A Simple Plan:One month of wide open, cover as much ground as we can, exploration of our big 'ol British Columbian backyard.
A Simple Motto: "Don't know till you go!"
A Simple Why:Because just beyond the horizon lies one of the most badass places on planet Earth, one that is all too often overlooked. It could be that, like most of us, I took things close to home for granted. Dismissed and belittled them, you could say I had a hard time looking past the blinders of everyday perspective. Hell I used to think you needed to travel to another country to find a new experience... and then I got a clue. Turns out, there was a bloody Lifetime of adventure sitting on my doorstep. Now every summer we round up a crew of misfits and take our new found maturity, on misadventures of every kind. I mean I could sit here and chinwag about some mission of self discovery or higher purpose, but let's just put it like it is - we're just a bunch of buds being big kids in the mountains. No explanation needed.
A Simple Goal: Be a big kid
Explore
Get in trouble
Make mistakes
Hang with your buddies
Sleep under the stars
Grin down a grizzly bear
… Less travel, More livin!
I mean what's better than that? Throw together a list of locations and hit the open road. And let me tell you we covered some ground, our shenanigan's had us chasing light up and down all sorts of monsters. We were like the Lost Boys: all fired up to find where the wilder things are, as we disappeared into the woodwork of Revelstoke, Golden, Rossland, Invermere, and the Purcell Range.
An Honest Thought with Scott Secco: Part 1"Hopkins’ initial pitch for this endeavour sounded fun: see how many overnighter bike packing missions we could pull in a month, while trying to capture the best possible alpine shots. Having shot our Raw 100 video together on Joss Peak in Revelstoke the previous summer, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. I did not. Our trip began with a 32km (return trip) mission up Revelstoke’s Mt. Cartier. Now, a hike of this length would normally be fine, but with camera gear and a bike it becomes a whole new beast altogether. The trail up is incredibly steep, meaning there’s not much pedalling - the true definition of a hike-a-bike. This was a dawn till dusk affair capped off with crushing a pizza at The Village Idiot, so it wasn’t all bad. Hopkins allowed us one down day and then it was on to our next mission: Joss Peak redux. The first three days pretty much set the tone for the month."
The Art of Getting SkunkedWith a clear forecast, Secco, Paris and I rambled our way to summit of Joss Peak (Day 3/30) with thoughts of gold dancing in our heads. The plan, like many of ours, was a simple one: trek the five hours to the fire tower, and proceed to mine the golden riches that only show their true colours during the retreat of a setting sun, and the first rays of a new day. But the mountains have a funny way of taking a “boiler plate forecast” and bending it anyway they please...
THISISAWESOME!!!The Stoke is RealWhen all the pieces come together, it's a hell of a thing! This right here is ''Gold Jerry, gold!''
The Stats: 30 Days
14 Summits
4 Backcountry cabins
5 Nights under the stars
1 Ultra marathon (a story for another time)
3 Mountain ranges
1 Case of strep throat
2 Grizzly bears
1 Cinematographer
1 Mountain Guide
2 Photographers
1 Pro skier
1 All time crew
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1 Unreal month
An Honest Thought with Scott Secco: Part 2‘’I never really think of myself as a sucker for punishment, but somehow Hopkins always manages to rope me into adventures that put me through the ringer. During the month we spent on this project, I managed to get giardia (we think), which put me out for a few days, and then strep throat! I wouldn’t recommend strep at the best of times, let alone on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. At the time it wasn’t very fun, but looking back, it’s the moments where things didn’t go according to plan that are often the most hilarious and memorable. ‘’Hey Hopkins, remember that time I had strep?’’ Can’t wait for the next shoot…’’
WHERE THE WILD THINGS AREIf you are willing to roll the dice, hike five or so hours to call a confidence inspiring, amply named place like Grizzly Bear Ridge home for the night, then you're bound to wake up in a world that's all sorts of wild. British Columbia, you make for one hell of a back yard!
Cinematography: Scott SeccoPhoto-genius 1: Bruno LongPhoto-genius 2: Paris GoreMountain Guide / Beauty: Marty Schaffer (
CaPOW Guiding)
Journalist / Guitar Boss: Matt Cote
Pro Skier / Mountain Man: Chris Rubens
Producer: Mike Hopkins (
Juicy Studios)
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Brought to you by Diamondback Bikes_________________________________________________________
Special Thanks:Purcell Mountain LodgeByron Grey and Bicycle WorksRevolution CyclesTantrum Ride Company
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I'm so freaking jealous!
Congrats on another EPIC.
#MAHAOLES
I've been trying to ride a lot of BC (I'm based in WA) and have been a bit frustrated because so many of the locations seem to mostly comprise "town trails". Very high quality super fun stuff, but true Alpine riding. I guess I need to be a little bit more pro-active then just surfing trailforks, but when you're a working family man with only 1 week a year to go on a mtb vacation, its hard to ferret out the Alpine gems. Would love to hear more specifically what access points and trails they were on.Revelstoke is awesome for Alpine riding but been there 3 times already.
Hopeful and Brewer in Panorama are options to consider as well.
7 Summits in Rossland has Alpine elements to it although a fair bit is in the trees. It's still a great trail though with an option to get up to Old Glory.
...just amazing!
Cheers! May we have another?