The Monashees, The Selkirks, The Purcells and the Rocky Mountains. If these names have a familiar ring to them, it’s because they’re the stuff of legend.
These four majestic mountain ranges make up the Kootenays of British Columbia, and are home to some of the finest, gnarliest and most fun trails we’ve ever experienced. Inspired by our epic 13-day Ultimate B.C. ride (only available for private groups) but wanting to offer a shorter package, this masterfully-crafted itinerary hits all the high notes and hot spots we could cram in a week. From Rossland we’ll head north to Revelstoke, then east through Golden and Alberta’s famous Bow Valley, discovering five funky little towns along the way where mountain biking isn’t just a hobby, it’s a way of life.
Along the way, we’ll show you the goods as you witness some of the most striking mountain scenery these two provinces have to offer and ride some of the most heavenly singletrack that’s blessed this Earth. Post-ride, you’ll enjoy our careful selection of mountain lodges and plush cabins, equipped with hot tubs and well-stocked fridges. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Is This Ride For You?
You live for adventure, and you love a good challenge. You’re an accomplished rider, but you’re still keen on fine-tuning new skills on the bike and progressing as a rider (with some gentle coaching from our expert guides). Long, steep climbs don’t phase you, and technical, steeper descents excite you. There’s very little flat riding in the Rockies, and trails are sprinkled with rooty, rocky and techy gnar to keep you on your toes. This isn’t a stage race and we’re not about crushing miles, but we’ll keep a good pace and may split up into smaller groups to keep things flowing nicely. We’ll stop to enjoy the views, catch our breath, have a snack, a chat, and keep things moving… for 7 incredible days! In short: you have a longer travel trail bike, you’re not afraid of 1,000m of climbing, you enjoy a good laugh and good company on the trail, and you love some gravity fed adrenaline? Then this ride is for you.
Itinerary
Day 1. Welcome to the West Koots!
This trip starts in the Southern Interior town of Castlegar. Our shuttle will be at the West Kootenay Regional airport at 5:30 pm Pacific time to pick you up. Then we’ll make our way to Rossland and check in to the Red Mountain Village right at the base of the ski hill at 6:30. We’ll get comfortable, do a proper meet-and-greet with your guides and new family for the week, then head into town for our first communal dinner.
*Note* — an optional pickup is available at the Cranbrook airport at 3:00 pm Mountain time, just in case anybody cannot get a flight to Castlegar
Day 2. Ride Rossland
The guides will fire up a hearty breakfast for everyone in the spacious kitchen, served at our usual time of 8:00 am sharp. Riders will have the chance to get their kit ready and build bikes if necessary. The condos have big garages, awesome for hanging out and tinkering. Then we’ll start our first ride straight from here, a perfect warm-up run on Techno Grind, KC Ridge, and Milky Way. We’ll start easy, get the blood flowing, then kick things up a notch with a 650 m descent! The shuttle will pick us up way down at the bottom, and we’ll pop into town for lunch. Rossland is a charming little town full of mountain bikers, with a quaint main street dotted with great shops and cafes.
After filling up we’ll pack in a solid afternoon ride (Drakes to Crown Point) starting with a fairly long climb, into a techy flowing descent. Another bonus shuttle pickup will be waiting for us at the bottom, with a cooler full of ice-cold beverages. Then back to the condo for showers and chill time, and into town for eats.
Day 3. Seven Summits
It’s the all-mountain epic you’ve been waiting for. You can choose to tackle the whole thing or take the second entrance, which cuts about 30% off trail. We’ll start the day with another delicious breakfast cooked by the guides, and everyone will pack a lunch for later (tell us what you like, and we’ll stock up on supplies beforehand). The entire Seven Summits ride covers a 35km distance, climbs 1400m of elevation, and drops 2250M. That’s a lot. It typically takes between 5–7hrs to finish it.
The shuttle will be waiting at the bottom with, of course, a cooler full of well-earned cold ones. After cheersing and hydrating, we’ll take you back for a shower before making our way to the Rock Cut Pub, just down the street, where we typically end up gorging on comfort food after this unforgettable world-class ride.
Day 4. New Denver and Halcyon Hot Springs
Wake up and pack up, we’re going into Rossland for breakfast. Then it’s a 2hr drive to New Denver where we’ll stretch the legs, walk around town and grab a bite for lunch. Today’s ride in the mystical Slocan Valley starts with the incredible Galena trail — a historic railway, to the remains of Alamo Siding — a relic of a train station, to the wild downhill of Choices and Old Sandon Rd. Finish at Slocan Lake and enjoy cold bevies by the beach. This view is sure to knock your riding socks off. Go on… jump in for a swim and soak in this glorious setting!
