The festivities ended at 3am with a late night porch BBQ and the few beers to put us all to sleep in a Chalet.

In the morning there was bacon 'n eggs and lots of Gatorade. We all made our way to the lifts in the morning and rode our asses off.

Later in the day Tim, Rob and I were the last men standing/riding and decided to shoot a few photos in the upper sub-alpine of Sunpeaks.

The photos below are the shots we took.

Rob

Tim

Me (Dean)

2006 Lift Extravaganza - Day 1: Whistler

The 2006 Lift Extravaganza

What is this you might be thinking? 6 guys 3 days 3 mountain and non stop riding.

Our adventure started on July 21 when we departed from Seymour's Pub in North Vancouver to head to Whistler. 2 trucks loaded to the rafters with bikes, bike gear, clothes and BEER.

It was a hot day in the Holy Land of lift access mountain biking. The lines were pretty clear as well so we were able to get in as many runs as we possibly could. Garbanzo was open all day so several trips of the higher alpine trails were had by all.

There were a few hiccups though......6 flats in the group and one front brake replacement. I was dubbed the mechanic for the trip so I helped with most repairs...the flats and I did the brake replacement at the truck with Rob where we needed to MacGyver the grip off his bike.

Overall Whistler rocked! We arrived at lift opening and stayed until a half hour before closing. We hit the road for a long drive on Duffy Lake Highway to Kamloops to ride Sun Peaks the next day.

Group Shot near the top of Garbanzo at Whistler:
Back Row Tim, Dean, Mike, Steve
Front Row Wilby, Rob

The drive from Whistler to Kamloops was long and HOT!! In fact during the weekend of the Extravaganza there were several temperature records set across the province. While at Whistler we saw 37.3 °C, at Sun Peaks 38.7°C and Silverstar was 37°C.

The 3 Amigos on Eagle Mountain

Well, it has bad been quite a while since I had last ridden Eagle and tonight the trails on Eagle kind of beat me up.

By some crazy coincidence we (Rob, Tim and I) decided to ride on the first rainy day in a month. The trails we rode were the 4 Lost Souls, The Dentist and Randy's.

The push up was,.......well steep, but that it Eagle. At the top of 4 Lost Souls we geared up and proceeded down the hill. This trail is so freaking fast that it can be over before you even know it. Hit after hit after hit. It is a trail where the saying "Commit or eat shit!!" comes into play. A cool step up to platform to a 5 footer to a 7 foot step-down........then a bigger drop to a hip to a big step-down to a bigger step down to another then another then another then wooden berm/wall ride to a HUGE wall-ride with 12 foot long planks of cedar which I launch off the end of 5 feet in the air and proceed straight across the trail and into the bushes where I get a stick wedged in my helmet cutting my forehead. It was so much fun that we went up again for another run. Hit after hit after hit, non stop fun.

After 4 lost souls we proceeded down The Dentist. On the push up we looked at a few new features that were on the trail since we had last ridden there. A huge 12x12 foot step down / drop to tranny. We eyed it up on push and though....ummm not today. Well by the time we made our way down the trail we were still on fire from 4LS so what the hell right. First Tim hit it and it was butter, so I hit it with a little table tweak and stomped it....butter, absolute butter smooth landing. That drop was PERFECT. Then the wall ride. My first run at it was really good. Rode it high and exited off about 4 feet in the air to the tranny. Second time with Rob and Tim watching I hit it a little vertical, slid down and wiped out. I dusted off the dirt on my bike and my ego and went back up to hit her again. This time popping and railing the wall. So much fun.

We made our way down to the gap to wooden step-up to platform to drop. Once again...sweet. The drop is a little bigger than I thought, but that is likely because I was going a little fast.

So by this time the clouds had rolled in on the hill and visibility was getting poor. There was one last little drop to a tranny made of rock. I rolled up blind but was told by Rob and Tim who were ahead of me that it was 5 feet to the tranny 6 foot drop. I got to the end of the ladder but popped of the end about 5 inches too late. I basically didn't see the end of the drop. Somehow I managed to hold on to a nose wheelie hard landing onto rocks, big rocks. In the air I was thinking this is really going to hurt. But god blessed my 888's this evening and I was able to ride it out without incident. My nuts did get scrubbed by my rear tire and my inner thighs were raw from hitting the back of my seat, but I was alright. A few deep breaths later and we were on our way.

