Trails Update: Sep 17, 2021
Neighbourhood feeder
The trails between Alpine Meadows and Emerald Estates have, um, how shall I put it? ...a high cost of entry. Every trail in there is covered in technical tread sections and steep grade steps. For both skill and fitness, accessing the No-Flow Zone demands serious commitment. Any racer from the Back Forty event will agree that you need all sorts of “extra gears” mentally and physically to ride here.
The area has seen a noticeable rise in the number of regular users and with that has come a lot of random trail-fairy work trying to make sections easier…
In order to avoid renegade blue-ification on all of the trails in the area, a “network” based approach was needed. Looking at the map, intermediate trails are few and far between in this part of Whistler. We’ve decided to focus on making Delineator to One Duck Lake as the de-facto bi-directional blue artery. I guess, biologically, that makes it a vein...
The rest of the No-Flow Zone should remain unchanged raw, janky, advanced singletrack.
You’ll notice the biggest change so far in the Shit Happens canyon: we’ve widened the tread, smashed pedal catching rocks and armoured around root balls.
Now we’re also upgrading Delineator with bridges and additional rock walls to support the tread where it was getting precarious. Later this fall, the Whistler Secondary Outdoor Education program students will help the trail crew on the section between Up Shit Creek and One Duck lake…
Back for more dessert!
I’m excited to share that my Whistler Adventure School students have made great progress on improving the access to Whipped Cream. They’ve pulled huge rocks and pesky stumps while learning about water management and sharpening tools. This weekend will involve wet carpentry…
Way back for more pain…
This week marked 20 years since the start of an iconic cycling cultural event: The Samurai of Single Track (click to read an article in the Pique from 2001 about it)! Tony Horn and Ru Mehta came up with a cruel and unusual concept combining limited entry, ridiculous time in the saddle and maximum party. The visionaries planned for 7 years of escalating difficulty to test (and push) what we thought was possible in one ride. Like in martial arts, completing each course earned you a colour coded bandana. The final test was exclusive to riders who had completed the first 6: an invitation to earn your black belt in the far reaches of the Chilcotin. This belt is my most prized possession!
To commemorate year one of all this craziness, I’ve created a Trailforks badge for anyone willing to challenge themselves. Some of the trails from the original course have disappeared due to neighbourhoods literally appearing (Stonebridge and Rainbow) so I’ve modernized it, staying as close to the original route as possible. I still have the bike I rode in 2001 but plan to attempt the original Samurai course on my 2021 steed (with the added luxury of waiting for nice weather). Maybe I should wait to see how I feel afterwards before thanking Tony and Ru...
See you on the trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
