Cloudraker in the Swiss Alps

I just got an email from a Swiss friend, Raphael Faiss, who's guided some of our Cloudraker trips in years past. His email was simple, "incredible ride," was all it said with the photo below and the photo above attached. Indeed Raph, that was an incredible ride. I remember that particular trip...it was mid-August and the weather was particularly fiesty. Usually we get a few tough moments weather-wise...a rainy morning or full day of drizzle or maybe even some fresh snow in the highest rides. On this trip it was nasty for what seemed like seven out of ten days. I remember leaving the Cabane de Mont Fort one morning (after spending the night) and it was pissing rain, cold, and almost snowing. Ouch. We started the day with a traverse and then a very very long downhill to the Rhone Valley far below. By the time we started the descent my fingers were frozen, fortunately by the time we arrived at the van it was hot and sun was out. The photos above and below are a few days later, just before dropping into the famous Brazilian descent. What trumps my memories of the tough weather was the group. Despite the challenges we pulled together and gelled like old friends, helping each other up and down the big mountains, laughing at the tough moments and buying extra rounds of beers at the end of each day. If any of you from that group are reading this...thanks for the great rides. And to all of you who've joined us on our Cloudraker trip over the years...thanks for joining us! We pioneered some of the rides in the Valais region believe it or not. Cloudraker has always been my favorite trip, it's not always easy, but it sure is worth it...And thanks Raphael for taking time to be such a great companion in your backyard. Maybe one day i will be able to keep up to you on the climbs!

Trans Portugal

Friends just got home from the TRANSPORTUGAL multi stage race that crosses Portugal from the North to South over 9 stages totalling approximately 1150 km. Hmmmmmm, that's 127 kms per day by the way, a whole lot of mountain biking! The race starts in the city of Bragança and finishes in Sagres in the Algarve with only 60 participants max at the start line. Do you want to do the 2011 version? It sounds tough, but beautiful! Check out these great photos by Carlos Dias. Makes me want to go riding in Portugal!

Live in Calgary? You could win a spot on our Alpenrock DH trip...

If you live in Calgary and are looking for a new bike...buy a Trek from Calgary Cycle and you'll be entered to win a spot on our famous Alpenrock DH trip with Joe Schwartz. The odds are pretty good that you'll be riding sweet singletrack in the land of cows, cheese and big, big mountains...see you in Geneva!

Ride with Joe in the Alps

Some sweet views from Big Mountain guide and teacher extraordinaire Joe Schwartz, summer 2009. Former pro mountain biker with mad skills, professional heli ski and mountain bike guide,  cultural aficionado, French speaker, master mountain bike instructor and the kind of great guy that you want to hang out with...could Joe be the ultimate guide? Want to ride with Joe this summer? I think we might have a few spots left on our Alpenrock DH trip.

Ten things about mountain biking in Whistler

Thanks to our friends at Chromag for this...

not a bad day. more Brendan...

Brendan Semenuk and his Rock Shox in Durango

Smooth like butter. It's such a pleasure to watch Brendan rail the Colorado dirt with impressive precision yet natural slackness.

What do you ride? Take a quick poll...

Peru update and photos: yesterday

Ray Warner's email that arrived from Lima last night:

It´s official.  We´re in Peru.  It feels kind of surreal really...  Bob from BC summed it up yesterday when he said, "I'm just waiting to wake up, because this cant really be happening."  He said that as we continued our ascent to over 10,000 feet in a luxury bus on what appeared to be a burro trail.... One cannot truly appreciate the beauty of the Andes without seeing it first hand.  The warm people....The great weather...The AMAZING food....The history and the culture.....All these have combined to make this an experience out of this world.  Or the world I know, anyway.  Then there´s the riding.  WOW..  Each day has been an over the top sampling of tasty singletrack while viewing the rugged Andes.  Chutes, drops, flow, slickrock.  It´s like all the places I´ve ridden in one destination.  How can you beat that?

The group - that's Ray third from the left with the extra big smile and guide extraordinaire Wayo Stein at the front.

