Kootenay Mountain Bike Tour
After what seemed like weeks of oppressive, smoke filled skies in the Kootenays (and much of B.C. for that matter) some much needed rain finally fell on August 26th which helped clear out the air and made for some of the best mountain biking conditions since June. I had a group of friends coming in from the Coast for the week and we packed in as much riding as we could over a 10 day period. I rode some of the region’s more popular singletrack as well as some new to me trails. Here’s a few highlights:Merry Creek in Castlegar: This small network of trails continues to grow. Currently mapped are an uptrack called Merry Go Round, two downhill trails: the blue Hail Merry and the double black Crazy Merry and the green Merry Creek trail. Most impressive about these trails is the work that has gone into the woodwork. Amazing bridges with ropes have been installed to cross over ravines and the creek.
The Monster in Kaslo. This double black trail has been on my radar since moving to the Kootenays. Talking to people I didn’t get the sense it gets ridden much these days. It’s a long ways up to the top of Mt. Buchanan to the start. After a few hundred meters of enjoyable singletrack things get steep, fast. It’s pretty much straight down until you hit the start of the black trail Mr. Skinny which is filled with old school North Shore style skinnies and stunts. If you enjoy wearing out your brake pads after one run and you don’t mind riding with exposure you may enjoy The Monster.
Lockhart Creek. I received an invite from someone I know over in Crawford Bay to join in a group ride to scope out the condition of the Lockhart Creek trail. I had never heard of this before so was keen to check it out. Apparently you can start this trail from the top off the Gray Pass Road, if it ever opens again, and descend back to the Provincial Park which makes for a 15km descent. We rode up the trail for 7km and then turned back. All in all a fun trail and definitely a lot different than what I normally ride.
All in it was 9 straight days of riding and a great way to cap off the unofficial end to summer.