Yup, another one. Sorry I'm late with the post. I'm a slacker.

Not like these guys...look at them dig.



Must have been all that coffee that Bean Around the World poured into them in the morning.



Well, and this gas powered winch helped. That's anew move I like to call a "Skrinny" or a Sketchy Rock Skinny...



Ooops. Ran outta gas. Let's see what's for lunch then.



Ahhh. Burgers, dogs, and salmon from Schneiders, the Cove, and of course Barb (and the Crab Shack helped out too).



Dave from Dave's on Esplanade came by to help cook. He has no website. Just drop in, under the theatres near Lonsdale Quay.

Alright enough plugging of the sponsors (also .243 Racing, Hoots, and the mighty NSMBA), more digging, less eating.



NIce jump, oh wait, its a berm.



No really, it IS a berm.



Seems like its getting late, better just work harder. You guys look like you're slacking off a bit.



Just in time for first tracks.



...and second tracks.



Some video HERE of the berm. It's not a jump.


Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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Whattya get when you cross the end of a long night shift tending bar, a brand new Yamaha R6, a gravelly corner, and a stunned senior citizen in a Chrysler?



Yo, road rash.

Better go hang out at the car show. I thinkthat's where this guy was headed.







We went riding instead. Steve Mitchell tagged along today. He pussed out on the Monster Amigo and instead hit the middle one. Yikes.....



I think I like the big one better.



Well, at least he was going for it.



Even a teeter teeter totter totter in the rain.



Yeah...rain. Stupid long weekend. Happy birthday, Darcy. Until next year.



Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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Nope, that's not a typo. Some things are too foul to put on this website and believe me, Day 3 will never be seen here. Besides, it poured rain all day.

This is Ryan. He builds a lot of hte stuf at Gilliard. Especially the big stuff. Thanks, man.



We ran into a couple of the other builders there too, but I spaced the camera. Anyway, it's all looking pretty sweet this year. A couple of new lines and some great maintenance. Except of the road, which is beat.

Barracho and Birthday Boy railing the turns on Wobbly Pops.



Dave rides the high line on the berm.



Johnny is even higher.



Dropping in on Boss Hog.



Post ride beers in the boat. Nice hats, dorks.




The secret to a great day? It's all in the meat....




Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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There are times when you probably shouldn't click on the pictures in this blog. The shot below definitely falls into that category. Think of it as a "before" and "after", and remember; you've been warned.



Hey look, we went riding. There's a new trail in Westbank by the name of "Builders Only." Here's Dave getting the feel of one of the new bridges.



Our courageous guide, Dirty Dave Diddler, came out to show us his new work. This is actually off the old line, but he rebuilt the deck as the old one was falling apart.



Another of the locals on a new stunt, which is a prime example of the "Must Have Stunt of 2006." Step up gap to elevated platform with a gap and ending with a step-down.

They're everywhere this year.



Bob keeps it anchored to the wood.



Barracho on a cool little corner step up/step down.



..and it s a bit blurry, but this would be Barracho againon his first road gap (Ok, it's a mini one, but hte Camel Toe still hucks across a dirt road so I say it counts).



Not the driest long weekend on record.



Say hello to our trusty tow truck driver. The van wouldn't start, and our guest of hnour (Darcy) buggered off to drink Jaeger so we had to call BCAA for a jump.



We got even.....





Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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It's Darcy's birthday...again. Got your ticket?



They seem to have their tickets. No Darcy, I don't think it's in the cooler.



Oh wait, now he has his ticket.



Look over there! It's your birthday!



Bob checks out an old rail station.



This ain't Brokeback Mtn., boys. Someone's gonna get hurt if you keep standing so close together.



See? I told ya...



Something sure does smell like flowers.



So, no riding today. Just travel. Here, enjoy this 1969 Firebird with the 400 under the hood.





Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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Greetings, race fans, and welcome to the first ever Seymour Super D. If you don't know what a Super D is, well...you start at hte top and end at the bottom, but there's usually a good climb or two, plus some flat sections, and the length is somwhat more involved than a typical DH race. Like 10x longer....

For this versioon, it was a team event, with teams of 2 or 4 competing for glory, cheesy prizes, and beer.

Check the scene at the start.



"Going my way...?"