The shuttle bus loaded up mid-ascent. The destination? 10,000 feet to a ride that ends on the shores of the Pacific. That's a big big descent!

BTW, we can create a custom DH or all-mountain trip in Peru if you want. Gather some friends and get in touch with us and we'll let you know the details. For Canucks, Air Canada flies direct from Toronto to Lima which is really convenient...

This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://ridebig.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://ridebig.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Win a summer of shred with BC Bike Parks

Hmmm....summer dreaming...
It's June 19 and you just found out that you won the contest: a season's pass at each of BC's best bike parks - Whistler, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, Fernie and Mount Washington. And, two extra day tix and two nights accommodation, two days of bike rentals to each of the resorts for a friend...and a G note for whatever you want. Beer perhaps?
Suddenly, you get inspired: you call your mom and tell her the good news, you quit the job that you hate anyway, you buy a beater car, toss all your gear in it and throw a rack on it and hit the open road. Summer off. Grow your hair, get some new shades, get some new flip flops. Your roomate can deal with your mail, you set up auto-pay on your bills. Camping, friends, riding across BC. No schedule and no one to tell you what to do.
Enough dreaming. Enter the contest. I am. Go to Bike Parks BC or Facebook. 

Scott Dickson & the art of mountain biking

You probably haven't heard of artist Scott Dickson but you've surely admired his work when you picked up a copy of Freeride Entertainment's New World Disorder movies, or seen one of their ads in Bike Magazine. Well, that's Dickson's art. That's right, the chaotic mess of characters burning shit, breaking shit and causing general mahem with a mountain biker usually airborn in there somewhere - Never Enough, Smackdown, Ride the Lightening etc. See the Kootenay-based Dickson's website for more of his work. There's not enough art in mountain biking. Thanks Scott for inspiring us with your beautiful creations.

Calgary slideshow this Thursday!

Read more about this Thursday's Calgary slideshow and Brighter film premiere on NSMB.com and Kona's Cog blog. Come out, it's going to be fun

Earlier today near Lima, Peru

"Today we went for an extra ride before the start of the trip and the guys were amazed with this little ride hehe. Wait until they see what's to come! We are already having a lot of fun and drinking just a few beers. Looks like we are going to have a super trip!" Words from our guide extraordinaire, Wayo Stein, in an email that just came in a few hours ago.
A group of Canucks from Ottawa just arrived into Peru yesterday. With them is Ray Warner who heads up our Yukon Midnight Sun trip. Stay posted here for more updates on this trip!

Want to ride the Andes with Big Mountain? Trust us, it's UNREAL!! Let's go. 

Copenhagen Chic

According to the Population Reference Bureau "The world has experienced unprecedented urban growth in recent decades. In 2008, for the first time, the world's population was evenly split between urban and rural areas. There were more than 400 cities over 1 million and 19 over 10 million. More developed nations were about 74 percent urban, while 44 percent of residents of less developed countries lived in urban areas. However, urbanization is occurring rapidly in many less developed countries. It is expected that 70 percent of the world population will be urban by 2050, and that most urban growth will occur in less developed countries."
Interesting trend isn't it? Does this mean that more of us will choose the bike to get around than the car? I sure hope so. Even better, if we can adopt habits like our much cooler friends in Copenhagen or Barcelona where the bike is...like a vacuum. Check this mini doc out from Mikael Andersen, founder of the sexy blog Copenhagen Chic. You might not like all his ideals, but he's definitely got some solid thoughts. Enjoy.

no couch for you today

Ray Warner who runs our Yukon Midnight Sun trip woke up this morning to find that his Trek Remedy moved overnight. I think the bike is trying to tell him something...

Calgary slideshow Thurs April 29

Big Mountain, Calgary Cycles and NSMB.COM presents two shows...a slideshow of epic proportions starring Sterling Lorence in Iceland, Jordan Manley on the North Shore, Matt Domanski in Utah, Dan Barham in Alaska and the Yukon, Canmore-based John Gibson in Argentina and a little piece by Chris Winter in Peru.
Next in line is of the moving pictures type...a new film called Brighter by Nelson-based New Wave Cinema. Expect an action-packed blowout of raw talent in this film...riders include Mike Kinrade, Casey Groves, Garett Buehler, Kurt Sorge and more. At the helm of this film is Tamas Forde, a former editor for New World Disorder.

