Grip it Rip it: It's Going to be a Shore Thing - Video

Mar 12, 2016 at 18:29
by Bart  
Views: 32,969    Faves: 647    Comments: 49

This year saw the return of snow to the local mountains between Vancouver and Whistler. Riders from the sea to sky corridor searched the north shore to satisfy their addiction for bikes. The shore is iconic for its slick woodwork and low-speed technical riding, this year there was a serious change in the air. With trail bikes now becoming even slacker, lower and longer they cried to be ridden faster.

Grip it Rip it It s Going to be a Shore Thing

It's not hard to see the changes in trail building in the last five years, faster corners, bigger jumps and higher speeds. Not to mention the amount of new riders out there, which is such an awesome thing. It's always bothered me that people call it "dumbing" down, I say, "go faster, you will find that tipping point soon enough." The trail building is seriously outstanding and the NSMBA needs support to keep building bigger hits and faster corners. So buy your memberships, then you won't feel so bad when you're slamming turns.

Bart biking

www.nsmba.ca


MENTIONS: @Gauze



Author Info:
bartmoore avatar

Member since Oct 5, 2011
6 articles

45 Comments
  • 11 0
 25 years riding Vancouver/ the shore... Happy to see some variety away from the rooty, clangy, gnar. There is tons of it up there, and breezing down some bermy flowy trails is just plain fun.
  • 39 30
 Keep it gnar. Keep it rocky. Keep it rooty. If you're a beginner, you shouldn't be able to ride 2/3 of the trails. It's something you work your way into and earn over the years. Stop smoothing out every corner, removing every rock that nature put there to knock you off your beginner line. Nature gave you a challenge. Meet it. Don't destroy it.
  • 12 3
 removing rocks is one thing, having entire trail systems where the majority of trails are shielded in hand placed rocks is another. Variety!
  • 13 3
 I thank nature for baby heads, I love baby heads. I love taking my girlfriend down some good old baby heads. Baby heads
  • 49 3
 @fatenduro oh come on... Your train of thought sounds like such a bandwagon comment. There is still SO much old school shore on those mountains. Not only is there still the old school but the builders are putting work in to rebuild it. It's nice to see some variety and trails that appeal to everyone. A few trails get changed and people banter that the shore is being dumbed down, which in reality is so far from reality.

I love all kinds of trails. I've been riding for 21 years and I can always have fun on a large variety of trails, even the "dumbed down" ones as you may put it. I love to ride new trails, and I can ride the same trail 500 times and still finish with a big huge grin. Every trail no matter its challenge or familiarity is always going to have little nuances to discover and its those nuances that make riding a ton of fun, it's endless progression, even if you ride Bobsled with your friends who are getting into the sport. It's all about perspective and I think most people can agree that old school is awesome, fast and flow is awesome, riding bikes is awesome.
  • 9 34
flag fatenduro (Mar 15, 2016 at 19:52) (Below Threshold)
 @lalena Sorry, I can't do anything 10 times never mind 500 without getting bored. The bermed out granny paths are making me think of going cyclocross on the shore just for a challenge. The wheels and frames these days might finally be up to it. For me, I'd be happy if every trail was a variant of skull.
  • 19 0
 I don't know about you, but I can always find little things to focus my progression and to me that's one thing I love about riding my bike. if I'm riding bobsled with my friend who is new to biking, I still find things I can work on. If I think about it as "oh here I am riding bobsled for the umpteenth time... Then yes it would be boring, but if I think about learning scrubs, or seeing that rock off to the side that I never noticed before to pop and shortcut that corner or nose bonk every air... It supplies me with endless challenges, without having to get a cyclocross bike to make it more challenging, as you put it. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something, maybe you're World Cup fast and ride with precision every time or maybe you're at a stagnant point of your riding not yet seeing the nuances. Whatever the case, the 'gnar' is still out there and you'll still find your trail that you can ride and bolster your bravado at the bottom.
  • 33 1
 @fatenduro if you need some help finding gnar on the shore, let me know. I'll point you in the right direction. Variety is good. I'd be quite happy if there was a few more flow/jump trails. I ride gnar on the shore everyday and have for over 20 years. It is refreshing to go ride in Squamish and do 4 different styles of trails in one day. Why wouldn't you want that? It's kinda like some old guys I work with. Only want to listen to classic rock. That's great and all, but there has been so much awesome music that has been made since 1975. No what I'm saying?
  • 4 0
 ^yes
  • 3 28
flag fatenduro (Mar 15, 2016 at 21:34) (Below Threshold)
 If you want progression ride some shore blue trails on bmx. With semislick street tires you have to scrub to slow down. Any granny can grip with 2.5 of premium maxxis trail glue. But a 2.0 20inch tire makes you think about the trail. Bmx wheels also make every little rock that your lyric turns into braap butter a feature you can manual or nollie. With a bmx you can ride everything a trailbike can ride, it just takes a hella lot more skill and cardio. That makes it fun, and on a bmx sans brakes everything is so simple. It's more about the riding than what mountain biking has now become. I feel like mountain biking's like punk. It used to be cool but now the only people who listen to it are middle aged men driving in bimmers. And with all the Mamdibs on the trail making the trails lawyer friendly the spirit of mountain biking is disappearing.
  • 5 15
flag practicallyapornstar (Mar 15, 2016 at 21:59) (Below Threshold)
 I would have to agree. Came up with a new term recently while riding a formerly challenging trail. It got Frommed. I know where the hard core stuff is on the Shore and have pretty much traversed the whole front side exploring it on foot and know all the builders. Now I have to dodge Ranger Rick in order to ride much of it. Where is there anything like GMG these days? I was scared sh'tless every time I rode that thing. It will never be built because there was no optional easy lines available given the terrain, and such trails would not be eco friendly enough. Kind of ironic given that the trails all run through old clear cuts and we have logging in the watersheds and provincial parks above.
  • 8 0
 Last time I looked, GMG is where it always was. Same for various other similar trails on the same mountain. But you already know that. Not sure what you mean by dodging anyone either. I went for a two hour hike with my dog on Sunday afternoon and didn't see a single person. And if the 'commercial' trails are too easy for you, pick up an old Brodie with some Judys on it and ride like the good old days.
  • 4 0
 I don't think @fatenduro knows the first thing about progression if he's shredding le gnar on his Brodie Zealot. All the power to ya, though! Hit up the Cherry Bomb and Millenium Log all you want! Just don't forget the Roach pads, skate shoes and squid lid. I kid, I kid. Have fun out there.

