We didn’t get too far before Kurt managed to mangle his drivetrain.  The boys have been riding a lot this year already, and this was on it’s last legs.  We helped out with lots of ridicule.

Sorry Kurt.  At least you had a fun ride on some of the new trails in the zone.

On the other hand, we put in some fast times on DZL and Sam I Am.  Cold and dry conditions are some of my favourites.

Elladee from Shimano Canada was out today for her annual visit, and did she ever pick a good one.

So was Terry and Dave, although Terry was glued to the phone too much.  You need a secretary to hold your calls this morning, dog.

Every corner was one of those mind blowing views today, and the traction can’t be any better than it is right now.

Group shot!

Some new sections of trail were to be had today too.  A full pull on the Rock Oven with no flats and only Kurt’s mishap to mar an otherwise perfect day.

I’ve done the new stuff at Rose, but the old trail around the lake was all new to me.  Quite a nice XC rip, with enough techgnar to keep the old Shore rider in me happy.

Plus it’s got some nice views.

Even Steve Mitchell was out today to soil his shorts (I have pics that I’m not showing off…)

Yep, they know EXACTLY what’s going on.

A bit quiet, actually.  We made eggs.

Oh, and I have a GoPro.

Not that it really matters now, but that so called “bad” ski season has actually meant an early start to the bike season for the first time in about 4 years.  Looks like we’re going to be full throttle from now on out.

Well, I guess it started a bit slow.

Admittedly, there was a bit of a drought mid-season where it didn’t snow much at all.  I found something fun to do.

There was also enough sporadic snowfall to keep things freshened up enough to keep me from total boredom.

[See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com]

Also, the competitive side of the sport reveled in the conditions.

[See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com]

It seemed like a province wide phenomenon, as I found on some road tripping to Revelstoke…

..and also in Retallack.

[See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com]

Thus I finished the season off not with a whimper, but with a bang.  Like always.  Also, Tippie.

[See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] [See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com]

That was awesome, but there’s now a good 7 months or so of biking to get ready for.

Tell ya what I do know, Mick. It’s bloody cold out today.

Although Dre and Ambrose had to head back yesterday, Wade and Bruno hung around for another day to get some more images and just have a visit.

We were a bit slow in the morning (I think there may have been a bourbon, a scotch, and some beers…),  but we got out for a few hours of work/play in the sun.

Yup, another tough one in the office.

Well, that’s pretty much a wrap on this season.  I might get another ride in, but the way the weather is coming in and the schedule is shaping up, I think some pow shots are on the horizon.  I leave you with this shot of Wade’s ass as he rides off into another sunset.

It’s very cold now, unlike last week. That typhoon that rolled through the Arctic has fired a huge pool of cold air down, so it’s a good 30-40 degrees colder than a week ago.  But on the plus side, it’s stunningly beautiful out.   Dre seems to be pretty stoked.

Wade too.  It’s actually kind of nice when it’s a bit cooler like this.  Makes going back for another run at the shot much easier when you’re trying to stay warm.

Ready for the Golden Hour, boys?

Oh yeah.  Sunset is at 4, but at this time of year that magic light lasts a long time.  We worked this spot pretty hard, and the photogs seemed stoked with the results.

Like this shot that Bruno got…

http://instagram.com/p/vmu6THRUTo

Much different from the gold they talk about on the coast.

Here’s Trev in a t-shirt, just to prove that it wasn’t too cold.

OK , it was kind of cold.   Or maybe the wind changed.  I don’t know.  This pic makes me laugh either way.

A couple of classic Rock Oven shots.

Sebastien hits some golden drifts.

Rock Oven may be good for a 5k’ descent, but we wanted more.  So we cracked off a second lap on the Bog for dessert.  We got some decent timing as we caught the last rays of sun near the bottom.

It’s still pretty dry in the mountains, but it looks like things are going to get cold this week.  Time to bundle up!

They’ve really changed.

It was good to get out for a shred with Tippie, but although the title of the post might be true…

…I just can’t stay around here long.

More good times in the Interior ahead, but I think this season is getting short.   I smell snow in the air.

http://instagram.com/p/ti9QQpn-UP/?modal=true

And since I’ve got a fresh ride, it only seems fitting that I check out a fresh trail.  Shane and Mike have been busy scratching in a new line up in the Bog.

It’s reasonably loamy and fun, but maybe a bit lacking in character so far.  I’m guessing that it will get bermed and jumped up a little over the next year or so.

Yeah, it was a bit foggy out.  I wasn’t satisfied with just 2 laps either, so I hooked up with Franz for another top to bottom on Code 4.  Ran into these guys on the retrieval.

Pretty though…

Getting ready to drop in on the Fingers, and can you believe the weather?

25C and sunny.  Lots of wind though.  It made some of the more exposed lines incredibly dynamic today.  Once again, all time conditions were on tap.

You can’t just hit the Fingers once.  At least twice is always the call.  The secret with all these trails is to go WAY too fast.

[See image gallery at bushpilotbiking.com] `

Oops. Got a flat.  And also the van rolled off the jack.  Cheryl called it with never taking the last bolt off the wheel until you’re out from underneath the vehicle.  Good call.

We got ‘er fixed in no time and got back to the business at hand of shredding the Classic.