Details of the show!
DATE: Thurs, April 29
TICKETS: $10, at Calgary Cycle or at the door
TIME: 7 PM
WHERE: Mount Royal University, Jenkins Theater rm 115

Peru trip featured in UK mag

We're flattered here at Big Mountain, What Mountain Bike magazine from the UK just printed a 7-page feature on our Peru Incredible Andes all-mountain trip. We are pumped! "If you're after high adrenalin, high mountain riding with a colourful culture for a backdrop, then the Peruvian Andes are hard to beat," says journalist Jason Sumner. We could not have said it any better. This trip is seriously worldclass and a must for any mountain biker. Get some friends together and get in touch with us!

In this photo by Chris Christie, Big Mountain owner Chris Winter and guide Andreas Hestler are dropping down to the Sacred Valley.

a collision of cultures, somewhere in Morocco this week...

have we told you lately that Morocco is unreal? it's true. think Sedona but transported to North Africa - centuries-old singletrack used by nomadic Berber tribes, towns straight out of Nat Geo, cities straight out of an Indian Jones flick...and a whole lot more. It's exotic yet European. And the riding...is very good.
Our current Dirt Merchant trip in Morocco is XC but if you're looking for an all-mountain or even DH trip just let us know, we can set it up for you. Best time to go is September through mid-November...grab some friend, get in touch with us and book your flights!

Check out these sweet photos from photographer Jaroslav Soukup, of pro rider Richard "Gaspi" Gasperotti from Jirkov, Czech Republic. By the way, Gaspi was clocked going 218 km being towed behind a speed bike recently, the world speed record...ballsy!

 

feel things

If being crazy means living life as if it matters, then I dont mind being completely insane. I want to feel things. Really feel them.

- Marie Antoinette

Pic of the Day: Costa Rica DH

photographer and all-round design shinobe Anthony Smith from the4color went on our recent Pura Vida DH trip in Costa Rica and captured some truly stylee images. this particular one made photo of the day on Bikerumor.com. check out Anthony's slideshow here...sit back and enjoy....

Kevin Landry in Squampton

Just up the road from Vancouver and just down the road from Whistler is a town called Squamish...which some call Squampton because of it's trailer parks, red necks and new Wallmart from some angles it shines a little like Compton CA, kinda. Beyond these features lies one killer network of man-made trails built by masters like Big Red Ted of Red Bull Rampage fame and a host of other builders. The place is insane - big bike shuttles or endless all-mountain loops, Squamish is worldclass. This clip is of Big Mountain guide Kevin Landry who built the trail himself. Want to ride with Landry? Well you can...join us on our new Sea to Sky all-mountain or Backstage Pass DH trips this summer and the man himself will show you around. Or we can set you up with a private tour of our backyard. Don't worry, not all the trails are as burly as this one. Put it on full screen, sit back and enjoy the ride....

dogs who shred

some dogs eat up trail like it's a big bowl of meat - head down, airing stunts and corners, chasing the odd wildlife and chilling when it's time to chill. some dogs know trail etiquette better than some riders. these guys are singletrack fiends, built to run in the forest and were pumped to hit their local trails in Pemberton BC. Gray and Bree weren't home and PK was holding down the fort. let's ride!

cold beer

that got your attention! we just wrapped up our annual migration south to Costa Rica with Wade Simmons and several groups of downhill riders from all over the planet. thanks Wade, and thanks to all for joining us! we'll have our 2011 dates up soon...let's go!

Thanks to Christophe from Germany for this enticing photo. Want to see more of Christophe's visuals? Click here.

