In the vast Whistler and South Chilcotins mountain bike trail networks, each community has its own history, struggles and dedicated orgs. Here are a few of those stories.
Words :: Ben Haggar // Photos :: Mark Mackay // Article sponsored by Mountain Bike BC
Trails are the foundations of our riding communities, but how much do we really know about where the these ecstasy ribbons really come from—even in our own backyard? Continuing on with our Sea to Sky series (see the first installment here), we’re heading further north into the literal wild west, boom-and-bust origins of Whistler and the South Chilcotins.
Whistler
Whistler’s mountain biking legacy is intrinsically entwined with ski culture. Since most riders in the resort town began as skiers looking for the same kind of excitement and competition skiing provided, riders took to the alpine pedalling gravel access roads to 7th Heaven on Blackcomb and Singing Pass to Musical Bumps on Whistler. At the same time, the community was looking to make the resort a four-season destination so the new summer ski operations on Blackcomb in 1988 also included mountain bikes. With a few rough trails, this novel activity spurred on a race series called the Bike Riders Choice (BRC). Events included uphill and downhill races, XC, trials and dual slalom. This was just a primer for the premium event: The Labatt’s Can Am Challenge, which attracted more international competitors for the $5000 purse, promoting further trail development.
Whistler’s mountain biking legacy is intrinsically entwined with ski culture.
The scene wasn’t relegated to the resort as the renegade roots and counterculture attitude further south on the North Shore and Squamish were also present in Whistler. Riders quickly tired of logging roads and began cutting in early valley trails like Cut Yer Bars, A River Runs Through It and Billy’s Epic. As the scene in the valley progressed, conflicts on the alpine trails led to the banning of mountain biking in Garibaldi Park apart from the Cheakamus Lake trail—further adding interest in the more unregulated flanks of the valley. In 1989, the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association (WORCA) was formed to advocate for access to the alpine as well as maintain the growing number of valley trails.
Whistler Mountain was also making its presence known with epics like Khybers and Ride Don’t Slide (the latter was originally a trials ascent trail). Development around the current Whistler Bike Park began with Whistler Backroads securing permission to scratch in a few trails for their gondola-accessible tours on Whistler. These early trails formed the backbone and were incorporated into the opening of the Bike Park in 1996.
Whistler’s first officially sanctioned build was Lord of The Squirrels—constructed 25 years after the first purpose-built bike trails began to emerge in the deep dark woods. The incredible advocacy work that WORCA has put in over the years to sustain this vast unsanctioned network is nothing short of remarkable. The lion’s share of the maintenance on the much-loved network is performed by the paid WORCA trail crew augmented by volunteer labour and inputs by Vail Resorts on the Blackcomb trails.
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South Chilcotins
The legacy of trails of the South Chilcotins not only vastly pre-dates mountain biking, but also colonization. The St’at’imc and Tsilqot’in walked these lands since time immemorial, and put down much of the foundational network through the valleys and high passes of the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park where the majority of the trails are found. Prospectors brought the next wave of development in the early 1900s, plowing private and government roads to service the mines. From the 1940s, sheep and cattle were grazed in the valleys and seasonal alpine meadows, while hunting outfitters also cut and maintained many of the current trails by horse since the 1950s.
The legacy of trails of the South Chilcotins not only vastly pre-dates mountain biking, but also colonization.
By the late ’80’s, the first mountain bikers found the buffed trails made for relatively easy access to the high alpine. The gentle peaks were a respite from the chunky granite of the coast ranges while the remoteness added to the mystique. Small, locally built networks around Gun Lake later augmented descent options from the alpine and provided lower elevation loops. Lenny Hurst is credited with cutting Bralorne’s first XC trails around Kingdom Lake, though moto hill climbs and steep loose and rowdy mountain bike trails (that were nearly impossible to find without local advice) largely defined the Bralorne riding experience until the development of the new trails on Sunshine Mountain in 2022.
The maintenance workforce and rider implications between Whistler and the South Chilcotin couldn’t be more different. Whistler trails are supported by a wealthy municipality, local businesses and a large and eager workforce. In contrast, Bralorne and the Bridge River Valley Community Association is 100% volunteer-maintained with zero facilities and no maintenance dollars for the shuttle road (and the loose sandy soil is not conducive to heavy rider traffic).
The South Chilcotin Park trails have a bit more support through BC Parks and Tyax Adventures who maintain a number of trails used by their guiding outfit but again, without volunteer efforts, the hundreds of blown-down trees cleared each year would make for better crossfit than biking. In these smaller communities, donations to the local trail orgs are huge, but these sensitive networks benefit most from riders taking responsibility and being good stewards (like not riding trails in poor weather conditions, staying on trail in sensitive alpine areas and leaving no trace). And at the end of the day, the less that locals have to fix or clean up, the more time they have to ride and keep creating these amazing networks.
To learn more, visit Mountain Biking BC.