You know that we were not going to leave without a lap down Godsmack.   It was on my mind all day, since I haven’t been able to hit it for a few years (the last two times I visited I had to guide people around the easy way, and the time before that it was baked hard and I crashed).

Today it was butter smooth and wide.  Maybe the best I’ve ever seen it, or at least even with the best it can be.

I think Cheryl got her steep fix, and I know Chicken was having a time.

Shred.

JC continued his mission to rip the local trails up before he leaves.  He went way too fast, as is tradition, and nearly lost it on the g-out.   He did pull through here, though.

One last drop in to finish the line.  This always feels like Spanky’s at Blackcomb to me….but on dirt…with bikes.

Hey Mark!  What’s the point?

Ha!   We got one more run in to grab Chicken’s bag that he dropped, but this was the climax of the day for sure.

What a way to finish the last big road trip of the season.   There’s still some more shenanigans to play out this year, but we’re in the final few weeks before the snow hits.

OK, that’s not me.  That’s Justin, who is moving away from the Puddle shortly and was taking the opportunity this weekend to dial a couple of lines before he’s gone.  That little road gap was something that’s been bugging Justin for a while.  I think the town will miss him.  He did a lot of great work with Ride the Cariboo and the Peel Out.

Yeah, that’s a skinny. There’s a whole bunch of new ones on Snakes and Ladders.   I don’t care if the kids can’t ride em.  I love those things.

It was very nice out this weekend.  Sunny and warm enough for short sleeves all day.  Plus insane fall colours.

My mom is worried that I’m having my mid-life crisis.  Maybe I am, and maybe I’m not, but this here Fire Chicken sure looks awesome right about now.

Of course, we were really here to take part in the Pumpkin Ride, so after a good 5 or 6 laps we met back at the shop for the annual event.  Antlers are optional.

Good thing I brought my Petzl.   With 50 or 60 riders, you really didn’t need your own light.

This ride goes down every year just before Halloween, where everyone goes for a night ride on the South Side trails and end up at Uncle Kenny’s and Adele’s for a mad feast.   The final trail is all lit up with pumpkins and lights, and there’s enough food for an army.

On the way we have to stop several times for refreshments…

Several times…

Decisions were made, actions happened…

Oops.   Jer, I don’t think those old Manitous are supposed to take air.

While we waited for the ambulance, Doerfling killed some time by killing this hip into the sand pit.

Here’s some more carnage for you.

Luckily, Jer was only ‘Mostly Dead’ after that crash, and so they released him from the hospital with enough time to make it to the feast and eat pie.

I think he needs another slice. He’s looking a lot skinnier…

http://instagram.com/p/uFaxQTn-cl/

http://instagram.com/p/uCfEZRH-bp

With highs around 24C today, Mike D’Antoni put in an appearance to check out the south Okanagan trails.

I think he found them suitable.

Although he did spend an inordinate amount of time pumping up his rear tire.  He’s been on a bit of a trip around BC, so I think it’s just the mileage catching up with him.  But if you’re going to get a flat, odds are it’s gonna be here.  At least the scenery was nice today.

We also found some trails that I’ve heard about but haven’t gotten around to checking out.  This is an older trail in the Mice called Ferngully.  Not sure why they named it that…

I also introduced Mike to another post-ride tradition in the Okanagan.   It’s not quite pizza and beer, but it’ll do**.

http://instagram.com/p/t84JPdH-cR

**We went for pizza and beer right after this.

I went over to the Monashees early this morning to check out a new trail that my old friend Matt “Pinto” Devlin has put together.  Matt is one of the owners at Kingfisher Heliskiing, so it’s actually surprising that it’s taken this long for him to throw his hat into the backcountry biking ring.

This is a bit of a raw trail to say the least.  We (being myself, French Jonny, Ja Smith, and Matt) are the first people to put the rubber to the, uhhh… trail here.  After a pretty stiff climb, this is the reward on the summit of Mt. Yeoward.

Matt does the guide thing here (I got busted doing the same thing later).

Jonny and the Pinnacles.

Here’s a few shots of the edge of the back bowls of Yeoward with Matt and Jonny.

After several kilometers of rolling terrain and some stiff little climbs, we got to this awesome alpine meadow.  No trail here yet, you just follow flagging tape.  This must be epic when the flowers are out.

Beer break!   Gotta get ready for the descent to the lake.

It’s a nice ride.   Great XC on a mix of old horse trail and newly cut singletrack.  Plus it finishes at a damn nice lake.  It’s early days in this zone, but there’s sure a lot of potential.  I’ll be keeping an eye on it for sure.

And to top it all off, check out the epic sunset/moonrise I drove home under.

That actually looks a little bit gloomy.  It was much nicer than that if you were there.

Uncle Ash was kind enough to take us out on the boat and over to the desert.  Canada’s only real desert, dontchaknow?

Oh, and also Chevy found out that boats aren’t scary, they’re fun.

I think there is another decent bike adventure to be had tomorrow, though.

http://instagram.com/p/tvCiGGOhEN/?modal=true

Of course, since we rode TKO, there are no pics to show you.   Besides, we were going WAY TOO FAST to stop and take pics.

Here’s a few oldies so you get the idea: