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!

Tour Dates

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Start Date End Date Avail­abil­i­ty Guar­an­teed Cost
1 Nikki­BA March 5, 2024 03:54 PM Nikki­BA March 5, 2024 04:03 PM Sep­tem­ber 8, 2024 Sep­tem­ber 15, 2024 Open 4,050

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. 

Ride Data: Private: West Kootenay Round-Up

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

Picture Yourself Here

Book Private: West Kootenay Round-Up Now

Dates chosen: Dec. 31, 1969—Dec. 31, 1969
Skill Rating: Black Diamond
Fitness Rating: Black Diamond
Exit Booking
Skill Levels
Black Diamond

The Black Diamond Rides are  suitable for riders looking for that edge. Maybe it’s the edge of a drop, the edge of a cliff, or singletrack requiring focus and fast reactions developed from extensive experience riding “the edge”. You will find yourself on steep trails of varied surfaces. In the Pacific North West that could be slick roots and loam, in Nepal you will find exposed granite in the Mustang Valley and in Guatemala it maybe narrow stairways through cliffside villages. While airtime is rarely required, the ability to find the backside or clean a tabletop should be comfortable or in a state of progress. Obstacles on Black rides are likely to be outside the range of your bikes ability to cover your goofs with its awesome suspension and grip.

Blue Square

In general, Blue trails are narrower than green trails, encounter unavoidable obstacles such as roots, rocks, and drops that are up to 8-inches tall. You will want to have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of mountain biking including body positions, powerful braking, cornering, riding on varied terrain, steep sections and experience riding trails that requires line choice. Airtime is not mandatory, but you will find yourself on trails with alternate lines giving you the option.

Double Black Diamond

A Double Black ride is for those that already know they are looking for a Double Black. It’s going to be very hard and require advanced bike handling skills. You will find yourself on trails with sections most non-riders would look at and say, “that’s totally nuts!”. You will know how to look at a line and contemplate where it will work and where it won’t. Drops of a couple feet should be comfortable and getting your bike off the ground should feel predictable and fun.

Green Circle

Typically, green Rides are safe for beginners. Green Rides may have both avoidable and unavoidable obstacles. Trails are generally low grade, wide, consistent surface texture and have minimal features. You are likely to come across unavoidable obstacles 2-inches or shorter, which is small enough for mountain bike tires to simply roll over. More challenging than tarmac, but in general, a wonderful Ride for those riders new to mountain biking or looking for a casual experience.

Fitness Levels
Black Diamond

A Black Fitness ride will test you. Aside from needing to be able to manage up to 6 hours on the bike, day after day, including distance up to 50km/30miles and elevation gains up to 1750m/5000feet of climbing, you will be adding extra challenges along the route like periods of hike-a-bike and the extra effort required by the whole body to safely dance with your bike over technical terrain. Generally, riders who are up for a Black Fitness ride, likely spend time on the bike a couple times each week.

Blue Square

Blue should be considered a good deal more effort than our Green Rides.  You should be able to handle 3 to 5 hours in the saddle covering up to 45km/30miles and be able to pull off a big day of 1000m/3000feet of elevation gain. Managing fuel is important as well.  You should have a good understanding how your body responds to multiple days on the bike. We will help with positive coaching, a manageable pace and plenty of trailside snacks.

Double Black Diamond

A Double Black will be for those with the strength and endurance to get to the top of anything they want and understand the term “turning the screw”. Distance could be quite high on some routes and elevation gain numbers could hit 2000m/6000 feet+ in a day. You are likely riding multiple days a week during the dry periods and have a trainer or belong to a gym for the rest of the year.

Green Circle

You should be ready to spend 2-4 hours per day on the bike. Mileage may be up to 30km/20 miles and elevation gain will be under 500m/1500feet. On e-MTB tours, numbers will be higher, however the approximate effort would be considered similar to a standard Green Circle ride. If you get on your bike once a week, you will be just fine. However, when preparing for a Ride, you will benefit from more rides and time in the saddle.