GOINGDOWN
AFAMILIAR
PATH
Downhill all the way: The SilverStar Bike Park has 69 km of downhill trails for a range of ability levels.
BY SHE L L E Y A R N U SC H
used to ride with a pretty tough crowd. For a time in my 20s, my primary social scene was a group of mountain bikers that lived to push the limits of what could be done on two wheels. Weeknights after work we did “urban assault” rides through the city, making the built environment into our own personal bike park. On weekends, we loaded bikes and camping gear into the boxes of trucks and hit the road in search of steeper terrain, gravitating to spots like the Mount 7 trails in Golden, B.C. During the winter months, we even convinced the administrators of what was then known as Canada Olympic Park (now WinSport) to run the chairlift for us after hours so we could ride our bikes downhill on the snow. It was all very crazy and fun. Until it wasn’t. I can’t recall any specific incident that turned me away from mountain biking. It was more so an encroaching doubt that the reward was worth the risk. I sold my bike, split up with the guy who was my partner in life 86
and in riding. A new guy from a new scene came along. We had a baby. I got older. And one day, I realized that downhill mountai biking was something I used to do. Until last summer, that is, when myself, my partner and our now eight-year-old baby, had the opportunity to ride the bike park at SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon, B.C. Carved into the mountain slopes that serve as ski runs during the winter and accessed by chair lift, this world-class bike park has more than 69 kilometres of downhill trails in a range of ability levels, from beginner up to “people ride their bike down that!?!” The three of us started our day getting geared up at the rental shop with full-face helmets, and elbow and knee/shin pads. We then got fitted for bikes equipped with the suspension to absorb all the bumps and the tires with the appropriate traction for coasting around berms. We also had the services of a guide to show us the ropes and show us around. Our first stop was an adjacent lot for a crash course in how not to crash. We learned
how to brake so not to send yourself flying headfirst over the handlebars; how to approach and flow around hairpin corners; how to ride in a crouching stand-up position over the seat to stay balanced and in control. It was all stuff I realized I knew from my past life. Even so, the refresher was refreshing. We did get up on the mountain that day, bagging a handful of dusty beginner runs. At one point, our guide pointed me down an intermediate section of trail that reconnected further along with the beginner trail my kid was riding. I went for it, feeling the familiar rush as I cleared the steeper terrain, but this time it was enhanced by the rush of seeing her get the hang of it. Though the trails we were on would have been laughable to the me of two decades ago, they were delivering a new kind of thrill, and the joy of re-learning something you forgot you once loved. The SilverStar Bike Park is open June 23 to Sept. 17, 2023 (subject to change). For information, visit skisilverstar.com. may/june 2023
TKKT K T K
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Learning to ride a mountain bike is fun, but re-learning can be even better.
