Must be Labour Day, as Simon has returned with the crew, lots of beer, and a few chickens....



They said they wanted to try out something a bit more radical, so we went over to Addiction for a session.  As a bonus, Ryan McKenna came out to show us how the locals send it.

Oh, and Addiction engineer Andrew was out as well...

And now, several Wally's.....

..and a couple of step downs.

Check out this rack. 

After a few runs on Postill, we made an abrupt change of locale and went over to Gillard.

Another crap day finishing in the God light.

Not sure what happend next, but the phone rang and suddenly everyone had to drive back to Vancouver.  Sorta wierd, but it was a good day of riding.  Until the end of NEXT summer....

No pics fromt he boys ride yesterday. They were at Silver Star and I was inthe hospital with the family, so you'll just have to imagine some pics of their day.

Today we went to Gillard to shred the Kelowna gnarcore.



Tyler put on a clinic for the boys, to make sure that they got the idea.



Ooops, forgot to phone the girlfriend. The boy has skills on the bike, and apparently in other areas too. Look at that spadework....



Still, better get home or this will be your ONLY ride...



The young gun was paying attention earlier.



Bum shot of Matt on a BIG rock line.



Ooops. Trip gets the bums rush. He got some cool tread marks on his arm on this one.



No harm, no foul. Everyone felt good enough to try this wall.



Of course, Trip makes everyone look lame by comparison. You can really see how big this bike is on him here.



Still, inspiration for the rest of the crew.



I think they might actually be tired now. A short day to finish off tomorrow and we're done.

What was supposed to be the Padwan Tour (the young Jedi council riders) has sort of fallen apart. We have a few riders coming out, but it's not really the full slate we've come to expect from this crew.

Not to worry, Barb and I are working on some numbers.....



Actually, our pal Wyld Willy brought up some more riders to help the process out. So in no particular order, here is our day....

Shortround steppin down.



Sherri hittin a gap.



Shaums getting some love. Oh yeah, there's random superstar talent in them thar hills.



Sherri getting a bit bent on a drop. Thanks to WW for the fisheye shots.



Norco Jesus..uhhh, Jim seeing the light. He'll be showing us his stigmata marks later.



Hey, I know that dude.



Oh yeah, the airlines conveniently left all the bikes in the UK, so Poews had to ride Barb's bike. Looks sorta cute on him....



Jim came out on an earlier flight, so he had his own rig.



Shortround nails a couloir.



Mongo scored this rad rental with a blown Dropoff fork on it. Wait until you see what he does with it...



Poews is all about balance. Here he is stalling on a teeter.



Doh! Jim breaks his finger.



Brad on the insanity of Dr No.



Cody following suit.



Ride that rental, boy.



More couloir madness.



Check that distance that WW sends on this booter near the bottom of Boss Hog.





That's a rental with crap forks there.



WW on the same Boss Hog stepup.





Mongo doing a front wheel tap...



...but it wasn't exactly planned.



Whatever, it's only a rental.



Like all Okanagan ride days, it's just not complete until we hit a beach.

Schnepf!



Gesundheit. Ok, we crawled our way out of a bit of a hangover from yesterdays adventures and went over to Gillard again today. We thought we'd get Lindsay (whe's new to the riding game) a bit of a confidence builder. Here she is sneering at our spotting attempts on a nice teeter.



Nic as usual was slaying everything in sight.



The rest of hte crew was loving all the old hits, including this one on Rubherdown.







Oh, time for some postcard shots....







For round two we cracked off a Kerplop session, and spent a bit of time up on the barbwire gap.





Several flat tires later, we were Kerplopping at the bottom.





Yes, that would be a rare image of yours truly flowing a new log ride.



George on the Boss Hog stepup.



Al on the Boss Hog rolldown.



Rinse and repeat on the curved wall.





As the thunderstorms raged in the distance, we finished with a swim at our new favourite beach. Wait....what's that I see?



Yes! It's the Ogopogo! Now I wonder if this counts as proof for the $2 million prize being offered?

Hey Deano, what time is it?

Time to, "Release the candy."



I can't really explain it. You'll either have to meet the Deaner or go to England.



Gillard for a rematch today. We warmed up on the easy stuff, then went off for a run on Kerplop.



Someone was obviously really into Kerplop. You can guess who from the pics.



