News & Events
October 19/07
Words by: Michael Hallett "BC Bike Park Tour"
WCFG has just released it's new feature tours for 2008. We have created a tour that visits 4 of BC's best bike Parks, Whistler, Sun Peaks, Silver Star and Mt. Washington, choose from either a 1week or 2 week trip. If you are looking for a mountain bike holiday with maximum vertical drop and verify of terrain then reserve your spot. Check out the page, Bike Parks of BC Tour. Contact us for more details.
August 6/07
Words by: Michael Hallett "2007 T-shirts"
They have arrived, our Whistler inspired 2007 t-shirts. If you are interested in purchasing a West Coast Freeride Guides shirt, just send us and e-mail. In the e-mail please include size and mailing address. They come in a full range of sizes and colors...black, black or black... you choose. The shirts are $30 CDN + shipping.
June 19/07
Words by: Michael Hallett "Test of Metal"...BBB crew
Congratulations to Jonny, Mark and Jo for completely the Test of Metal in Squamish on June 16th. They battled through mechanicals, flat tires and worse...the weather to cross the finish line of one of North America's hardest races. The 67 km course offers leg-numbing climbs and bone-crunching technical sections. Jonny finished 2nd in his class (20-29) at a time of 03:26:49, Mark finished 18th in his class (30-34) at a time of 03:33:17 and Jo finished 9th in her class (20-29) at a time of 05:50:15. Again, congratulations!
June 7/07
Words by: Michael Hallett "Rainbow Mountain Tenure Application"
It's official, WCFG has submitted an application to Integrated Land Management Bureau (BC Government) for a heli-biking tenure on Rainbow Mountain and Cougar Mountain. We now sit and wait for their decision. We are hoping that the Land Officers will support BC's summer tourism objective of double revenue by 2015. WCFG feels that they are taking the necessary steps to help BC and Whistler in moving forward with diversifying the summer activities offer in Whistler. We compare heli-biking to it's sister sport in the winter, heli-skiing. Heli-biking will allow mountain bikers to get away from the crowds and experience the backcountry on their bike. WCFG would like to thank Cascade Environment Resource Group for the consultation in preparing the application and managment plan.
June 7/07
Words by: Michael Hallett "Spring Travels..."
It's been a long time since I have posted any news on our website, sorry to those who might visit our website regularly for updates. Our Spring was a busy one...acquiring some new sponsors (as mentioned in the January 29th news release), responding to holiday/tour inquiries and traveling to a couple industry events.
Well, WCFG attended, yet another, couple events with the boys from BBB. We started off our April schedule with a road from Whistler to 
Monterey, CA for the 2007 Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca. We made alot of side trips, tried crossing mountain summits that were closed and rode our bikes...here are some highlights from the adventure. We drove directly to Hood River to check out the riding scene and popped into say HI to Chico and our friends at DAKINE. Hood River was no disappointment, the earth was in mint condition and there were various trails to choose from...we will be back! From Hood River we drove right through Oregon and a made a quick 3 hour side trip to Crater Lake...too cold to stay and too much snow. We managed to find a cool camping site at the bottom of the mountain beside a creek. We stayed in Reno the night before, the next morning climbed into the mountain of the Sierra Nevada and down to Lake Tahoe where we stopped to a few hours to stretch the legs and get on the bikes. After the ride we tried to high tail it to Yosemite National Park but after trying 2 different mountain passes we decided to fore go Yosemite and make our way through the Bay Area to Santa Cruz. The next morning we managed to 
find the local trail system for a long bike ride...just what the crew needed after a long day in the van the previous day. We hung out in Santa Cruz for 2 days then drove to Monterey. On our way we stopped in to see Elayna and our good friends at Fox Racing Shox. Elayna gave us a tour of the production line and the warehouse...I had no idea that 99% of their product is manufactured at their facility in Watsonville, CA. It was very impressive and we also got to see some 2008 product. Once at Sea Otter we set up our stand beside the boys from Scott USA. We got to speak to bunch of curious travellers, hang out with sponsors and do some partying. The return trip was fast and we took virtually the most direct route home, with a brief stop in San Francisco, as we needed to prepare for our UK departure in 7 days.
Our next stop was Birmingham, England for the National Bike Show at the NEC Arena. 
Much to our disappointment, there were not as many potential guests to speak to as the organizers had promised. However, the people we did chat with were very curious about the little sleepy mountain bike town called WHISTLER. As we do at most shows, we made a few new contacts and as planned we were parked right beside Bike Parks of BC. Thanks to everybody who stopped by to see us. The definitely highlights were more personal than business...bowling and a 'Red Neck' day at Mark's house in Southampton, target practive and lawn mower races, one from rig from the 00's and the other from 50's (I think...).
Jan 29/07
Words by: Michael Hallett "NEW Sponsors"
WCFG has just signed a deal with our longtime friends, DT Swiss. They have agreed to kit out all of our bikes with DT Swiss wheel sets. We are super excited to be working with such a classy organization. They have been building bike parts for over 60 years. Within the last 12 years they have used their expertise to start developing indestrustible rims and hubs. We are excited to help them market their product to our international guests.
WCFG is also excited to announce that we have aligned with Straitline Components, a division of Straitline Precision Industries, to ride their pedals. This family owned machine shop has acquired some of the industries best CNC machines. After 12 years of exotic projects they can say that they have placed components up into space, 8000 meters below the ocean, medical implants and now onto bikes! We are delighted that they have asked us to join their team and help them promote their pedals for this year and future years to come. Look out for our custom 'bling' pedals!