@kathwill, I think you have two options at this point: somehow find a way to go back in time 15 years or start building your Ewok village somewhere secret (or your backyard).
  • 2 5
 @theedon. Used to like squamish too. Then entrails got paved, the legacy climb had all its corners widened to accommodate 29ers, and the plunge is now cyclocross friendly. Dont get me wrong it's still fun just not in the way it used to be. @Icaldibs I have a modern geo enduro kool ibis. Brodie was sold long ago (or didn't you notice?) Progression aint making easy stuff easier. It's making awesome stuff awesomer. Like the progression of bmx. So you can take your pinkbike yuppie "I have the latest carbon wheels" progression and case it. I'll take Bmx, and eventually cyclocrossing the whistler bike park as my progression. Now that the glc drops have been finally turned into a ramp it's doable.
  • 4 0
 @fatenduro I will Buy you a beer if you ride an Aline lap mid crankworx, on a bmx with slicks and a rear brake. I don't even know how that would help your riding, but perhaps I could learn something.
  • 2 0
 Fatenduro, join the dark side of the flow, it is your destiny!
  • 1 1
 @bike-punk Berms are gr8. On a bmx.
  • 11 0
 There is something for everyone on these 3 awesome mountains we have. Get out there, stop complaining and ride your damn bike.
  • 8 0
 Here's a list of trails on the Shore that are still generally gnarly, and IMHO not "paved"

7th Secret
Digger
Executioner
Lower Dreamweaver (past Skid Row)
Digger
Crippler
Upper and Lower Oil Can
Grannies
Boundary
Pipeline
Skull
Pangor
C-Buster
Boogieman
Lower Dales
CBC
Ned's
Anything on Cypress

If you go ride all those and then say that there's no gnar on the Shore, I hope I see you on the World Cup circuit this year.
  • 17 0
 You forgot the most gnarliest trail on the Shore - Baden Powell (from Pipeline exit to Mtn Hwy).
  • 4 0
 You raise a good point
  • 6 0
 yeah and its not even fun gnar, thats one part of fromme i really wish they would "dumb down".
  • 2 0
 You know what else badly needs dumbing down is the end of c buster/ Asian Adonis all the way to the trail map intersection. That's a real hunk of shit.
  • 2 0
 @barnz0rz ! That's exactly what I'm saying. Good list. If you can't find gnar in there. Then you don't know what gnar is.
  • 6 1
 The problem is the DNV. They cut down all the good woodwork, force the NSMBA to adhere to strict rules about what they can build and ensure that anything borderline dangerous is carved up, dug out or otherwise destroyed. It's too bad. It was fun riding some of those sketchy bridges back in the day.
  • 3 1
 cut down the good wood? what about pipe line, ladies or natural high just to name a few? all quality wood, and definitely not boring for most.
Sorry, but watching someone ride berms and hits on this video was boring to watch imo. Not what the Shore is really all about
  • 13 9
 This is what people talk are talking about when the say that we are "dumbing down the shore". While these trails are fun to ride, literally anyone could make it down that in one piece. They also eat up a lot of resources in terms of maintenance. In addition, a lot of the old gnarly trails are being redone like this, and I think it is detracting from what the shore once was.