Meh, they're all married anyway.

Unlike these smelly ole' dogs. Team Shuttlewhore shows off their new uni's.



A whore about to finish the descent.



Have a look HERE for an amusing clip of the race action.

...and we finish off with a look at the....finish.






Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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The last day. See ya man!



As always, the last day is a little sprint around Otter Lake. Now you guys can get back to school so you can do more algebra or whatever it is that youmiss so much there.




At least they have figured out how to ride as a group to make things easier.



Well... some of them did.



Why you don't want to be last guy out there.



Almost done, Z.



The bridge too far...





After we sent the boys off, the guides all headedup the road the other way to suss out next year's route. We want to change it up a bit to make it more interesting.

Here's my only wildlife shot of the week. I saw lots of bears, eagles, ospreys, vultures, and lizards, but I'm just too slow on the draw these days. Age I guess...



It's an amazing valley for scenery. There's a ton of barns out here.



Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
Click for details....

I guess I didn't mentionthat the guys got super choked at me yesterday. I had to tack on a couple of extra clicks to the ride because of a construction project out on Thirsk Lake. It was only about 3 k, but man they were upset. Oh well.

To make today more intersting, we set up a little relay race on this mini track just outside of Coalmont. First place got a nice ice cold six pack. Of Coke.



Here's David coming in for the transfer.



..and the winner is...



Here's a LINK to a vid of the action. Like it really matters. This is all that's important to you at 15 years old.



Oh, and of course it snowed and rained a bit today. Here we are at the Otter Lake camp where we met up with Mitch, Lindsey, and the other group.




Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
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This is my favourite part of the tour. The Tulameen Canyon. Some tunnels, some trestles, some cliffs, its all good.



Hey Martin, look up will ya?



Lunch is at the Tulameenie Falls. We saw a bear just before this...well, Z, Thor, and I saw it anyway.



This is the tunnel you can see in the background of the last shot. The guys are looking over their shoulder there because Thor has just eaten it...on a railway grade. Too funny (OK, one of the other guys, maybe Z, hid in the dark and scared him, but still....).



The peloton got a bit more spread out after lunch.



..and then it was time to go swimming. Hows the water there bud?



Oh its cold you say? How cold?



Ohhh.....THAT cold. Check HERE for some video action.



This campsite sucks.



Totally.



The local residents came out to tell ghost stories. they're not exactly scary or anything, but it's a side of Canada that these guys would not ordinarily get to see, thats for sure.



Boo!




Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
Click for details....

OK, OK, I know, I've been slack on updating. For those of you paying attention, I've had to do a little revamp on the site. Thanks Microsoft, for making life so easy on the little guy (Microsoft lost a lawsuit, and now I have to recode every site I do. Just buy them out next time, will ya?).

Anyway, on to the tour....

It looks like for the next couple of years I'll be starting the season with St. Georges School. St. Georges is the premiere boys prep school in Western Canada, and every spring 150 Grade 10 boys have a wilderness experience. Things like backcountry skiing, kayaking the West Coast, hiking the Coast Mountains. Those of them who aren't really into the outdoors come biking with yours truly on the old abandoned rail grade between Summerland and Otter Lake.

...sort of a mean joke, isn't it?

Our first camp was pretty sweet, although a bit cold. We had snow flurries throughout the night, and then the temp dropped to a numbing -10C just before sunrise. All the guys were asking me what time we had to getup the night before. I just sort of laughed, figuring that they wouldn't sleep at all. I was right.



Withthe cold, we got off to a good start. Here's Mike Procaska, my loyal assistant, on the first part of the trail.



Our first stop was at this trestle.



Hi Chris.






Lunch was at a bluff overlooking the valley. David pulled out his trusty stove to heat up the chili. What a man.



Good views.



So, we only lost one guy at lunch. He turned up later, safe and sound. It's pretty hard to get lost on a railway grade.

Just follow the gravel, man.



When we rolled into camp, we got into some more technical riding. Hey, you gotta make do with what you got.





Here's a link to THOR!!! and his new skills on video.



The best part of this trip? We don't have to cook. The guys are on their own. Looks tasty...





..and of course the obligatory camfire, complete with exploding lighters.



Wade Simmons Freeride Experience
July 9th to July 27th.
Click for details....