The candy was released all over the wood on this line.



Five guys on a log.



Hmmmmm.



some more stuff the Jedi bunch hasn't seen. I guess I know where I'm taking them next year.



Today's nature moment.



Here's where the candy flow was stopped. This was too big even for the Deaner.



Matt was still pushing his limits though.

Is it Tuesday? This must be Gillard then.



Gillard is all about gaps and walls and steeps. Oh right, just like everything else. Except more so...



It's a choose your own poison kind of place. Kev's head was nearly chopped off on this one.



Justin came out to see what theese trips are like. Standing about, mostly. Here he is between rests....



Kev catches some flight time...



Shimmerman on a super tech corner gap.



Shimmerblur. Why is it whenever someone says "Shimmer" I keep hearing a South Park cartoon voice saying "Timmy?"



For thsoe of you wondering where Princess has got up too, I'd say about a foot off the deck.



More of Justin on Rubherdown.



The Deaner follows...



You know, we're still on the first lap. A fair amount of variety on this run.





OK, NOW we can get to the second lap. We charged an old DH line down to Dr. No.



Dr No is unlike most of the trails in this zone in that it's slow, technical, steep, and has views. Here's Mike a couple of hundred feet above the rocks.



It's seriously technical.



Mike inspects the craftsmanship. Check the way the wood is fitted into the natural rock there.



Princess on course!



There's a few of these rocky couloirs on Dr. No. Here's Mike droppping in one the hairiest one.



Princess slays a dragon....



After that, we traversed over to Boss Hog for a session. Or a rest, whatever you want to call it.



The Deaner owned this step up.



Sure, it took a few runins to dial it in, but you know he ran back for a half dozen more hits once he figured it out.



Mike, slightly before making intimate acquaintance with a spruce tree.



Wallride 101 with Dan.



Princess figured it out in short order.



Yeah, 3rd lap. We did a re-run of the first lap with a couple of variations. Like this blind run into Ghost Rider.



The obligatory finish down at the beach, and an icy cold swim. I sure hope the lake warms up a bit more this year.



Of course, some of us might be feeling less pain than others at the end of the day.

From MTBco.ca

The second trail cleanup day of 2008 proved to be a huge success. MTBco would like to thank every one of you who turned out to help, you guys were just awesome. Also our thanks to Eve-Lyn Wolters at RDCO for your ongoing help and support.

An awesome turnout of 35 volunteers worked on Gillard Forest Service Road on access trails to remove a huge amount of garbage. The photos speak for themselves, and MTBco would like to thank everyone who turned out to help on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny Okanagan blue-sky day. You guys rocked the bush today !

This is how we do it Central Okanagan style. We had a quick clean up of all accumulated debris from the shuttle parking lot and removal of nails from the parking area.

Start of the day, and we’re just getting into it:



Garbage pile at Rubber Down AKA Camp Dumpalot:



Unloading at the shuttle area:



The second huge garbage pile at the shuttle area:



Not just hard work, there was play too ! Free shuttles courtesy of Bush Pilot Biking:



Ryan gets down to ground level to check out the pure butteryness of this freshly buffed section of Yo Moma:

Stay tuned for more clean ups in the future-come lend a hand!

All good things must come to pass, and wee're finally outta cake. How ironic that I have no pics of all the cakes we consumed. I swear, there were at least two cakes a day on this event. We had our cake AND we ate it too.

Hence the title.

Alright, today was Ken's day. He slept in pretty late this morning, and when he finally did get up, I got this wicked vibe coming off him.



Really, it should have been Sven's day, as he bucked up and purchased the Angry Bumblebee. Yes, he got a "Smokin'" deal. Yes, he deserves it. Fly free, brave Bumble.....



Noel was managing to stay upright, except when he was on the wallrides. where you don't want to stay upright. The streak is broken, Noel had a clean ride today.



Sven is studying the instructions. Ken isn't worried at all.



Redneck in a burnt forest....



Hey Jeff....need any help with that flat tire? I think everyone has some advice for you....



Shot of the day. Ken lays it out on Boss Hog.



Great day. Great weekend, and the last May Two Four for us as non-parental type units.

tick...tock.....the child approacheth....

