Mind Expansion in Wiliams Lake
From Coast Magazine, September, 2001 issue.
With some of the steepest and gnarliest descents in BC, the Cariboo offers a glimpse into the future of freeriding.
Williams Lake, Baby!
It was a trip that was weeks in the making, but was over way too quickly. More renowned for its abundant
lumber production, the sleepy town of Williams Lake doesn’t immediately spring to mind when discussing British Columbia’s mountain bike hot spots.
It’s just a matter of time, however, before the riding world flocks to the area thanks to its expansive landscape, impressive local rider skill and visionary trail builders all combining to create what many predict to be the next big step in mountain biking’s evolution.
After hearing rumors of the riding the locals were up to in the Cariboo, a group of us from here in the lower mainland packed a couple vans up with our bikes and gear and made the six hour road trip to the expansive, almost extra-terrestrial landscapes of the interior. Because a ride’s quality-expectation increases proportionally with the time taken to get there, to say our hopes were high would be an understatement. While three of our 11 travelers had made the trip before, second-hand trail tales often get exaggerated, so we had to see these trails everyone was talking about first hand before we were truly convinced.
Our illustrious troupe arrived at our final destination a little road-weary, but still psyched after the all the scenery on the trip up. With just enough time to be greeted by our extremely generous hosts (A bit of an understatement, with them housing and feeding 11 mountain bikers for three days!) and swap a few stories, it was off to bed, because Day One awaited.
We were greeted early Saturday morning by a sizable group of locals from the Puddlebike mountain bike club and after a small game of musical cars and a modest drive, the 26-rider group arrived at “Farwell Canyon” area, an area where some of the Kranked II film was captured. Shortly after “the classic” ridgeline descent, we regrouped atop a ridge overlooking one of the many scenic valleys around us. Five locals took off down a lightning-fast open field trail leading to a sleeper of a natural kicker jump that lofted them like they had been cleared for take-off, but sent more than one new rider scrambling to keep upright on the landing. Careful here, as one of our riders was sidelined for three months thanks to botched landing and resulting fourth degree shoulder dislocation.
After a giant GMC-powered shuttle ride and a five minute singletrack ride into the forest, a clearing emerged with several riders perched at the edge of what appeared to be a bottomless pit. In reality, we were standing on the edge of the fabled Hour Glass. This natural wonder consists of a 50-plus degree dirt slope stretching for about 100 metres before converging to what appeared to be a four-foot-wide rock outcropping, then spilling forward another 400 metres to the valley floor below. The otherwise chaotic riding conditions of the slope are made even more challenging by the minimum eight foot huck required to even enter the slope.
Following successful descents by Norco Factory Team riders Karl and Rich, and local young talent Cory, Randy one of the top local riders tried for a top speed attempt down the already sketchy line. His run ended in a 94 kmh rag doll crash on the rocky base of the hill. With the less-than-impressed group scrambling for first aid gear and envisioning a medivac heli ride out, Randy eventually and luckily came to and was able to walk away from the incident. This crash did however put him out of all the fun for the remainder of the weekend, and was left with absolutely no memory of the descent. Lesson #2 at the William’s Lake school; Respect the Hour Glass.
After a bit of a hike-a-bike out of the canyon, we descended to the waiting shuttle for a lift to lunch before hitting the front side of the Desous trail in the afternoon. This trail’s winding singletrack offered gobs of traction while sending riders weaving in and out of trees and down steep pitches, ending in a skinny log-and-beam line and tall teeter totter. Fun no matter what your riding ability.
All in all, a pretty full day’s riding ended on a far more positive note than it began with a fire and barbecue party with most of the day’s riders as well as several local riders from Red Shred’s, Williams Lake’s only bike shop. Because the staff is so ingrained in the local scene, Red Shred’s is the only information and equipment stop you need before taking to the trails, and odds are you’ll end up with a guide out of it, too. Not only are they knowledgeable, they’re also extremely friendly and always keen to ride.
Sunday morning began with another trip up to the top of Desous mountain but this time to tackle the aptly-named “So-Long” trail. With a group large enough to necessitate two large trucks and trailers for the shuttle. The combination of blue sky, shining sun and the tell-tale odor of burning-hot Hayes pads made the ride down the back side of Desous as close to perfect that a ride can be. If you enjoy hour-long singletrack descents and you only have time to ride one trail in Williams Lake, this is the one! Many agreed
that the highlight of So Long was its last 10 minutes, with a naturally sculpted half pipe weaving riders through trees up and down its banks, inciting audible hoots and giggle fits from even the most hardcore riders.
After a well-deserved lunch break, our two trailer loads of shuttle dogs (Woof, Woof!) were dropped off for the afternoon riding that starts a little closer to town. This local trail network challenges riders’ imaginations as much as it does their skills, which has resulted in many locals incorporating North Shore style stunts and skinnies with their own unique brand of gap jumps, almost redefining trail building.
Whether it is the insane vertical drop of Sick and Nasty the Sequel, or the massive huck to beautifu transition of the Cherry Popper (made to look easy by Red Shred’s female employee Janelle, on a hardtail no less), there is little doubt that even the most experienced rider will have the pants scared off them, or at least have a whole lot of fun trying. Some of the more experienced riders with us that day, however, felt that the most unique trail on that hillside was West Side. This brand new creation blends skinny Shore-style stunt lines with tight fast downhill singletrack, a massive road gap drop to rollout transition, and a succession of three more stunts that will make even the most experienced hucker balk first but grin from ear to ear during and after. This trail is so wild and new that the number of riders who have successfully ridden it top to bottom could be counted on one hand when we were there. After returning to the same area the next morning to have a second look at fear-inducing trails, and to fit in one last ride (Deer Trail and Dead Sailor) before our trip home, we thanked our hosts and hit the road.
Along with the trail debris left over on our 11 bikes, we also returned with some unforgettable memories of the people and trails of Williams Lake. If you plan on heading up to Williams Lake, remember to have a good look at the impressive walls of Fraser and Thompson river canyons on the way up. Without a doubt, your return trip will be spent pointing out lines you bet are ridable, but would never have seen before riding in the Cariboo.