Alex & Robin's Adventures in AB/BC

Tuesday 8/14

This morning we were saying goodbye to Fernie. Before we left, we did a nice ride, which included dodging cow patties.

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The trail was Swine Flu - which included a nice steady climb with lots of switchbacks. This is how Ryan climbs - he creates his own talus fork.

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The view from the top looked across the valley. We only spent a short time gazing before hitting the descent. Some really nice bermed corners and fast flowy trails. Great way to spend the morning.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210862256

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After we picked up lunch, we headed towards Invermere. The drive up kept me staring out the van window at the roadside geology (awesome bluffs). Lots of logging and clearcutting also. We stopped to ride Tobey Creek Canyon. Talk about views - and getting close to the edge. The trails felt more like home - with shorter quick climbs. We finished just in time to miss the passing shower.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/210862201

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We then drove into Kootenay National Park and hit the Radium Hot Springs. I was originally imagining something more...natural. Like those of Iceland, where its a heated pool. Well, this was a heated pool. A large swimming pool. The warm water still felt good though after a day of riding.

Drove further into the park to Nipika - the resort we would be staying at for the remainder of the trip. We drove down dirt logging rodes, dodging huge trucks and dustballs, to a this secluded area. Talk about amazing...we have our own cabin, which is beautiful. The entire property is off the grid, and powered by solar power. Horses roam the property - and are friendly enough to pet.

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The resort has a vast network of trails, which are used for cross-country skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer. Nipika will be hosting a race this weekend, but we'll already be on our way home.
 
Wednesday 8/15

We woke up this morning to a bit of a chill in the air...it was a whopping 45 degrees this morning. The view from the front of our cottage...

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We packed up and headed out on the property after breakfast. Our plan was to meet up with Lyle, the owner of Nipika, for a private tour. The trails were covered in moss and very green - I was expecting a wood sprite or gnome to jump out and greet us on the trails! Lots of roots and quick punchy uphills and scary downhills. A few I was a bit freaked out by...and opted to slide down (off my bike). The exposed surface is very loamy - silt that becomes quite dusty.

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we toured around the trails of Nipika - many which are old big game hunting trails. We stopped for some views along the Kootenay River...

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Lyle told us we could either ford the river or ride an additional 20 minutes to get to a bridge. We opted to go across the river. My feet hurt - not just from the glacial meltwater, but from the rocks under my feet.

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It was an amazing ride - maybe one of my favorites thus far.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211100014

We continued back to the house for some lunch - and Johanna and Ryan surprised the group with the plan for the afternoon - paddling down the Kootenay!

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We drove 12 miles up stream and launched the canoes from the park. Once we got the hang of paddling and stearing, we were good to go. Only stopped a few times to check out animal tracks and use the facilities. The water was frigid...only Mark and Johanna participated in a polar bear dip. I was glad to be dry for the remainder of the trip down the river - it was getting cold.

I had hoped to star gaze tonight since we were far from lights and the sky would be bright. But it stays light until after 9...and I was exhausted. Bummer.
 
Awesome pictures! Sounds like you're having a blast, thanks for letting us all live vicariously for a few minutes at a time. Enjoy the rest!
 
Thursday 8/16

This morning was the coldest yet...a whopping 36 degrees. Is it really august? we all knew it would warm up, fast, but we had a hard time getting started this morning.

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The plan was to do a loop in the morning at Nipika before departing. We did a loop that is part of the Nipika bike race. Lots of flow, short ups and descents. Nice views along the Kootenay.

Nipika ride
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211573438

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After our ride, we packed up and headed towards Banff. I knew of Banff from the Film Festival - and also knew it was a national park with Lake Louise. What I did not know, is that it was also a town, packed with tourists. We stopped there for lunch - and I was antsy to move on. My patience for people just wasn't there...and we had seen such awesome scenery on our own, this couldn't compete.

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We arrived in Canmore, Alberta later in the afternoon, checked into our hotel and changed to ride. The ride had a "nice" climb to start...then we rode along the ridge. Sometimes the terrain reminded me of home - some angular rocks with short punches.

