Thank You Canyons!

We've been waiting a long time for one of the seven local ski resorts to put in a legit effort to create a bike park. I don't mean trails that just happen to go (mostly) in a downhill direction. I'm talking about eight-foot-wide, butter-smooth trails with shoulder-high berms, 20-foot table tops, and landings big enough to park a bus on. When I heard that the Canyons was building "downhill trails," I was extremely skeptical. In fact, I waited until Alex and Chris rode there and gave me the report. So, with confirmation of radness in hand, Jen, Scott, and I went up to the Canyons and rode the first trail of their in-progress bike park. I have to say that I'm extremely happy with the direction that they're going. Although it's short, the first trail is comparable to A-line at Whistler (no shit). Despite only having one trail open, the hill kept our attention the entire day, and it did the same for the 20 other rippers that I saw on the hill.

Now, I'm a pretty cynical person. There are some issues with the place that I could point out and bitch about, but the pros of this effort far outweigh the cons, and most of the downsides are being addressed already. The bottom line is that this place is going to be a destination if the building continues at the same rate. So, go to the Canyons, spend $15 on a lift ticket, ride the shit out a kickass trail, and let them know that we're stoked on what they're doing and will support the effort.

Last Game Of The Season

Today was the last game of the season for Jen's summer team. That means that she gets one week off before we go to Canada. Then she starts playing again when we get back. I need to figure out a better way to take hockey photos. Looking through a 200mm lens with one eye at glaring ice for three periods will just about burn the eye right out of your head.

A Bit More Climbing

In an effort to not show up at Squamish completely out of shape, Jen and I headed out for a quick after-work sesh in BCC. The shoulder felt pretty good and I was actually able to bear down on a couple crimps, which I have not been able to do for a couple months now. I really hope one more week is enough to get things completely healed so I can get after it up north.

Ride and Eat

Jen and I had such a kickass time on the Crest last Friday that we decided right then to have another ride/barbecue with the crew. So today everyone got together after work to ride some killer singletrack and eat brats in the parking lot. Well, that and keep from getting trampled by a moose and her baby. Are people feeding these things or something? They sure didn't seem too shy about walking right up to the group and driving us away from out food.

Deer Valley

It's probably been two years since I went to Deer Valley. I'm not a real big fan of the place. The trails have very little flow with sharp, bermless corners and no jumps. However, it became clear after last weekend's race that I have let my tech riding slide a bit in favor of Jackson-style flow trails. So, in an effort to re-learn how to ride tech, I went to DV with Jen, Alex, Chris (aka Vin), and Ceci. Among the day's festivities were a few laps on Fireswamp. I got everything clean with the exception of one dab on the second lap. Then I got a little too loose and took a full-on over-the-bars digger on the third. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually had a lot of fun riding that trail.

I didn't feel like breaking out the real cameras today, so I just threw the Go Pro on the helmet and rode. I have a great video of my crash that I'll put up if I get really bored.

Oh Yeah, Climbing

It's been a long time since I've been on the rock. My shoulder is still pretty jacked, but Emma (the world's most awesome massage therapist) said I could climb as long as I didn't get on anything crimpy and didn't make long reaches or lock-offs. So, Jen and I took our out-of-shape asses to Maple for a day of cobble tugging with Alex and Jess. We got in a half dozen pitches without messing up anything, and then I pretty much ended my shoulder's happy day when I tossed my pack in the car. Shit that hurt.

Never Gets Old

If the Crest and Mill D were the only two bike trails in the world, I would still own a bike and ride all summer. I'll never get sick of this ride. Jen and I busted out a quick after-work lap and had full over-stoke in the parking lot. You couldn't have slapped the smiles off our faces with a 2x4.

Playoffs

Jen's hockey team had playoffs today, and it was a great game to watch. I'm bummed that they ended up loosing 3-2 in overtime, but I still think it was one of the season's best games.