Cascade Environmental is a company that has been hired by the City of Kelowna to help formulate the trails strategy for the region. In my capacity with the MTBco (the new central Okanagan bike association), I took them out for a little familiarization ride today.



We just had time for a single lap up on Gillard, but that's good enough for one day. Still a small amount of snow up top, but it's no big deal. Plus, I got to ride a trail I've never seen before. This would be "Ghost Rider".

We went back to ride the results of our build and fix party today. I think we're going to have many days like this in the future. Between fire damage and beetle kill, scenes like this are going to be all too common...



I got to ride yet another trail I didn't know about today. RubHer Down is a quick hit lower down in Gillard that has a bunch of rad and techy airs.



Jules was sending it pretty hard in here, even though the ground was a bit slow today. I'll only mention the "case" here in passing....



With a bunch of frost on Boss Hog, we stuck to Wobbly Pops. It's such a nice looking trail, and it's always fun to charge the easier stuff. Less consequences, eh?





We also had a lap on Kerplop, which as mentioned in a previous post was extrememly hard hit. It was surprisingly rideable considering the level of damage that was incurred. There's definitely some hard hit areas, and lots of structures are gone, but some of the technical rocky steep sections are now even more fun, as they've gotten harder. I thought I was on the Shore at times. Sorry, no pics of that for you. Too busy riding to take the camera out. Instead enjoy these classic Kelowna shots.





That was likely the last bike ride of the year up here. MAYBE one more. I'll let you know....

The first real winter storm of the season that rolled through the Okanagan last week devastated the Gillard trails. Since this area was toasted by a forest fire a few years back, it's much more prone to wind damage than many other areas. Powers Creek suffered a few trees downed, but nothing like this.....



That's the exit to Yo Mama. Luckily, the Kelowna Collective got several bodies and saws together and rallied to the rescue. Over 20 peole showed up to put in some serious effort on the part of this area.



Yo Mama probably got some of the least damage of the whole area, and this is what it looked like.



Rob has been out all week clearing the lower stuff like Boss Hog, and here he is next to the repaired jump from that last shot.



This one's going to take a little more work. It WAS a huge stepdown move, but with a fat rootball on the lander it's going to be springtime before this line is sendable again.



The hardest hit was Kerplop. Ryan McKenna and a crew of guys (including our buddy Jonathon, brother of our sometime guide and super helper Courtenay) went over to deal with that. What they got looked like the aftermath of Mt St Helens.



We got our lines cleared, and thanks to a huge effort on the part of many others, Kerplop, Cat's Ass, Snakes Back, and many others were cleared up. We ran out of light, so you'll have to wait until the next post for some riding shots.



There's more pics of the carnage and cleanup efforts at:

Rich's Blog

Ryan's Pics

Last day, and the weather is bit iffy. So was the guides alertness factor, too for that matter. Something about driving half the night.

Luckily Gilliard wasn't too far away, even if the landing on this stepdown was.



It took Matt to set the right line here.



Just a little damage.....




What trip to Gilliard would be complete without a session on Boss Hog?



The boys were making the most of the last day, even though the thunderclouds were threatening.





Gotta get that angle, you know?



Pft....that doesn't look steep at all.



Well, guess again. That's steep.



Some bermy bits...





Round two we hooked up with Johanna and Gwen, just to make sure the boys knew that Barb isn't the only ripper chick on a bike out here.



Not that they needed much incentive.



We got slapped with a few hours of rain delay after a couple of Gilliard runs, but even though it was pissing out...



...we got a reprieve later and cracked off one more high speed lap in the grease of Builders Only.

As always, a killer trip. Check out some VIDEO too.

Make up your own caption. I can't really do this one justice.



Ah Paul.....you were doing so well.



Can't you be more like Steve?



Craig, of course, was taking it easy with those stitches in his leg.



Yeah, right.



That's more like it, Paul.



Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, this is Gilliard in Kelowna. Happy gapping.



We had a few laps, did a few shots....



...and then passed out in the back of the van with some dogs face in our lap.

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.
Click for details....

***We now pick up with our heroes from over a month ago. Sorry, but everyone wants to ride with me these days. (Sigh) ... the price of popularity..**

I am....enigma. I am....mystery..... I am.....Blaine.




Yer a tosser, mate. Sorry Luke, I had to do it. Anyway, back to the riding. HEEEEYUUUUGGGE day at Gilliard today. If you're going to pick a place to step it up, this is the one.