Canmore, AB
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/211573407

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We stopped to regroup and catch our breath at a feature. Mark and Lance Were eyeing it...Alex had to really convince Mark that it was not a good idea to launch off of.

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While we didn't see any grizzlies on our trip, we did see some elk...in Canmore.

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After our ride, we cleaned up and headed to tapas for dinner. Liked Canmore - reminded me of Bend, OR. Loved the styles of houses and the bike paths throughout the town.
 
Friday 8/17

Today was our last day of riding. You could sense the sadness from everyone...we were having such a great time...and our epic trip was coming to an end.

We had a yummy breakfast in Canmore before heading out for our ride. I didn't mention it previously, but all of our meals were outstanding. our trip provided breakfast and lunch - all cooked and prepared from scratch or healthy ingredients. If we were eating on the road, Johanna picked excellent sandwich shops - usually with homemade/whole grain breads and great toppings.

We left Canmore to head to Bragg Creek rovincial Park, which is about 45 minutes from Calgary. We would be riding the Jumpingpound Ridge & Cox Hill trail.

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Our ride today was going to be challenging - lots of climbing but we were told the views would be worth it. I felt a bit sluggish climbing, figured it was just me...only to realize we were climbing at higher altitudes - the highest I've ever ridden at (7200'). So when I say the ride was breath taking...it literally was.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212147121

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There were two summits - we spent some time at both taking in the views...goofing off...and hanging with the locals.

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Some challenging technical stuff - I think all of us got a taste of the dirt on this ride. The descent was a blast - roots and rocks...switchbacks and flow. And, it was a long descent...probably 30-minutes of continuous riding.

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We finished the ride...I rolled slowly into the parking lot, hoping to extend my ride just a bit more. The boys took their bikes apart while we cleaned up and got ready to head to the airport hotel...sigh.

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It was an amazing trip...I have been in a bit of a funk since we got home...missing the rides and company. Such a great time. Hoping to get on another Sacred Rides trip next year...
 
Finale!

Oh...and Lance crunched some numbers...not including our day at the downhill park, we climbed 13,312 feet and rode a total of 66 miles in 6 days. Not too shabby.
 
skiphreaknj said:
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Damn, Johanna is a ripper. I've seen vid of the Fernie bike park before and it looks real fun. Really cool that the town has one and that they maintain it so well.

I was in Fernie a bunch of years ago on my way up to Island Lake Lodge for a cat trip. The town is definitely cool and the home mtn of Fernie was a blast (we hit that the day before going to the Island Lake). Even tho the mountain was bare the your pics from your DH day reminded me when I was up there.

Great writeup and it makes me want to get back to BC (and maybe this time in the summer)! Might have to wait until the kids are older and I have some time and money 😀
 
So did Lance ride little wheels the whole time? Does he have a new outlook on them? How about yourself? :popcorn:
 
Manny...I know Mark was tame on this trip...but some of the stuff he did still made me nervous!

Yeah - Johanna kicks arse! I know she used to ride the North Shore and raced DH too. She's also sponsored by Trek and instructs for them too.

As for the little wheels - I'm not 100% convinced either way...I wonder how I would do on little wheels at a place like Mooch or Waway, where there are more rocks to get through. The little wheels were perfect for BC/AB - but I noticed a difference climbing. The front wheel often lifted and got squirrely - could also be the angle of the headtube/the amount of travel.

Not sure how Lance feels about the little wheels - you'll have to ask him - I do know he was happy to have the full-suspension on the roots though!
 
Well, as for little wheels, I'll say that it depends on where you are riding.
I spent 1 day on my 29er hardtail before I realized that I would be better off on a 26'er full-squish.

Some of the gnarly downhills just asked for the snappy-ness of smaller wheels. And you better be able to turn a really tight corner because some of the climbs (and descents) had REALLY tight switchbacks. Some of those switchbacks were right on the edge of some big cliffs too, so the consequences of not being able to have a small turning radius were quite big.

What I say is that the terrain dictates the size of the wheel.
East coast is definitely for 29'ers.
West coast... not so much.
 
I think it is pretty well known that 26ers rule BC. Yeah there was that one rocky mountain ad that had Wade Simmons on a 29er, but I have never seen it return since.
 
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