A look back, with Ride Guide in Switzerland

This clip was shot back in...2007 i think? The Schwartz bros came over and we sessioned Zermatt for a good week and then hit some of our favorite rides down the Rhone Valley. Ah, good times!!

fixed-grip thoughts

i've wondered over my lifetime how much time i've spent on chairlifts and t-bars. back in the day when they were fixed-grip it'd take a lot longer to get to the top. i remember skiing Tremblant where a ride up could take 25 mins and of course it was minus 30 out. lots of time to reflect on all these rides. am i a different person because of the time i spent reflecting on the chair? who knows. enjoy this ride, it's entertaining...

dreams of skiing

Dreams can take you anywhere. Ski photographer Kari Medig takes us on a trip.


Pillow Line from Kari Medig on Vimeo.

Ticino, Switzerland all-mountain video

Tucked in the southern part of Switzerland, the Ticino region is mountainous and dotted with lakes and palm trees and the locals speak Italian. It's dry and rocky compared to the rest of the country and has more deciduous forests. Enjoy this video....hopefully it'll inspire you to dream of big rides this summer.

follow me

Where pavement, culture and dirt collide.

Bridging the Gap Vol.1 from Joseph Lobato on Vimeo.

Good times.

Do you remember that feeling as a super-keener little grom hanging out with friends on your street for hours and hours on your bikes? This photo brings me back to my street in rural Ontario where i'd spend days, summers, on my BMX working on wheelies and nose stands and a 3-foot pile of dirt was all we needed for a week-end of action. What worries? I've decided to take this to heart this year and i'm dedicating this riding season to...having fun like the old days. I know, i know, sounds simple...but put yourself back into that little mind that you had. OK, good. Bike. Friends. Fun. Nothing more. Want to join me in this challenge?

Joe Schwartz interview

Check out this sweet interview with Big Mountain senior guide Joe Schwartz...from our friends at NSMB.COM. 
Want to ride with Joe this summer? How about some downhilling in the Swiss Alps? Click here and make it happen!

travel inspiration

 watching this video makes me want to sell the couch and rent the house and hit the road for awhile. walking's great but cycling's better. nice beard too.


The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

Joe lights it up for the Olympics

Rider and guide extraordinaire Joe Schwartz was invited to ride with the Olympic torch in his hometown of Nelson BC last week for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Congratulations Joe!!

Want to ride with Joe in 2010? how about DH'ing in the Alps? Alpenrock.

Life Cycles and Vanderham

The brainchild of photographer Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb, the highly anticipated Life Cycles film sheds some light on filming a segment at the Whistler Bike Park last fall with Thomas Vanderham. This movie has been in the works for a few years now and every so often a whisper of a rumour is heard, a photo surfaces of McCaul boosting an air in the Prairies, of something very different that is being created. I predict that we're all going to be blown away and the bar will be raised, not only for mountain biking films, but for action sports films...

Speaking of Vanderham, I couldn't help but think back to the trip we did together in Morocco back in '05 with Andrew Shandro, Matt Hunter and The Collective. Has it been that long?

Vanderham and Hunter navigating the souk in Marrakech.

Thomas stepped up to the plate and was the first to hit this air. It was truly in the middle of nowhere.

NEW! Victoria BC Performance Camps with Seamus and Dre

Seamus McGrath and Andreas Hestler in cooperation with Big Mountain and BC Bike Race launch Performance Cycling Camps - two seven day training camps in Victoria BC, March 1-8 and March 8-15.  Join two of mountain biking's most celebrated athletes; 3 Olympics, multiple National Titles, countless World Cup wins and a couple of BC Bike Race wins - what an opportunity! Go to the Performance Camps website to read more.

Want to ride with this man for a week? Presenting Seamus McGrath.

Dre doing what he loves.

Dirt Mag interview: Chris Winter

The latest edition of UK's DIRT dishes some out on Big Mountain's Chris Winter.

the Dirt Merchant...Morocco

Last November a group of mostly strangers met in Marrakech to ride their bikes on our Dirt Merchant trip....



Thanks to Peter Buck for sharing this with us! And some killer photos from Mr. Daveid Phillips's collection:

moment

this photo was taken in zermatt this past summer on our cloudraker trip. it was just before our last descent of the trip. the weather was pretty much perfect and this couch was just calling our name. after so many good rides, it was fitting to be able to chill out with such a view. of course Jer could not take his helmet off, just in case he needed to make a quick escape.
the horn, a tasty cafe, a quick look over on the bikes and then it was downhill for a very, very long time.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

40 year swell hits Oahu

We surf land, they surf water. Earlier this week the North Shore of Oahu was hit by the biggest waves in years. Check this video of Mondays mega-session at Jaws.

