You should arrive in Vancouver a day or two before your tour start date to allow your body to adjust to local time, and to make sure no flight or luggage delays spoil your trip.
We recommend staying at the Blue Horizon Hotel, which is located closed to Stanley Park for easy exploring, and a convenient location for your pick up on day 1.
Your local mountain bike guide will meet you early in the morning in Vancouver to help load up the van with luggage and bikes, and make the short drive to the North Shore mountains.
Here we’ll build and set up bikes, and talk through the all important tour briefing before tackling the world famous trails of “The Shore”. These are trails that every rider needs to experience!
Contrasting the hustle and bustle of the city, you’ll pedal your way deep into the forest and discover ribbons of trail that weave their way through the towering trees. As you climb the singletrack switchbacks to the top you’ll brush past giant ferns and marvel at dense vegetation all around.
From the top it’s time to open up our suspension and descend the roots, rocks and uncover some of the amazing handbuilt cedar trail features that make the North Shore so famous.
Once we’ve had our fill of the North Shore trails and tuned in our bikes and legs, we’ll load up and it’s a short transfer to Horseshoe Bay for a late afternoon ferry connecting us across to the Sunshine Coast.
From the ferry you’ll get a sense of your position on the Sea-to-Sky range, with the mountains of Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, your next stops, visible in the distance. This is also a great time to change out of your riding gear on the ferry.
When we reach Gibsons we’ll head for a group welcome dinner looking over the ocean. After dinner we’ll follow the coast further north to our coastal lodge where we’ll be based for the next two evenings.
After a hearty breakfast we’ll head off into the lush green forest to explore the diverse network of singletrack trails that await.
With its oceanside position, the Sunshine Coast benefits from a moderate climate and our ride will take us deep into the unique temperate rainforest that blankets this area.
Today is all about enjoying some fast, flowing trails that work with the natural landscape and allow you to open the taps a bit. You’ll ride the soft forest floor loam, giving a more chilled vibe that matches the laid back atmosphere of the Sunshine Coast.
After the ride we will have time to sample the wide range of craft beers and refuel ourselves at a local brewery. We’ll soak up and settle into the relaxed pace of the Coast.
It’s coffee-to-go this morning, as we drive down the Sunshine Coast to connect back to the mainland on a short ferry crossing. Once back on dryland, we’ll continue north and drive the stunning Sea-to-Sky highway to the outdoor mecca of Squamish.
The trails in Squamish are all MTB magazine front cover standard, and that’s thanks to the hard work and dedication of the local trail building community. The trails here are inextricably linked to the nature of the place, with rocks, roots, and woodwork laced together without interruption.
Whilst the trail building crews work their magic on the ground, it’s Mother Nature that truly dominates here. This can be seen in the imposing peak of the ‘Stawamus Chief’, one of the largest granite monoliths in the world, that looms over the landscape.
Today’s trails will undoubtedly put a big smile on your face as we sample some of the highlight reel trails in Squamish. While there will be some long climbs, your effort will be well rewarded with perfectly sculpted berms and flowing trail.
We’ll make our way back down to our lodge at the base of the trail system to unwind and prepare for more grin inducing riding tomorrow.
After breakfast, we’ll roll out right from our back door to spend the full day sampling the best of the Alice Lake area, with the expert knowledge of your local guides.
Alice Lake is home to some of the most luscious and flowing trails you’ve ever ridden and your guide also happens to know some hidden gems! You’ll climb your way to the top on singletrack trail that keeps you entertained with tight turns and stunning forest views. Bright green moss lines the edge of the trails and hangs from the trees as you rip through this ethereal coastal rainforest with its endless hero dirt and granite slabs.
With a full day of riding in Squamish leaving your legs and cheek muscles aching, we will finish up in your guide’s favourite dinner spot for a big meal and cold drinks, before making the journey back to our mountain lodge – and some relaxing!
Today we head further up the Sea-to-Sky Corridor to the ever-growing network of trails in the Whistler Valley. We’ll set off after breakfast to explore some of your guides’ favourite trails outside of the Bike Park area.
New trails pop up each season, and as your guides work with the local trail associations, they will be excited to showcase some of the latest trails which they may even have had a hand in building!
This area is home to beautiful granite rock rolls, lush forest with lichen hanging from the trees, and lots of challenges on the trail to navigate along the way. You’ll have to earn your rewards on long, sometimes technical climbs to take you from the valley floor up into the Alpine, but it will be worth it.
We’ll have had another big day today, so it’s the perfect time to make use of the hot tub back at our lodge before we head out for another fantastic meal together in the town.
It’s our penultimate day of riding in British Columbia, and we’re reaching the farthest point of the mountain range on our BC journey, in the small farming community of Pemberton.
Moving inland to a new ecosystem you’ll notice more agriculture and different soil here in Pemberton. This is not your usual farming town as it is surrounded by towering mountains and, luckily for us, has incredible singletrack in all directions.
With expert local trail knowledge your guides will customise a ride that will, first, climb up to amazing views across to Mount Currie (‘Tszil’ in the local First Nation language), then link to beautiful trails that will bring us all the way back down to the valley floor.
The trails here are characteristically steep and rugged, with descents offering the perfect combination of fast flow and technical challenge.
We’ll stop for lunch in one of our favourite cafés, where you’ll have the chance to pause and soak up local life in this amazing mountain farming community.
After we’re suitably refuelled what else would we do but go and track down some more fantastic trails?! We’ll ride until it’s time to stop playing and head back to Whistler for another delicious meal.
This is your final day of riding in Whistler, and we’ve got a beauty of a day in store!
As all of our other rides are in the rural wilds of BC, today is your chance to experience the buzz of the Whistler Bike Park. We’ve got a day of park descents planned for you with trails that you’ll never forget! Making best use of the bike park we’ll enjoy both flow and technical trails – some of which end right from our doorstep!
With chairlifts to give our legs a breather from the climbs they’ll be ready to pump, sprint and launch you down some of the fastest, most flowing trails you are ever likely to find. You’ll be astounded at how hard you can work on these descents, but you’ll not want them to end.
After sampling the best trails of the lower bike park zones, we will set off to tackle the Top of the World Trail*, one of the trails that makes up the CrankWorx EWS enduro route. Descending from high in the rocky alpine, down through open meadows, and into imposing cedar forests, this trail takes you on a journey through the amazing layers of BC’s coastal landscape and spits us out at the Whistler Brewing Company for a celebratory beer tasting session!
We’ll have time to get cleaned and dressed up to enjoy our final celebratory meal together in Whistler Village and toast an unforgettable week of mountain biking in British Columbia where, in a short time, you’ll have ticked off all the wish list boxes in this biking mecca.
*Please note: Top of the World Trail is weather dependent.
Sadly, today we pack our bikes, say our farewells and return you to Vancouver airport for around 1pm to catch your flight home.