Whistler - A mountain bikers paradise!

So where did I leave you- Oh yes I was in Utah, Colorado, USA!

Well I've been here in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada for 3 weeks now and you haven't heard much from me because I've just been riding sooo much stuff!

I picked up my Banshee Scythe downhill bike and spent most of the first week riding up the chairlifts and downhill all day in the sunshine on dusty dry trails with tabletops and drops, berms and ladders, roots and rocks. I worked my way back up from the blue runs, to black diamond runs and soon ventured on to the ultra scary double black diamonds with huge fast steep rock slabs to roll down and steep rocky twisty descents, not to mention some rather high wood work here and there.

I even managed to achieve my dream of dropping off the big GLC drop outside the bar at the bottom of the park where everyone watched you. I've been looking at it for 3 years but only dropping the middle one every year. Well I dropped this 10-12 foot rocky drop 3 times perfectly before I decided to video it and that's when I crashed. I have not been off it since but I will overcome that nemesis- watch the video for that!

I soon yearned for turning my pedals again and ventured up into the black and double diamond black trails in Whistler valley- this means I took my Lapierre Zesty out and pedalled up and up and up to great views. All the while watching for bears and Cougars as there have been a lot of sightings this year. The descents out there are crazy too- dusty, rocky, rooty, steep, twisty singletrack then huge steep fast rock slabs, a ladder over a stream or waterfall gushing with melted snow- it's awesome. Some is not too flowy as I'm on adrenalin the whole time with eyes on stalks looking for what obstacle comes next.

I've also paid some love back to the trails and joined up with Squamish Off Road Cycling Assoc SORCA to do some trail building the Canadian way- I can bring some tips back for our building now!

More recently I decided to go get qualified for leading and instructing mountain biking. So yesterday I passed my "Professional Mountain Bike Instructor" certificate.

As you can see its full on mountain biking around here- so much to do! I'd better get out there now and ride some more!

If you want more details and pics and vids go read my blog.

Thunderstorms on Thunder Mountain ... and other tall tales!

Now where did I leave you... oh yes... I was enjoying dry trails in Moab and gloating! But then you guys went and got some Un-British Summer in May and now the North Downs sound drier than Utah!

Since my last blog I've been on a group camping/biking tour on the North rim of the Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to see it so what better way then on my trusty old Lapierre Zesty. What fun hurtling along gently rolling and twisting singletrack and popping out of meadows and woods to a sheer drop of 4000 feet from a Rim with views for hundreds of miles! It's a bit distracting one moment focusing on keeping you wheel on narrow singletrack for fear of puncturing on a locust bush thorn and the next diverting your eyes to these huge rock formations and 2 billion years of rock layers, the realising its best to stop and stare rather than ride where you are looking!

Days were spent riding (nothing too technical or strenusous but fun and scenic) and taking in such immense scenic views and nights were spent round a campfire eating wonderful food, singing along with a guitar (no guitar hero here) and staring at the light show over the Canyon as the sun set. Wow what a trip!

I highly recommend Western Spirit for mountain bike trips out West here!

Since then I've been to Thunder Mountain to ride amongst the Hoodoo rock formations of Bryce Canyon. It lived up to its name as the storm was indeed Thundering above me most of the way and lightning adding to my adrenalin fix. Much more technical black diamond riding too and just as distracting views- riding it alone was rather scary to say the least- but I'm writing this so I survived!

Anyway I've moved on since then and have just completed day 2 in Whistler Mountain Bike park and boy it is so sunny here and quiet early season conditions mean I have many dry trails to myself. Only the bottom half of the mountain is open which is good so I don't over do it week 1!

I have to admit to trading up from the Zesty to a Banshee Scythe freeride bike with 7inch travel back and front as the park demands it for true grin inspiring descents. I'm honing my tabletops on "Crank it up", my berms and switchbacks on "Ninja Cougar" and "Karate Monkey" and my drop offs on the "GLC drop" ready for my favourite black diamond runs to open up top when the snow melts. 

However I could not resist day 1 and rode Schleyer a double diamond black run built by Richie Schley- cool! Also rode Whistler DH course another double diamond black which has some huge steep rock rolls and drops.

If you are really dedicated and want more tall tales you can read them at my blog.