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Mountain Bike
April 2006
Travel Story
72 Hours: Squamish, British Columbia
Ride epic loops under the shadow of towering snow-capped mountains in this British Columbia hot spot for freeriding.
By Andrew Vontz
Mountain Bike story link
Why Here, Why Now: Because you'll need to wind up and boot yourself in the chamois if you trek all the way to the North Shore of Vancouver or Whistler and don't ride Squamish. Located an hour up the coast from the North Shore and about halfway to Whistler on Highway 99, Squamish has a network of 155 marked trails with about 300 miles of extremely technical singletrack ready-made for epic loops that are rideable year round.
Dirt: While snowcapped mountains tower above Squamish, the majority of the trail network flows up and down the smaller slopes just off the 99. From the highway, climb up Skyline Road then turn right on Boulevard, then left on Perth to where it dead-ends at the Alice Lake Loop trailhead. From here, pedal straight on the fire road and bear right at the first junction onto Mashiter. Then go left up the ladder bridge onto Tracks from Hell and dive into hypertechnical root riding on singletrack that whips through old-growth forests covered in neon moss. The Alice in Wonderland singletrack greenery tour takes a brief detour into a slightly rolling puddle-jumping expedition on a fire road before resuming on the Four Lake's Singletrack. More root ripping over gradual climbs and down mellow descents leads to the bomber Cliff's Corners. Bermed, root-covered switchbacks with slight drops require perfect timing to clean before hitting the next corner. Locals run large-volume (2.1- or 2.25-in.) tires and ride full-on XC racing bikes and light freeride rigs in equal measure. Mountain Bike found a Kona Dawg a perfect match for the terrain here.
From the fire road that leads to Alice Lake, take Lumberjacks, the singletrack to the left of the road, and descend into the woods. Follow it to Jack's, then go left up Debeck's Hill. Halfway up, turn left onto the Crouching Squirrel, Hidden Monkey. Here a lung-busting, mile-long granny-gear climb with loose rocks over hardpack drops into a punishingly technical singletrack. Rocks, fallen trees, drops, roots and spurs with elevated log rides increase the challenge on a steep singletrack that siphons off into an even steeper set of switchbacks. At the end of the trail, loop around to connect to more singletrack or pedal onto the 99 a short distance away and head back to town.
Up for more? Take 99 toward Quest University. In a few miles you'll see the first trailhead. Go right onto the singletrack then right at the next junction onto Ring Creek Rip, then right onto the Powerhouse Plunge. This starts as a long, gradual 30-minute grind up a steady paved road, climbing past the latest products of the development boom that's sprouting new high-end homes all over Squamish in the midst of incredibly dense forest. Residents higher up the mountain bomb this road in cars, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for speeding autos. Go right onto the first fire road and pause to take a gander at the abandoned loop-to-loop stunt in a clear cut to the right. A singletrack climb on marbles over mud and roots cruises through a tunnel of trees until you hit one of the best downhills in Squamish: the Powerhouse Plunge, a long, fast flume over more roots and a handful of elevated ladders that will test your focus. The Specialized S-Works Carbon Epic that MB rode made easy work of the climb and softened the descent, but a heavy-duty freeride rig would be ideal. For more information visit: squamishmountainbike.com, squamishchamber.com, vcmbc.com, tourismbc.com, hellobc.com.
Shop: Squamish has two shops conveniently accessible from highway 99: Corsa Cycles on the Southbound side (Hunter Place, 604/892-3331; corsacycles.com) and Tantalus Bike Shop on the Northbound side (40446 Government Road, 604/898-2588; tantalusbikeshop.com). Both are within riding distance of most major trailheads and have exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable employees who will be happy to recommend trails that suit your riding style or hook you up with local riders. If you happen to be in Squamish on a Friday afternoon and don't mind a severe ego check, tag along with the high school students on the Team Squamish developmental squad (teamsquamish.com); they'll show you how the lokes get 'er done--fast and with massive flow.
Grub: Great coffee abounds on Cleveland Road, the main drag through downtown, with the Sunflower Bakery Cafe having a particularly delicious cup (38086 Cleveland, 604/892-2231) along with home-baked carbs. The Brackendale Bistro (41703 Government Road, 604/898-9211) serves up tasty, cheap versions of standard breakfast fare. Pepe and Gringo's has classic Mexican treats alongside gourmet Mexi-fusion dining ($8-$20, 40359 Tantalus Way, 604/989-3606). The Howe Sound Brewpub (37801 Cleveland Ave., 604/892-2603) makes excellent suds and serves as the apr?spot for the Corsa Cycles Friday night road ride. The Mettlemen Hemp and Honey has to be sampled if only for the mountain biker petroglyph on the label. If you'd prefer to huck into a banging party scene, head up 99 to Garfinkel's in the Whistler Village (4308 Main St., 604/932-2323; garfswhistler.com) to enjoy world-class DJs and bands, with locals, pros and the ski resort equivalent of beautiful people.
Crash: The bike-friendly Howe Sound Inn (37801 Cleveland Ave., 604/892-2603; howesound.com) has clean, comfortable rooms for $105, as well as a brewpub and restaurant. Try to get a room with a view of the Chief, the second largest granite monolith in the world and a legendary big-wall rock-climbing spot. Rooms at the Sea to Sky Hotel (Highway 99, just off Garabaldi Wy., 866/845-8511) are $109 and have balconies, mini-fridges and microwaves for whipping up cheap eats.--Andrew Vontz
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