Wade crossing it up over the fence. Jim was in make or break mode. He mad a lot more than he broke, like this drop on KerPlop.





I'm really stoked on this next shot. Not that it's that pretty for light or anything, it's just that you can almost taste the anticipation of Luke as he's about to drop in right behind wade (who's clearly enjoying this one).





Harley, waiting for a second run. Hurry up, eh?





Little, girl...big rock face. Give'r Barb.





Sto on some random skinny parts.





OK, this is the one that broke Jim. Have a good look, cause you know he wants retribution on that one. Just a little bit short, but that was it for the shoulder. Luckily it was more of a strain than anything serious, but still a bummer.





Gary picked up the torch and ran with it. Yer' killin it this trip, buddy.





The Old Man of the Trails shows us how to navigate the skinny stuff.




See what sort of riff-raff I get to deal with?

A grey day today, but still pretty nice riding weather. The Okanagan gets kind of dusty otherwise. So, we're at Outbound Cycle this morning and I ran into an old acquaintance from hanging around the race scene from time to time.


Karey Watanabe, Canadian born Japanese DH legend just strolled on up, so we made a plan to go hit the trails.






She's the one wearing the skirt. Anyway, we did a warmup lap on Powers Creek to get the ball rolling, then headed on over to Gilliard tp try out some of the trails I haven't hit yet.






They're pretty good. Nice skirt, by the way.






Skinnyman had to give 'er a go too. I missed David's air, as he pretty much jumped over me. Freakin kids these days.....



At any rate, that Cat's Ass, Fist First run is pretty sweet. Then we went to Boss Hog for a session.





The Kid hit's the step-up, of course. What you won't see for a while is Skinnyman accidentally nose manualing the same move...since it's on video and I don't feel like editing right now. Hey, I got it, and it's pretty funny.






Wallride...and we're out.

Today was another day of popped cherries for all of us. For some strange reason, I've never ridden Gilliard in K-Town before. Today was high time I remedied that situation.



I think you may have seen this gap before. The general consensus was that the landing is just too roached to be practical now, but personally I don't care how cherry the landing looks. I'm sure that some punk will be hitting tomorrow on a hardtail but whatever. You can have that thing.





Anyway, on to Ker-Plop. Origianlly cut by my man Vince, this trail has gone through an evolution of sorts, especially following the big fires from a few years ago. It's got a lot of rocky terrain, but also a lot of big linked moves. Like this fence gap.


Barb



Or this series of stepdowns callled the 3 Bears.


Ed





Skip



As the trail gets going, there are more and more technical lines like this skinny section that alternate with little gaps and hits.


Barb



There's also some great constructions. This stepdown is the 8 foot culmination of a long ladder with a four foot stepdown to elelvated landing that crosses a swamp.


Barb



Stouph



The last line on this trail is a combo of several skinny lines that drop you onto a road over another barbwire fence.


Stouph



Jedi




Those little combo moves were just a warmup for the main event. Lick-Her Sore is essentially one big continous linked stunt. It starts pretty mellow, with some nice skinny to skinny lines....


Jedi




...that go into ladder ramps.....


Paul




...that kick you to tranny...

Ed




Several more brain twisting stunts later it gets a bit bigger. Get over a couple of rocks, ride a sick high skinny....


Stu




...step down 10+ feet to a step up wooden lip gap, then rail the wooden berm to another 10 foot stepdown to wood lander.



Panama




I shit you not. After that, it's constant skinny line to tranny to skinny line, etc. You need your speed from the previous landing to line up the next move, every time. Finish off with a serious tetter across a gully and take a deep breath.


Stu




Now there's some uphill to be had. Short though, as Boss Hog is only about 300m up the road. This has been shot to death recently, but no surprise. Step up turtle back stunts are pretty neato.


Stu



The ramp into this sucka is fun all by itself.


There's a bunch of killer rock drops in there as well, and then one monster sized rockface to roll down.


Stu



The last move is this crazy berm/wall to rail around.



Panama




Jedi



After all that heat, it was time for the beach, and some well earned frosty ones.








Ed likes to have things stuffed in him.






After another gourmet meal, it was time for the nightly Northern Light show.






Yeah, Canada.....