On the densely wooded slopes of the North Shore mountains exists a somewhat anarchic society that most city dwellers know little about. These are the mountain bikers, and over the past decade they’ve acquired almost legendary status in cycling circles around the world for conquering (well, sometimes) this hopelessly rugged, rocky, and tree-strewn terrain.
They “huck” off ledges, and leap and scale rocky stream beds and slippery, rotten, fallen tree trunks even planks, ladders, and teetertotters they install themselves. Talk about masochism.
It’s a culture, really, and you can explore it at the North Shore Moun¬tain Biking Web site, www.nsmb.com. Meet the characters — predominantly male, but there’s also a large female contingent that includes Olympian Alison Sydor — through testimonials, aerial-act photos, videos, and lots of discussion of locations and gear for this extreme sport.
Deep Cove, a picturesque village on Indian Arm at the eastern end of North Vancouver, is home to the Cove Bike Shop (4310 Gallant Avenue, North Vancouver, 604-929-1918, www.covebike.com). Founded two decades ago, Cove claims to make bikes rugged enough to survive Indian Arm’s particularly steep and unforgiving territory — or, in the shop’s words, “the brutal, insane trails that the craziest of North Shore free-riders haul ass on.” And while the Hummer-frame titanium model will set you back well over $i,ooo, the shop also builds somewhat less expensive models that will reportedly do the job.
Note: no culture is without its enemies in this case, the hiking community. In the early days, mountain bikers would “rip” (to put it nicely) past the hikers, jolting them out of their woodsy reveries. Today, the bikers mostly use their own paths and territory.
In early July, the world’s best mountain cyclists complete in the Tissot-UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on Grouse Mountain in three categories cross-country, downhill, and 4-Cross. If you’re not too freaked out after watching these high flyers, sign up for a guided mountain biking tour (604-984-0661, www.grousemountain.com). These daily summer tours are designed for riders of every age and ability, and include bike, helmet, and padding. The toughest, the “downhill descent,” shows off the most challenging terrain and takes about three hours.
Further afield, the annual two-day mountain bike Sea-to-Sky Trail Ride runs from D’Arcy on Anderson Lake, south of Lillooet, down through Whistler and the Cheakamus Canyon to Squamish. This off-road ride entails a modest fee and includes food, festivities, arid transportation for your pack. Organized by Great Explorations (604-730-1247, www. great-explorations.com), it happens in early July. The travel firm also organizes walking and cycling trips around Vancouver, year round.
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