Finally ... we are in the midst of our ,oh so
short, (this year, anyway), mountain bike season.
I just got back from Golden ... watched a bit
of the Psychosis race on Mt. Seven, socialized a bit ... and
rode the most sublime singletrack I have ever been on. Go ...
right now, and ride the Moonraker trail system. Its
Perfect!
The Calgary rides have seen a little carnage
this year ... both made made and from mother nature. Sideshow proper
is pretty rutted and land slides have taken out portions of
the trail. It really needs a little TLC. Bowmont has
seen the city install obstructions to inhibit mountain bike
flow ... thats what they said to me yesterday when I talked
to them ... it seems that walkers and quiet areas are the priority
in that area. Ride it while you can.
The Fishcreek trails survived the flood
last month relatively unscathed ... the city is in the process
of closing down most of the singletrack in the park however
... again, get it while you can.
The rides behind Bragg Creek in the Kananaskis
are in great shape ... Jumpingpound Ridge, the W
Jumpingpound loop, Powderface / Prairie
Creek, Elbow Loop, and Sulphur
Springs are all in awesome condition.
Tom Snow will be drier in the next few weeks ... its
been pretty boggy in places.
We rode Elbow Loop old school (clockwise)
the other day ... a 24 km descent ... pretty cool! I think
I like this way better ... its all good I guess.
ROS has been fantastic as usual
... if you see the trail builders during your ride ... slow
down and say hi ... they are doing an AWESOME job! The rest
of the shuttle rides on Moose are in pretty good shape ...
there has been a bit of erosion lower down on the sunny side.
The Canyon Creek level is much lower than it was a few
weeks ago, at the end of the rides as well.
Most of the river / creek crossings are still
pretty high ... the rest of the runoff should be down in the
next few weeks ... until then, watch yourself when you are
fording the bigger crossings.
The high rides in the south Kananaskis are still
pretty buried in snow ... Weary Gap and Fording
Pass are still
a ways out. The Highwood ford is still pretty high as well.
Check the Bragg
Creek webcam and you can see the weather on Moose Mountain
before you go out ... watch for those late afternoon T storms
... they can mess up your ride!
If you are in the mountains at this time of year
... the bears are just waking up and they will be pretty hungry
... so check Trailex before
you head out. At least that way you will have an idea what's
out there.
I've been running the new
XTR on my Intense
6.6.
What a nice toy! Beautifully engineered and rugged ...
this is the ultimate trail riding experience. Drop by
the shop and have one of the boys show
you your next bike. You know you want one!
School is out ... and Millennium skate park
is getting pretty crowded in the mornings ... get there early,
or wait for September ... or just deal with the crowds. The
park is in great shape, please
remember .... skaters and bikers generally ride different
lines, often crossing lanes, so look before you go. Skaters
have priority ... unless you're going huge.
All the mountain bike parks ...
Whistler, Kicking Horse, Sun Peaks, Panorama, and
Fernie are all open for the season. COP is open and
busy building new trails ... it sounds kinda vanilla this
year. Get a seasons pass ... its cheap, and will get you
on your bike more often.
If
you haven't ridden a bike park ... try it this year! I'm
hooked!
see you on the trails ... aloha, bob@mountainbikecity.com
