Video: Dissent Family Vacation

It seems like time is flying faster than ever. Maybe accelerating, even. This is especially true in Canada, where the seasons are short, and it feels like just yesterday we were milking the last bit of winter. Once winter is in the rear view mirror, the short summer schedule gets rammed. Quickly. If you count up the weekends, well, it becomes even more clear that you need to jam as much fun into the short summer season as possible. Take those remaining white spaces on the calendar and fill 'em up.


Normally, we would hardly classify ourselves as superfans of tradition, yet there is one institution that will always remain the catalyst to good times and good memories - the classic roadtrip with your buds. Not to be overlooked or underestimated, it is nearly a guaranteed way to disconnect, slow down, hang out with a good crew, talk about riding, talk about girls, and generally maximize the fun and positive vibes each day. Obviously, you add bikes into the mix. Then, finally, top-up the powderkeg with the anticipation of riding some old favourites and some fresh new zones, and the fuse will burn bright indeed.

Roadtrip vacation it is.

So, with one crew leaving from Whistler, and another coming from Kelowna, the best choice of course is to meet in the middle. Before loosing cell service, the Dissent family texted one last time from both Lillooet and Merritt, and met up for some old-timey homemade breakfast in Spences Bridge (pie and ice-cream counts as breakfast, right?). Some classic freeride gems are near town, and definitely on the menu for the day. Plus, Mark wanted to see if his hip booter had survived a long winter on an exposed ridge above the Thompson river. With an extra bit of sweat equity and some well timed shock therapy in the icy Thompson, the riding day went-off! Stoke was easy and plentiful, and high-fives were slapped a bit harder than normal. By the time the blazing sun hit the western horizon, everyone had that tired-but-satisfied feeling plastered all over themselves. The anticipation was high for the next day in Kamloops.


With Sun Peaks bike park opening some big new machine-made trails this year, everyone was keen to check it out. A few of the guys had already raced Sun Peaks recently, but on this particular day, the absence of the stopwatch and the prospect of riding new trail was going to be a welcome change. After meeting up with Bas, Harrison, and Kirk, everyone loaded the chairs. It wasn't tough to find the new zones we had heard about. A section of comic-book-sized, raging fall-line berms through the trees had everyone laughing, and using every inch of trail width in some of the bigger, faster, flowy trails had the fun meter at an all time high. The remaining Sun Peaks gold kept it rolling all day. The chair stopped. We didn't. It was that good.


With bikes loaded up and cooler re-stocked, kicking back at the lake just down the road from Sun Peaks is extra sweet. The laughs come easy and nobody speaks of leaving, as if it will keep the sun blazing onto the Mountain trees a little bit longer. When the darkness is undeniable, we roll out - but this time with a ton of new memories to grin about on the road home.

All just part of the roadtrip tradition.

www.dissentlabs.com
www.virtumedia.ca
www.sunpeaksresort.com