Finding Flow on the North Shore - Video
The North Shore of Vancouver, BC, is a wonderfully challenging quagmire of a riding destination. Its fame yet relatively low number of visitors make it especially unique. One could make a good argument that it might simply still be overshadowed by its prior fame as a treacherous series of the hardest obstacles possible, mixed with copious amounts of rain.
Classic woodwork, thank you Digger!
A dude from California, on a trail that made wet woodwork famous!
Legions of riders make the trek to Whistler, only a couple hours north, but only a small percentage of those actually stop in to ride the Shore. Is it the lack of a chairlift to reach the trails? Or is it the wet wood, which threatens to send even the most careful of riders directly to their collarbones?
Any guesses about the age of this bridge?
The region’s trails were initially renowned not just for the nests of shiny and slick cedar roots crisscrossing the riding line, but for the elevated bridges that allowed the bikes of the 1990s to make it down those same tracks. We have all seen imitations of this woodwork pop up on everything from race courses to old rock quarries. When taken out of context, woodwork can be a point of contention. However, on the actual North Shore, the wood work has a very real purpose.
Not a huge move by any means, but a more direct way of getting down the double roll feature.
One of the original classics, Ladies Only, is not a particularly difficult trail, especially when considered within the scope of the rest of the trails on the North Shore. However, it’s a quintessential “classic”, as it is filled with wooden features. Over the years, the trail has been more and more dialled in. Modern trail bikes are far more competent than the hardtails and URT bikes of yesteryear. This all comes together to make what was once an absolute pucker-fest into a trail that might be described as “a fun challenge”.
Brief sections of concrete sure help to increase the average trail speed!
This is the North Shore. Over 44 inches of annual rainfall!
Thanks to a new sponsor, PNW Components, I headed up to the Shore with the goal to ride a classic trail, but with a new school perspective. I’ve been riding mountain bikes for a long time now, really falling in love with the sport in the late 1990s, right in what I consider to be the Shore’s heyday. After a couple decades of racing, returning to wet bridges and skinnies is a bit like seeing an old grade school friend and realizing they’ve changed over the years, but under that different look, finding out that he’s still the same bud as way back when. I can’t wait to get back to the Shore!
Hanging with video guru Logan Patrick Nelson. The trail is not the gnarliest trail on the shore by any means, with a blue/black rating, but it’s indeed a classic.
Produced by: Jeff Kendall-Weed
Filming: Logan Patrick Nelson
Photography: Morgan Taylor foundinthemountains.
Trail Advocacy: NSMBA
Trail Building: Todd “Digger” Fiander
Supported by:
PNW Components
Follow Jeff on his Instagram, YouTube and Facebook channels. I hope you enjoyed this video!
MENTIONS: @jeffweed @loganpnelson @loganpnelson @ibiscycles @pnwcomponents
Author Info:
Member since Nov 14, 2012
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Jeff - your series is getting better and better...
www.pinkbike.com/news/bryn-atkinson-what-the-hell-is-a-chuckanut.html
Check 0:32. Unless the gravity on that mountain is extra strong that bad boy is sped up.
+1 there, kraem
If you're visiting Whistler, it really is worth it to take 2 or 3 days and ride Squamish and the North Shore.
I'd recommend Pipeline trail over Ladies Only to start (they both share a similar starting point) as Pipeline is a little friendlier and has tons of really cool features.
Ride up Fromme to Seventh Secret, then ride Leopard trail, then finish with Pipeline or Ladies only. If you found Seventh challenging, ride Pipeline, if you want more gnar, do Ladies Only.
I seem to recall Ladies Only to be particularly challenging to ride without dabbing, (or injuring myself, for that matter) but the last time I rode it was 2 years ago on a 2003 hardtail.
I've been riding here for 20+ years, still not even close to bored, but I have named some of the rocks and trees because I see them so often
Then I kept reading and thought: "Oops, never mind, this guy knows what he's talking about".
Only thing you forgot to mention was Bookwus.
This. This is what mtb is all about.
It's definitely not a blue / black though.
i cool than no to much people go there, the magic of the place still remain and that´s something with much more value than a chair lift.
Nice edit and riding !!!
I ride both clips and flats. Oddly enough I am more confident with the clips, so that's what I use for 95% of the stuff we're filming. Cheers!
Is there the slightest possibility that you'll team up with MacAskill and/or Akrigg one day to shoot the craziest video ever ?? That would be a dream come true !
Also, do you still take part in any kind of races ?
Keep up the amazing work, thank you very much !
I’m it sure what it is that is so alluring about the north shore. It just has mythical status to me.
Bucket list for sure
One of the few trails i know where that move is mandatory if you want to make that corner.
The man is super smooth.
I'd love to see you ride first hand!