May 2007 - Posts

• New Cumberland Trail Maps now on sale

  Fresh off the press is a new edition of the Cumberland Trail Map. Updated with the newest trails, this map is now available at Dodge City Cycles and the Riding Fool Hostel in Cumberland. Preview the map online here. Posted May 26 2007, 11:12 AM by Skifreak with no comments Filed under: Trail Info, Cumberland Trails, Trail Maps

• Canada's Best Coming to Mount Washington

  Canadas Best Coming to Mt. Washington Canada's best downhill and cross-country mountain bike racers will visit beautiful Vancouver Island from July 19th to the 22nd this summer. Mount Washington Alpine Resort, home of the Island's premiere bike park, plays host to the 2007 Tim Hortons National Mountain Bike Championships. "One of our goals over the last couple of years was to host the National Championships," explains Mike Manara, Mount Washington's Race Director. "We've hosted Canada Cup and BC Provincial races in previous years but this is our biggest race to date. We're honoured to be staging this year's National Championships." Over 400 riders from across Canada are expected to compete in the four days of downhill and cross-country racing. Racers scheduled to compete in this year's championships include local riding sensations Kiara Bisaro (2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist) and Geoff Kabush (currently 3rd in World UCI MTB rankings) of Courtenay, BC. Other top performing Islanders competing at this year's National Championships include Max Plaxton and Seamus McGrath. Both riders are off to an unbelievable start this season. The Monster Mile, Mount Washington's notorious downhill course, will be ready to test the skills of Canada's fastest DH racers once again this summer. Downhillers aren't the only athletes being challenged by the mountain at the Nationals in July. Cross-country riders will have to negotiate Mount Washington's physically demanding XC loop and overcome that all-too-familiar excruciating leg burn. Mount Washington urges the Vancouver Island community to get out and cheer on both national and local racers. If you would like to contribute some of your time to the event, volunteering is the perfect way to get close to the action. Volunteers are needed for marshalling, information, registration, plus a host of other key positions. If you're interested, email volunteers@mountwashington.ca for more details. For more information and registration information, visit the mountain's Canada Cup website at www.mountwashington.ca/canadacup. Mount Washington Alpine Resort opens for summer sightseeing on June 22, 2007. The Resort is located 30 minutes above The Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. WestJet, Air Canada, Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines service the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ). For accommodation and package information, call Mount Washington Alpine Resort at 1-888-231-1499 toll free or locally at 338-1386. Surf to www.mountwashington.ca for additional information including the live mountain cam. Posted May 18 2007, 01:46 PM by Skifreak with no comments Filed under: Mountain Biking, Racing, Mount Washington, Canada Cup National Championships

• Mount Washington Summer 2007

  While the winter season still exists on the local slopes, the recent warming has riders thinking of summer lift access, and logging many thousands of vertical feet. Recently cvmtb.com caught up with Brent Curtain, PR and Promotions at Mount Washington Alpine Resort for an overview of the upcoming summer season. Thanks to a solid but lighter snow base this spring, the bike park crew is hoping to get the trails open (conditions permitting) by the end of June. While there are no new trails planned for opening day, there are upgrade and improvement plans in place for many of the existing trails, and some new expert and novice lines that should come into service during the season.  One of the biggest upcomings for this season for the advanced rider will be a new Slopestyle course, dirt jump park and skills area on the green face. This slopestyle area will be built by skilled operator Jim Deas (last years's Bearclaw designer) so we know it's going to be a great area for skill development for many riders. If you are travelling the island, be sure to check out the various accommodation and riding packages available during the summer. Locations such as Bear Lodge, and the Alpine Village provide many options for your summer stay. Keep your eyes peeled along the highway for the new killer billboard featuring last year's slopestyle course. Summer passes are now available in both single ($225) and family passes ($439), a small increase over last seasons rates. Summer Calendar of Events After a shuffling of events this summer, a mix of old favorites and new events will grace the calendar this year. Kicking things off in July with Learn to Ride Week and the Canada Cup National Championships, the summer really heats up with the return of the Bearclaw Invitational Slopestyle competition. The brainchild of Darren Berrecloth, this event will now be held the week after Crankworx, bringing an Island swing to the freeride tour. This new date should allow a greater run of contestants to join in the event, and bring an even bigger crowd to the show. A popular race series from last season the "Lucky Thursday DH Race Series" is back with 4 events over different trails. For the amateurs and up and comers, a Jump Jam competition will be held August 18th & 19th utilizing the new dirt jump area. VPS Fest has moved to September and will now become a great end of season wrap-up event. A rundown of major events for this summer: Learn To Ride Week - July 9 - July 13 Canada Cup National Championships - July 19 - July 22 Lucky Thursday DH Race Series - August 2 Bearclaw Invitational - August 4 Lucky Thursday DH Race Series - August 9 Lucky Thursday DH Race Series - August 16 Jump Jam - August 18 - August 19 Lucky Thursday DH Race Series - August 23 VPS Fest - September 15 - September 16 Looks like Mount Washington is primed and ready for a busy summer season, and I'm sure we'll be reporting more as the summer occurs. Check out their website at www.mountwashington.ca. To join in the feedback check out our Mount Washington Thread - http://www.cvmtb.com/forums/thread/534.aspx Posted May 08 2007, 12:05 PM by Skifreak with no comments Filed under: Mount Washington, Canada Cup National Championships, Darren Berecloth, Thursday DH series, Bearclaw Invitational, VPS Fest