The Brazilian

Upon retrospect we should have worked harder to keep this trail unknown. Back in 2003, on a pioneering trip in the Swiss Alps, journalist Mitchell Scott in a fit of pleasure, compared parts of this trail to that of a freshly shaved Brazilan wax job...the word got out and now we've been told that the name pops up regularly in German mountain bike chat rooms. For years we were the only mountain bike tracks and now we're seeing more riders up there. It's all good. We're mountain bikers and we love a good descent. Here's a good view of it...



Want a taste of The Brazilian yourself? Join us for the ride of your life.

Going Downhill in die Alpen on Pinkbike.com

Calgary's Stephen Matthews joined us in Switzerland this summer on our Alpenrock DH trip. See his sweet vids and read the whole story here.

Here's a little sample following Joe Schwartz.

"...i lost count of the times i was whooping loudly..."

"The three Big Mountain trips I have been on have been incredible and the best trails I have ever ridden anywhere, I lost count of the times I was whooping loudly on this one and I look forward to doing more next year, I'm already dreaming of the Swiss DH trip." Daveid Phillips, UK.
 
View photos from Daveid's recent trip to Maroc....great photos Daveid, thanks!

2010 Dirt Merchant Morocco dates have been confirmed, Sept 19-28. See you in Marrakech!

 

happy birthday joe

hmmmm...where to start? it was just another ride, or seemingly so. we met up, unloaded our bikes and got dressed and then started climbing up the mountain. it wasn't raining. it was Sunday. we climbed high this time, to an unknown fresh trail that few knew, a trail that you had to hike in off the road and where the loam roosted like a jet boat in the Florida Keys. everything felt really good and the bikes were running exceptionally well, or was it the riders? at times, we'd drop into a short downhill transition with a berm at the bottom and both wheels would drift and then traction would return, almost on demand. drift, carve. bikes where thrown around and echoes of glee resonated in the forest. falltime. great friends. Sunday. mellow vibes. thanks Joe and happy birthday buddy.

Joe, Wade and Arthur's dog, mid-ride.

Dave Norona, birthday boy, Chimonez and me.

wanna ride with Joe and Wade too? Wade's guiding our Costa Rica Pura Vida DH trips, February 19 - 27 and February 27 - March 7 2010 and Joe is guiding our Swiss Alpenrock DH trips next summer, Aug. 13 - 21 2010 and Aug. 21 - 29 2010.

last week in Peru...

A group of friends went to Peru on a private trip last week. "The trip was fantastic. The guys enjoyed a lot the trip and we have just good memories," said head guide and mountain bike shinobe Wayo with a big smile from him home in Lima. Back at the office in Whistler and Vancouver we could not be happier. Thanks for joining us guys!

By the way, you have to come ride Peru with us soon...the riding is ridiculous, the culture unforgettable and being hosted by Wayo could not get any better. All-mountain or downhill?

 

 This photo was taken on one of the many Inca trails that was built centuries ago. This one drops into the beautiful Sacred Valley.

The group at our hotel in Lima.

 Cruisin' dawg. He knows who's boss.

earlier today somewhere in Morocco...

this photo just arrived from today's ride on our Moroccan Dirt Merchant cross-country trip. looks like the trip is going well!

safety first

a photo of Nathalie Grether, the backbone of Big Mountain, on the shores of the Georgia Straight in Vancouver last week during a wilderness first aid course. this is what we want to avoid at all costs, having to use a stretcher like this one. needless to say, safety is a high priority at Big Mountain - we keep it high on the list and revise and update our plans and education all the time. mountain biking is inherently dangerous and falling is part of the sport however... ride defensively when you're in a far away place.

Put bike in box, fly somewhere, unpack, ride.