We then went up the road to Randy's. A nice old school trail with a few drops and tight sections to make it fun. Well I was riding far too close to Tim and got to the end of a 3 foot drop and found myself in trouble going WAY TOO SLOW. I could not pull up in time. I nose off the end and had to abort and go flying without my bike. My bike then proceeded to cartwheel down the hill about 40 feet narrowly missing Tim who was oblivious to the Ollie hurtling towards him. I was shaken but unhurt. More of an ego thing as I could do that little drop with my eyes closed, but I was not paying close enough attention on a trail I had only ridden once before. So I went down the hill to get my bike and smartened up. No more stupid moves on a trail I don't know.

We then made our way to the backyard trail that makes its way behind the houses on the hill. It is a nice little flowing rip where you need to keep an eye out for hikers and dogs (I am not even sure if bikes are allowed to be on this trail, but it sure is fun). Back to the cars and we were done our ride. 2 1/2 hours of Eagle Mountain fun.

I tip my hat to the guys that build and maintain Eagle and hope to get out there again soon, only next time in the dry.

Night Vibe

Night riding. There really is nothing else like it. How many sports are there out there where people participate in by the light of the sun but when the sun sets a whole different breed of folks come out to the play in the dark. Tim and I had a wicked night ride. It was like the night ride gods had issued us a free pass and covered us with flow and a positive vibe that radiated from our beings. The location was The Woodlot, the route was Krazy Karpenter, Blood Donor, Giant Killer, Snakes and Ladder and finally Shotgun.

The last time I was up riding these trails last week, the upper trails were covered in wet compact snow which made riding the woodwork quite treacherous but since then we have had some rain and warmer weather so the trails were free of snow. Riding with a HID on the handle bars and a 50W headlamp is an absolute dream so shredding the trails at night is a total blast. Krazy Karpenter has recently seen some maintenance and a very classic wood structure has recently been fixed and is now again safe to ride. Tim and I rode the ladder around and through stump a couple times each and even and went on to inspect the handiwork of the builder (Bill). The wood work on his structures is unlike any other I have seen. Rather than using round stringers or poles for his support beams he mills his own beams into 6"x6" or larger. If I ever wanted a rustic log house built, I would call on Bill to build it for me.

Well after Tim and I had a good look at all the woodwork we continued on down the Karpenter to Blood Donor. The gaps are not something we hit in the dark, but the drop into the compression is always fun in the dark. Doing a 7 foot drop into darkness takes a little getting used to. After Blood Donor we hit Giant Killer and then on over to Snakes and Ladders. Cat and mouse as always on Snakes and then a quick pedal over to Shotgun where we played cat and mouse once again.

Snow Day

I love snow rides, there is just something that makes a ride extra special when you are riding in the snow. The plan of attack to day was for Tim and I to arrive at 7:30am and get up the hill and do some maintenance on Snakes and Ladders until Rob arrived at ~8:45am then head up for a ride. Well needless to say that due to the abundance of snow on the trail our plan was quickly thrown out the window and the day simply consisted of a ride.........we weren't really complaining.

Tim and I headed up the snow covered hill with one hand pushing our bikes and the other holding a hot Tim Horton's coffee. Once we were past the steep part where you can pedal with only one hand on the bar we rode along sipping Java taking in the cool morning air on the snow covered forest floor. As we were nearing the part of the climb Tim had a bit of a mechanical (his chain snapped) so we both decided to just push our bikes the rest of the way up and fix his ride later.

This was my first ride on my newly built up Heckler and my first impressions were really good.

Tim and I rode half way down the trail to wait for Rob and attempt to work on the trail a little but once Rob arrived we ripped as a trio down Snakes and Ladders.

After the quick blast down Shotgun, Tim had too leave but Rob and I stayed around for a while to test ride some Cannondale bikes that were brought to the Woodlot by the local dealer Experience Cycling.