Finally, we’ll hop back in the van and shuttle to Halcyon Hot Springs Resort. This place is truly awesome. We’ll check into our very plush cottages for the night and get settled. We’ve got dinner reservations at the Kingfisher Restaurant and a hot date with the spring-fed pools.
Day 5. Ferry Crossing, Revy Riding and Log Cabins
Today starts with an a‑la-carte breakfast before loading the van for the scenic ferry crossing of Upper Arrow Lake. Now, on to the Mt MacPherson trail system of Revelstoke. We’ll start with an east side ride, making it all the way down to the lake shore, where you can stare straight across at the 5000+ vertical feet of Revelstoke Resort, the tallest ski hill in North America.
After lunch, we’ll hop on our bikes to explore the phenomenal riding in the area. These trails will have you smiling from ear to ear. We’ll wrap up with a final run down the crowd-pleasing Flowdown. Just as you thought this trail couldn’t get any better, it leads you straight to the local pub! Tonight we’ll check in to the beautiful Glacier House log cabins, before checking out the town of Revelstoke for dinner. We’ll cap the day off with another hot tub soak.
Day 6. Through Rogers Pass and onto Golden
Today, we’ll bid farewell to Revelstoke as we load the van for a beautiful 2‑hour drive to Golden and stop for a nice lunch. After filling up, we’re bringing you to the top of Mt 7. This is where paragliders take flight, and the legendary Red Bull Psychosis race was held. The views of the Rockies, Purcells and Columbia Wetlands from the top are simply jaw-dropping. We’ll choose an appropriate path down (there are several options), before landing straight into the Mountain Shadows trail network for some technical all-mountain riding.
We’ll partake in our daily ritual and toast a drink to the dirt Gods, before making our way up the hill towards Kicking Horse resort, where we’ll check in to the Lush mansion for the next two nights. Hot tub? Check. Comfy beds? Check. Stunning mountain views. Check, check, check!
Day 7. Moonraker to Whitetooth
The guides have got breakfast covered this morning. Sit back and enjoy. Today’s ride features an awesome blend of the Moonraker trail network, leaving straight from the driveway of our accommodations. This area is loaded with the best flowing trails you can possibly imagine. We’ll drop some vert, then climb, drop, pedal, jump in a lake, pedal, then drop some more. Ending up at the river, we’ll follow it straight to the Whitetooth microbrewery! You simply can’t beat this.
Following a fresh pint of your brew of choice, we’ll pop into town to grab supplies for the last night communal BBQ dinner, which we’ll enjoy at our beautiful mansion. Party time!
Day 8. Goldrush Descent, Banff and Calgary
Today we’ll save the cooking and have a simple breakfast, and since the riding right out the door is so good, we’re offering one more insanely flowy, never-ending downhill to ensure you’ve gotten your fix. We’ll pick you up at the bottom of the hill, bring you back for a shower, and depart for Calgary by noon.
We’ve got a little over 3 hours of driving today, so we’ll break it up with a tourist stop in Banff around 1:30 for lunch, a quick stroll through town, then off to the airport for 5:00 pm Mountain time. What a week!
The following data represents a typical itinerary, but adventure travel can be unpredictable and our Guides may need to make last-minute changes to ensure your enjoyment. Inclement weather, road closures, changes to the itinerary to accommodate requests, and other issues may affect the itinerary. The ride data represents an ‘average’ itinerary, and may differ when you actually show up to ride. Our guides make every effort to stick to the itinerary as posted, but your safety is our #1 priority.
Day | Hours of riding | Distance ridden | Elevation gained | Elevation lost | Highest elevation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2 | 4.5 | 25 | 650 | 650 | 1344 |
3 | 4.5 | 25 | 730 | 730 | 1585 |
4 | 4.5 | 28 | 900 | 900 | 1600 |
5 | 3.5 | 22 | 640 | 640 | 970 |
6 | 3.5 | 16 | 420 | 420 | 1145 |
7 | 4.5 | 29 | 640 | 640 | 1490 |
8 | 3.5 | 14 | 550 | 550 | 1848 |
Totals | 28.5 HRS |