Trail Conditions for Calgarians

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Trail Conditions for Calgarians
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flag aka-bigsteve
O+
Posted: Jun 10, 2019 at 21:55 Quote
My daughters used to like Goat Creek down to Banff. Then they and my wife would do the tourist thing in town while I looped back and retrieved the mini-van via Rundle Riverside etc. Win-win.
Also as mentioned by RMR- Terrace was another family ride that we did often. Neither of my now adult daughters really ride anymore (were we too hard on them?) but I’ve been working on my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter- she’s just about ready for a real bike! Which the grandparents will probably have to spring for.
flag husstler
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Posted: Jun 11, 2019 at 6:37 Quote
southernrockyflow wrote:
billbek wrote:
Question for you guys.
Do you have any suggestions for easy and interesting trails to ride with kids?
Climbing is OK for short periods or longer on a low grade.
He is on a 27.5 inch wheel bike this year. The bike is plenty capable.

There are enough of us who are riding with kids that I think we need to work together with CMBA or GBCTA or some entity to get more of a beginner/kids trail along the lines of a Lazy Lizard. A common thread I hear from a lot of the parents I talk to is that we have no trails with a nice low climbing grade for kids to be able to ride on for a sustained period. I'm trying to get my 3.5 year old daughter riding. I've had her on the Jr. Johnson and a trail down in Kalispell in Heron Park called Family. For me I'm hauling her up with a tow rope but those two trails I mentioned are mellow enough grade that she can at least bike down - save a couple of sections that wigged her out on the Jr. Johnson. It would be nice to have a few more options like that close to home.

Another thought is you could try a mellow section on the High Rockies Trail. Look at some of the elevation profiles but there are sections that your 11 year old would be fine on.

I will be near Kalispell in August, I will check this out!
flag eyun
O+
Posted: Jun 11, 2019 at 14:39 Quote
billbek wrote:
Was riding east slopes with my son yesterday and it was in pretty good shape considering the rain. Nothing that you couldn't ride around.
Because my 11 year old was with me, we stuck to the very basic stuff.
Question for you guys.
Do you have any suggestions for easy and interesting trails to ride with kids?
Climbing is OK for short periods or longer on a low grade.
He is on a 27.5 inch wheel bike this year. The bike is plenty capable.

Fish Creek is perfect for my ten-year-old, as I can duck out almost anywhere to a paved or gravel path and find our way back to the car. If kids don't feel like climbing, stay on the flats and introduce small climbs as they feel comfortable.
flag dp17
Posted: Jun 11, 2019 at 15:53 Quote
My 5 & 8 year old really like parking at Bowness park and doing the 12 mile coulee loop up and down. For the younger ones the easiest way is to ride the bike path (west side) to the top of 12 mile and it's all fun single-track down. Getting up will be even easier once that new easterly path is completed.

eyun wrote:
billbek wrote:
Was riding east slopes with my son yesterday and it was in pretty good shape considering the rain. Nothing that you couldn't ride around.
Because my 11 year old was with me, we stuck to the very basic stuff.
Question for you guys.
Do you have any suggestions for easy and interesting trails to ride with kids?
Climbing is OK for short periods or longer on a low grade.
He is on a 27.5 inch wheel bike this year. The bike is plenty capable.

Fish Creek is perfect for my ten-year-old, as I can duck out almost anywhere to a paved or gravel path and find our way back to the car. If kids don't feel like climbing, stay on the flats and introduce small climbs as they feel comfortable.
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Jun 12, 2019 at 21:20 Quote
I think we should get new trail signs that rate trails according to suggested age....kinda like Hasbro did for toys....this would make it easy for parents to decide what others think is safe for their child....this should give them the confidence to try something new and exciting with their child....good news for children being raised by worried people.....

CM!
flag seanondemand
Posted: Jun 13, 2019 at 21:16 Quote
WBC stuff was perfect early today, no surprise there.
flag billbek
O+
Posted: Jun 20, 2019 at 12:29 Quote
Have been out to East Slopes a couple of more times trying to get an idea of how much I can get him to ride as far as difficulty goes. (plus it is very close to home)
Part of the problem is that his bike doesn't have a dropper on it so ordered up a Brand X from CRC (On sale again if you can imagine that) and will throw that on when it arrives.
Wasn't riding a dropper myself until the last bike I picked up and now wouldn't ride without one.
Oh by the way, trails are wet today.
Will be wet tomorrow.
Looks as though they will be wet next week....
Might go climb some fire roads just to get out.
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Jun 20, 2019 at 19:16 Quote
billbek wrote:
Have been out to East Slopes a couple of more times trying to get an idea of how much I can get him to ride as far as difficulty goes. (plus it is very close to home)
Part of the problem is that his bike doesn't have a dropper on it so ordered up a Brand X from CRC (On sale again if you can imagine that) and will throw that on when it arrives.
Wasn't riding a dropper myself until the last bike I picked up and now wouldn't ride without one.
Oh by the way, trails are wet today.
Will be wet tomorrow.
Looks as though they will be wet next week....
Might go climb some fire roads just to get out.

Bunch of office chair folks.....seat goes up.....seat goes down......

CM!
flag aka-bigsteve
O+
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 8:45 Quote
Cro-Mag wrote:

Bunch of office chair folks.....seat goes up.....seat goes down......

CM!

Our resident curmudgeon has spoken! 26 4 lyf also? Truth be told though- I’m not running a dropper currently. Too much bother for the small amount of use.
flag billbek
O+
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 10:11 Quote
aka-bigsteve wrote:
Cro-Mag wrote:

Bunch of office chair folks.....seat goes up.....seat goes down......

CM!

Our resident curmudgeon has spoken! 26 4 lyf also? Truth be told though- I’m not running a dropper currently. Too much bother for the small amount of use.

Wow! My office chair does have a dropper! Never used it before.

Remember the hite rite springs?
I had the original dropper that I won in a race somewhere and never installed...
Might even be in my garage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnEVVgUTN9U

Edit: To keep on track with the threads subject matter.
Trails are wet. Really really wet.
flag husstler
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Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 10:34 Quote
It's raining a lot in Cochrane! Looks about the same on the radar in Bragg and west. Come back in 2020.
flag southernrockyflow
O+
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 11:46 Quote
husstler wrote:
It's raining a lot in Cochrane! Looks about the same on the radar in Bragg and west. Come back in 2020.

Wet is probably an apt description. Elbow Ranger station is showing 29 mm in the last 6 hours & 84 mm in the last 48 hours.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 11:52 Quote
And yet the radar is now showing almost nothing west of Bragg and Cochrane. Highway webcams show the road is nearly dry at Lac des Arcs. I'm so confused.
flag arnie86
O+
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 12:26 Quote
Pissing rain in Banff and Canmore this morning. Sun coming through now though so might be ok tomorrow!
flag sweaman2
O+
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 at 14:10 Quote
Looks like 130mm+ at Cox hill in last 48hours.

On the radar. If the rain is heavy enough is it possible that the radar just isn't seeing through the storm? (No idea on the physics of this).

 


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