I chose to ride the Prophet MX and Rob got the Prophet XC. We climbed to the top of Shotgun and blasted down at a good pace. Overall not a bad ride, but my first impression of the Heckler was much better. Once at he bottom we thanked the shop for letting us try the bikes and we were on our way.

Not a bad day of riding in the snow.

Lantern Light

Tonight's ride was the first ride in 2006. The plan for Tim and I was to pedal up to Snakes and Ladders and build for a few hours in the dark and then ride down Snakes and Ladders then finish our ride on Shotgun.

I arrived at the Woodlot at around 6pm and Tim was there in his new (new to him) 1967 VW Transporter quad cab truck. He was at the rear of the truck fiddling with the engine as all VW owners do at some point. We unloaded our bikes put on our rain gear and headed up the hill. To illuminate the trail I was sporting my XC helmet with my HID light which worked really well. I also brought a propane lantern that we plan on leaving on the trail for night building.

Onward and upward we went to Snakes and Ladders to work on the first 40 feet of the trail to stop the erosion that was taking place from traffic and rain. Once we had the lantern set up it was pretty cool working on the trail in the dark. My HID on the head helped me see with zero issues and the lantern lit up the whole section we were working on.

After building the two of us boarded our bikes and rode our trail with a great vibe after our first night build. I have a feeling we are going to be doing this more and more.

After Snakes it was Shotgun out to the car. A great night overall.

3rd Annual Remembrance Day Ride

Today Rob, Tim and I did the 3rd Annual Remembrance day ride on Fromme in honour of the Canadian veterans that have fought in the wars and kept the peace around the World. Some might ask how is riding your bike on Remembrance Day honouring veterans? In my mind the people in the Canadian Armed Forces fought to ensure that Canada and other countries remain free. They fought so that people have the liberty to pursue their lives in a free manner and enjoy life without any bounds. With this idea in mind, we ride on this special day to honour those that have fought to ensure our freedom.

It had been more than a week since I rode because I spent the last week writing a paper for a course I am currently taking so I was really eager to make this a good ride. The planed route was Upper Oil Can, Pink Starfish and then Digger. Unfortunately Rob had to jet a little early and he was not able to make it up to the top of UOC and simply rode Pink Starfish and Digger and Boundary. Tim and I continued up to the top after Rob left us and that is when the snow really began to come down. About half way up the hill there was a little snow falling, but near the top the flakes were huge and it was starting to really stick on the open parts of the road. So once we were at UOC we geared up and began the ride down. UOC is one of those legendary trails that I just cannot get enough of. Lots of rock, roots, wood and flowy technical sections. Both Tim and I had a great time ripping down this trail in the dark mist of the morning.

After the Lobotinator (a plank ride across to a big flat rock face) and back onto the road we went up the road a few minutes to Pink Starfish. A few days earlier I had looked at some pictures online of the somewhat new work that had been done on the trail and I looked forward to riding the trail. After coming from UOC to Pink Starfish I quickly found out that they are two totally different trails. I am not going to start trail bashing, but I liked UOC however I did not like Pink Starfish. Half way down the trail I had to pause on a rock because I did not know what was on the other side. In doing so I had to walk down this rock and the ride went very wrong. I twisted my ankle really bad. I absolutely could not bear any weight on it without pain so we had to now find the most direct route down the hill.

Once we were at the bottom of Pink Starfish we went down Digger to the road and to our cars. It was not the best ride I have ever had but am not complaining as it was a ride in honour of our fallen troops. Once home at 11:11am I observed a moment of silence.

A 'HOLE' lotta work

Today the plan of attack was to fix a big hole on the trail and then go for a ride.

At the end of the day I would say I pulled off my plan without a hitch.

I arrived at the Woodlot early in the morning to get a good start on the trail work before going for a spin with Rob and John.

This a picture of the hole BEFORE I went to work at it.

The Hole filled with a ton of rock.

The Hole after all the rock and dirt work was complete.

A comparison of the hole before and after the work was done.

