dminor 

We've been spending the week at Panorama Resort outside Invermere, BC. During the summer months, the bike park is open; in fact, I got to ride here last year during closing weekend (most of the BC bike parks [except Whistler] close the September Long Weekend). Had a blast then. So we're back but on the shoulder season (when my wife and I do some of our best vacationing - - EXCEPT - - things are pretty dead in ski villages in shoulder season.

Soooo . . . left the downhill bike at home, loaded the SB66 and decided to see how much non-lift-assisted trail riding I could find. Trail map showed two XC routes - - one that's pretty much fireroad and another that got used a couple years ago for a Canadian National XC race. Well, I've yet to find all of it...two days out riding around, perusing a sketchy map, one day hiking the mountain and out again today in search of this elusive Mad Trapper XC trail. Dang! I've been on chunks of it now and it's VERY, shall we say, "rustic." And I know now why there are directional arrows on the map: this is no two-way trail. Spent the afternoon today riding/pushing/hike-a-biking up what I think was supposed to be ridden down. Then I lost the signs and ribbons about halfway up the ski slope again. Next attempt another day will be trying to find the other, western end - - only I scoped part of it and it turns out to start UP the tail end of a double-black called Punisher. Oh I remember that one. All I can say is these Canadian XC racers must be freakin' animals. Parts I've found so far have billy-goat ascents and one gully dive that would freak your typical XC dude.

But I'm having a ball, sweating my ass off in <40F temps through patches of a 2" dusting of snow. and exploring the mountain. Consolation is I've found and rode two of the bike park blue trails and a short double-black (with too much snowy wood); and have found the SB is just perfect for these types of trails. It really is a DHer's perfect trail bike by any measure.

Nobody has hassled me riding bike park trails off-season - - guess they figure anyone crazy enough to ride to the top of the lift has earned the priveledge of going back down. Hopefully I'll get out one more time before we have to pack up and head home Sunday. If I can't find the other half of the loop, there's alway Bender or Punisher to give the SB a workout on, haha.

Over and out for now.