Retallack Lodge to have the Worlds Largest Commercial Mountain Biking Tenure
Retallack Lodge aims to spearhead an entirely new segment of all-inclusive guided backcountry mountain biking.
Retallack Lodge recently announced its June 2014 tenure approval for commercial mountain bike operations on 1.5 million acres totaling over more than 2,278 square miles (5,900 square kilometers), expanding on the resort’s existing tenure granted in April 2011.
“Now it’s game on,” said Mike Kinrade, Retallack Lodge director of mountain bike operations and professional freerider. “No crowds, tacky dirt, exclusive destination.”
The approval expands Retallack—an off-the-grid resort in the Selkirk range of British Columbia’s West Kootenays that has made its mountain bike potential known in various videos, photos and features of pro riders descending massive lines and sending enormous features—into the largest open-to-the-public commercial mountain-bike destination in the world. It's also one of the greenest, operating entirely on a hydroelectric generator powered by a nearby creek, which along with other initiatives, has earned it a 4 Green Key eco rating.
The Canadian tenure is an agreement that allows the operation on Crown (government) land and is valid for 20 years. While similar tenures have been granted to skiing and other operations in Canada, this mountain biking tenure is the first of its kind, setting an exciting precedent for the sport, Kinrade told MTBparks. Like its winter snowcat operations, Retallack Lodge’s mountain biking features professionally guided backcountry and heli trips as opposed to lift-served riding.
“Our goal has always been to offer a summer version of an exclusive heli/catskiing experience whereby riders can stay and ride out of a backcountry lodge that is secluded and far away from crowds such as those typically encountered at mountain bike resorts,” said Kinrade. “Presently, however, there is no equivalent of the heliskiing or catskiing market segment for mountain biking. This is the segment that we are pioneering. It doesn't exist so the best way to predict the future is to create it. We have always firmly believed, ‘If we build it, they will come.’
Commercial operations under the original tenure officially began in the summer of 2011 and were distributed throughout the Nelson range with no approval for trails ending at the actual lodge, requiring extensive use of shuttle vehicles. Even more trails are being added to the existing 43-mile (70km) alpine/sub-alpine network under the new tenure, with the majority of the new runs being accessible via helicopter, shuttle and boat—but unlike the original trails—terminating in the vicinity of Retallack Lodge, a 12,000 square-foot luxury backcountry lodge and Retallack’s base of operations.
The resort claims its trails are built to challenge everyone from the intermediate rider all the way up to the seasoned pro. “We pride ourselves on designing trails for all riders, bikes and skills levels,” said Kinrade. “At the end of the day it's about having fun and learning more about you, your bikes and the trails you ride.”
Retallack recently showcased the build of State of Mine—a 9-mile (14 kilometer), 5,500-foot descent from the top of Reco Peak to the lodge—its largest trail undertaking to date, in a Freehub Magazine video series entitled “Peak to Creek.”
“It's obvious to us that this is the future of mountain biking,” Kinrade told us. “We like our scene. We like it a lot.”
Trip packages start at $350 per person per day and include all meals, shuttling, guides and accommodations in the 12,000 square-foot Retallack Lodge. Additional options for helibiking are also available. For more information, visit Retallack.com.
(Story by mtbparks.com, image courtesy Retallack Lodge/Freehub Magazine.)