I must say I was really happy with the work I did on that hole. It will never fill with water again and should run smooth for many years.

Almost as soon as I was finished fixing the hole, Rob and John showed up to go for a ride. After putting the tools away we started climbing up the road to Cabin trail. This was Johns first ride ever on his new bike so a nice blast down Cabin trail seemed appropriate. He rode quite well for a new guy so there were no worries about the trails we rode. From Cabin trail we made our way to Snakes and Ladders and rode the new dirt work that I just finished.

After Snakes it was over to Shotgun and a quick blast down that trail to the cars. Excellent ride and build day.

Getting Dirty Again

Today's weather was what most would call wet and miserable but to me it was perfect riding and building conditions. My plan today was to head up to Snakes and Ladders and start buffing up the trail from the top all the way down addressing virtually every issue on every section of the trail.

I was riding the Stiffee today and had just installed some new barend/grip lock ons and new pedals (last week I destroyed a pedal). As I approached the trailhead to Shotgun on the road up I could see 3 guys through the mist. The closer I got to them the more recognizable they were. It turned out to be Ewan, Jamie and Rich. In passing them I said hi and kept on pedaling to work on the trail. Once I reached the Snakes and Ladders trail head I parked my bike near the spot I was to be working on and made my way down to the tool stash. I came back with a bucket, shovel and a pick axe. My goal was to fix a muddy hole that had formed in front of a small log ride near the top of the trail.

I dug up all the black punky mud and dirt and tossed it to the side. I then filled it with 5 bucket of rocks, then 5 buckets of gold dirt. I then went back to the stash of tools and picked up the rake. Raking dirt into place is really important because it enables you to get ride of the rocks and stick that may be in the dirt used. While I was working on the trail 2 people came by that had never ridden The Woodlot before and were kind of asking for directions. I told them where they were on the mountain and how to get to different trails. They thanked me for working the trail and continued down Snakes and Ladders.

The completed dirt work for the log approach

Once I was finished 2 other guys showed up at the top of the trail on BIG bikes (an A-Line with Monsters and 8-Ball with Monsters). They turned out to be the first guys down the new dirt work (bastards!). I put on my helmet and armor and started down the trail. It wasn't long before I caught them on the trail. They let me pass at the rock drop and I was on my way ripping the trail. I hit the newer jump section quite well but a tad too hot blowing over a berm and having to jump off my bike. I also stopped at the other stash of tools on the trail to make sure they were all there. While stopping the 2 guys on big bikes passed me but I again caught up to them on the long log ride section and I just kept riding the trail all the way down flowing everything.

The ride to Hoots was nice an easy as normal and surprisingly I did not see anyone on their way up. I it Hoots at a reasonable pace and then pedaled up to the Shotgun trailhead. I must say that Hoots has taken a beating. Especially the section in the clear-cut. Months ago it was in really good shape but now there are spots that need a it of lovin.

Anyway on the way to the trail head of Shotgun I could see that there was a rider just ducking into the trail about 45 seconds ahead of me. Lately I have been trying to push myself on my rides to go faster and faster. I saw this as an opportunity to try and catch that rider so as soon as I was at the trail I put on the gas. Almost immediately I ran into some people that were eying up the jump just near the top of the trail. They let me pass at the berm and I pedaled up to the jump an tabled it bigger than I ever have. I then kept riding as fast as I could to catch the guy I had seen duck in ahead of me. By the time I reached the clear cut I saw him. He had just dismounted and it looked like he was looking for his friends. As I passed I told him that they were eying up the jump. The rest of Shotgun was flowing quite well and the usually super mucky sections have been re-worked to drain allot better. So out to the car it was and I packed up and I was on my way home. 3 hours of building and riding and I was exhausted.

Work and a Ride

I went to the woodlot to do a little work on Quick Hit (removed the last jump) and moved all the tools back to Snakes and Ladders. I then went for a good ride (Krazy Karpenter, Toadstool, B-Line and Shotgun.

Half way down Shotgun I knew there was something wrong with my pedal. I blew out all the bearings and the non-drive side pedal was TOAST.

Lots of work done and a great solo ride on the hardtail.