Recent trip - big days in the Chilcotins
Dimanche, 20 Septembre 2009 14:21

Just got back from one of the best and most fun muni trips of my life, in the South Chilcotin Mountains of BC. This area has long been known to locals as a worldclass place for alpine mountain biking, through gorgeous alpine bowls, ridgetops, and glaciated alpine peaks. There were also some great shots of the area in the bike video The Collective, if you've seen that.

The trip was with 8 ambitious and fit mountain bikers to an area with technical cross-country, so I was curious to see how it would be to keep up on a muni. With perfect conditions and nearly cloudless skies and no equipment issues to speak of, we rode 8-12 hours each day and covered about 185 km (114 miles) and about 12,400 metres (40,700') of vertical (equal climbing & descents) in 4 days, all on beautiful technical singletrack through alpine and subalpine terrain. I was on a geared KH26.

Located about 30 km northwest of Pemberton BC (north of Whistler) this area is amazing in that it is mountainous and remote, with spectacular glaciated peaks, yet unlike most of coastal BC it has an extensive trail network thanks to a generation of wranglers grazing horses up the valleys. These trails can be used to access sometimes trail-less yet completely rideable ridge tops and valley system singletrack extending way into the wilderness.

We were self-propelled (no shuttles) but not self supported - we hired a wrangler with horses to take our stuff into a high camp and then a 2nd camp on the 3rd night.

Here's some info written by friends on the trip:

Some videos (nos. 101-106)
And a trip report including tips on visiting if you choose to go.

alt