I'm not saying these trails are awful, but I guess I am a little bit nostalgic for the old school shore. Yes I know those trails are still out there, but there's less every day.
  • 14 0
 Let's be fair there is enough gnar still. You could also donate to the heritage fund, to keep the nostalgia.

www.nsmba.ca/content/2015-10_heritage-fund
  • 24 0
 Three trails are shown in this video.

Upper Dales - yes, an old school line was "paved." Most will agree that this section is fun to ride but out of place. The land manager (not the NSMBA) put that line in without talking to mountain bikers.

Pingu - same as it has always been, but some erosion has been fixed, and lots of new airs have been built.

Boogie Nights - brand new line with jumps and berms. You can still ride the old Boogieman rock ending if you'd like.

Still lots of gnar on the Shore, but variety is the spice of life, and erosion is erosion and generally falls under maintenance work, even on gnar.
  • 17 1
 Anyone that thinks the shore is dumbed down hasn't ridden Bookwus, or Pipeline, or Upper Oil Can or Lower Crippler lately.
(And those are just from the one mountain I've been riding lately.)

Upper Oil Can to Pipeline to Lower Crippler is a masterful combination of roots, jankity old baby heads, awkward climbs & weird off cambers.

They will make you work for every bit of speed & smoothness you can find.
Also, they are nice and greasy right now too. Smile
  • 7 7
 Anyone who thinks those are hard trails by Shore standards hasn't been riding the Shore for long. They have always been considered blue trails.
  • 4 1
 ^^^ agreed go ride 5th or wild cherry in the wet if you want gnar
  • 2 0
 Even Roach Clip to Roach hit has become a gnar fest with a park like ending... Its AWESOME!! I was on Mystery DH a few weeks back, good lord that trail can eat you up and spit you out as well.
  • 6 0
 @kathwill I'm guessing you haven't actually ridden any of those trails lately... because the idea of them ever being blue is laughable (especially some of the stuff on Upper Oil Can or Lower Crippler).

And if you really are comfortable riding trails like GMG, that's great for you, really... But just because you are comfortable riding Triple Black/Pro trails doesn't mean you get to alter the scale of all other trails just to suit your argument or belittle others.

Announcing that Black & Double Black trails "are actually Blue" is just the same as saying "your argument is wrong, because I say so".

Anyway, have fun with your grumpy old man attitude.
  • 5 1
 Bunch of whiney babies.....I remember the Shore this, I remember the Shore that...The Shore is what is now and last time i checked its 2016 not 1997. Bikes have changed, Trails have changed, move on with your damn lives. If you don't like the work going on no one is holding a gun to your head and making you ride it. I'm gonna go out and pave everything now just to piss you suckers off!!!
  • 6 0
 If you guys are complaining about the shore being "dumbed down" you should try 5th horseman on cypress
  • 7 4
 A true classic. Too bad you can't build trails like that anymore. Lets hope the NSMBA leaves Cypress alone. If I want to ride with my daughter I have 2 other mountains. Not everywhere needs to be inclusive. Sort of like putting a green run down through Spanky's.
  • 2 0
 Cypress is an unsanctioned mountain.... NSMBA isn't going to go anywhere near it.
  • 3 0
 was that a Stan's splooge at 00:36?
  • 1 0
 I thought so as well, awesome and big spray. Guess the rider let a bit too much air out.
  • 6 5
 What a bunch of crusty old Shore Bros. New generation of riders are on the mountains, schooling you in EVERYTHING! Great edit and a super fun trail.
  • 4 1
 agreed
  • 1 1
 I hope pink bike dumbs down the seperation between up vote and down vote so those of us with fingers+ stop down voting great comments.
  • 1 0
 @Gauze (Bartron) come on man you missed all the fun stuff on boogie nights?! We should go riding again soon
  • 1 1
 Maddog! braaaaaaaaaaap







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