It's that time of the year again. Yea, i know, time, it flies eh? But what can you do? I actually like fall. I know that it's not the best time to ride bikes, but when you do ride it's just good, really good. Fall is mellow; springtime is when you need to get in shape and it hurts more, summertime is when you are in shape and it still hurts so good, and falltime is just time to ride qualitytime. Riding is better when you have a dream trip to look forward to...
The grandpappy of freeride mountain biking, Wade Simmons, will be co-guiding our annual 9-day Costa Rica Pura Vida DH trips again this winter. Dates are Feb 19-27 and Feb 27-Mar 7, 2010. If you haven't heard, Wade is an unreal guy to get to know and an unreal rider. The chance to ride with him for 9 days does not come around very often....think about it, life is short afterall...
We're also offering a shorter version of this trip, the Pura Vida DH Junior which is 7-days from Mar 20-26. Unfortunately Wade won't be on this trip but you'll still be in supremely good hands with our man Paulo Valle.

Jill Kintner

Check out Jill's mtb site. Art and racing bikes. I like.

rolling worldwide this week...

Hey, how's it going? Is the riding season winding down in your neck of the woods? Same here really. Whistler's getting cold and the snow line is creeping down the mountains and it's getting wet on Vancouver's North Shore. The Big Mountain office is pumping though...we've got groups off to Marrakech tomorrow on our Dirt Merchant XC trip, a private group later this week heading to Lima Peru on our Incredible Andes all-mountain trip, another private group off to Johannesburg on November 2 for our Rhythm of Africa Safari...and to Copper Canyon Mexico with Ride Guide TV soon after. Talk about some action! Want in? Give us a shout!

Did you know? These Moroccan goats climb Argan trees with incredible ease to eat the nuts which they then leave in their turds that the locals pick out to make oil that is expensive and supposedly makes your skin glow and make ladies look younger. It's true, Argan oil makes you beautiful.

mountain bike safari in africa

Earlier this year sponsored Adidas riders visited South Africa and Botswana on our africa safari trip. If you dream of experiencing Africa and the safari, this is a great option...you get an intimate, hands-on experience and it's suitable to many levels of riding which is unique. Join us on our Rhythm of Africa trip in 2010...

Hans Ray rollin' with the antelope. Photo Sven Martin.

 

Photo: Sven Martin

signatures

sit back, relax, and be transported to a powder day in Hokkaido Japan where the snow is feather light and the trees spaced just right. this trailer is not your usual ski porn but instead just beautiful shots in a beauty place. winter is coming...

Start Here: Bike Magazine

Grab a copy of the latest Bike Magazine and see Big Mountain owner Chris Winter scoping a new trail in Switzerland in the Start Here column. "This section of trail is after a rediculously long and fun downhill," says Winter, " you feel like you're hanging from the cliff's ledge and then you pop around the last corner and ride past a shrine with a cross and mini-sized Jesus on it and lit candles all around. Did I just see that? It's kind of surreal."

A few of Bike Editor Lou Mazzante's words from Start Here: "As we head into winter and start looking for new gear and dreaming of new trails to ride, keep in mind that the act of riding a mountain bike is so much greater than its component parts. It is inherently fun, implicitly adventurous and often best enjoyed with good company."

Do you like the look of this trail? Want to ride it with Big Mountain in 2010? If you're an all-mountain rider click here, if you're a DH rider, clicker here. Why not join us in the Alps next summer?

chromag

from our good friends at Chromag in Whistler and the talented Jinja on his hard tail railing the Whistler Bike Park. hats off to the fine art of hard tail ripping...

yesterday

We just returned from a killer two-day jaunt to the beauty Chilcotin Range just up past Whistler. You've most probably heard us talk about this region in the past here at Big Mountain. It's pretty special. One of the rare places left where cell phones don't work, roads are gravel, there are more dogs around than humans, being outside means really being outside and where the trails are fine like fine red wine. Dale Douglas from Tyax Air bombed us up from Whistler in his Beaver which was very nice indeed...

PK riding in post-fire apocalyptic otherworldlyness.

 

Dale and Claire pondering the view and taking a break.

Paddy and the Beaver.