Oct 23/06
Words by: Michael Hallett "THANK YOU Sponsors"
The 2006 summer mountain bike season is over, which is unfortunate because of the amazing sunny weather we are currently having. WCFG would like to thank all of our sponsors that provided us with the necessary support. Thanks to Adrian, Phil and Silas from Scott USA for the comfortable and worry free bike frames. The Ransom & High Octane were super reliable and only required basic maintenance during the course of the season. If you get a chance to ride or buy one these bikes, don't pass it up. Thanks to Elayna from Fox Racing Shox for another plush year, these forks again exceeded our expectations...FOX RULES! Thanks to Jim at Kenda USA from helping keep our wheels firmly gripped to the ground or as the Brits say, "the floor." For such a sticky compound we didn't burn through alot of tires, we love the Kenda rubber!
Thanks to e.Thirteen for keeping our chains in one place and not bouncing off the chain ring(s). Thanks to Ken from Race Face for yet another bomb proof year. What can we say, this component groupo is designed for the BC's riding environment and it's dependable. As one of our longest providers, a HUGE THANKS to Chico from Dakine. As one of the best guys to work with in the business, he has again supplied bags and packs to hold all of our 'crap' and gloves to keep our hands firmly on the grips. Thanks to Lonnie from Magura USA for scaring the shit out of us a few times this year, those Magura Gustav's are super powerful and very dependable! Thanks to Creig & Kenny from DT Swiss for allowing us to roll on 'true' wheels all season long. Please DO NOT change anything on how you construct your rims, we love that we have never cracked a rim. Thanks to Christina from Crank Brothers, we are able to keep our feet firmly fastened to the pedals. Thanks to Lake for the cool shoes. Thanks to Suzette from Fizik for the saddle. We look forward to working with all of you in 2007 and hanging out during all the industry events and parties.
Oct 12/06
Words by: Michael Hallett "Tenquille Lake Heli-drop"
I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the season, than with a heli-drop to foreign territory. I got the opportunity to join Summit Sport on their summer year end staff party/bike ride. The day started at stupid o'clock in the morning as I was supposed to meet them at the shop. Once we were all loaded we headed out to Pemberton to board the helicopter. The LZ (loading zone) was at the foot the Hurley Pass road in the corner of a farmers field. After doing 2 loads of bikes and 3 loads of people, it was finally my turn with 4 others. We took off from approximately 700 feet and climbed to almost 7000 feet. The helicopter pilot had to zig zagged the machine a couple times because we were climbing 6300 straight up. The scenery was mind blowing, from looking down at the farm fields in the Pemberton Valley to the snow capped mountains of the Coast Range, I was speakless. I have had the opportunity to fly in a few 
helicopters in the past few years and that was by far the best flight ever. Once the helicopter dropped us off and few cheers of joy were delivered, we gathered our gear and started the descent from the mountain peak across from Barber Mountain. The next bit of riding would have to be the true definition of freeriding. If you made it down that section there was no doubt the rest of the ride would be easier. After picking our way down the drainage we came to the trail. If you looked up SINGLETRACK in the dictionary, there would be a picture of this trail, it was buff. We followed the trail for about an hour to Tenquille Lake where we stopped for lunch, but more importantly, to take in the 360 degree vista. As I was sitting there 
eating my lunch, I was thinking to myself that 2 days ago I was in one of the most congested cities in the world (London) telling potential guests how they have to come to BC to experience mountain biking and now I am sitting in the middle of nowhere on my bike, doing just that! After lunch it was time for the desent. The next 2 hours was described to me as being a singletrack A-Line without jumps...and it was. I have never experienced such major forearm pump than I did that day. Once I got into a rhythym and got used to the forearm burn I really got to feel the trail and pump the bike around each corner. The bottom of the trail opened up a bit more and you could really let the bike run it's course. The trail popped us out at the start of the Hurley Pass road, right beside where we parked the vehicles and where the helicopter picked us up, no shuttling needed. All in all it was an unforgettable day with not a cloud in the sky. With a large group of 20 we were luck to have no flats and no injuries, only a couple small mechanicals that were taken care of on the trail. Thanks to Ian, Steve, Ryan, Brett and all the other boys & girls at Summit for such a great day!
Oct 10/06
Words by: Michael Hallett "London Cycle Show 2006"
Another season of mountain biking has wrapped for the year and that meant that we were heading to London, England for the Cycle Show. Bear Back Biking and West Coast Freeride Guides have again come together to present BCmountainbike.com to mountain bike enthusiasts from England. The show was not as busy as last year, but still got to meet alot a very cool people that were super keen to come to Whistler. Thanks to everybody that stopped to have a chat with us during your time at the Cycle Show, we hope to see you in Whistler in 2007 or in the near future.
Sept 25/06
Words by: Michael Hallett "new WCFG logo"
West Coast Freeride Guides are unvailing their new logo for 2007. Thanks to Jeff at SPUNStudios and Jonny at Bear Back Biking, each putting their own little twist on it. The main ideas that we were trying to convey was the company has created, developed and managed in British Columbia by Canadians and we operate in Southern BC. Let us know what you think.
Aug 1/06
Words by: Michael Hallett "Crank Worx 2006"
WOW...it's finally over! This years Crank Worx was a ton of fun, but also a ton of work. All of the late evenings and early mornings were starting to catch up with me. We would like to thank the organizers of Crank Worx for providing us with an expo space and also for the opportunity, yet again, to shuttle the competitors in the 4-Cross and Slopestyle competition. Thanks again, see you next year!
This year we got to hang out with alot of sponsors on a few different occasions and we even hosted a Scott USA party at the BBB chalet. Huge thanks to Jonny, Jo, Mark (from BBB) we were able to pull off a really cool party. We had most the the Scott pro riders, all of our sponsors and friends show up for the party. Thanks to Adrian (Scott USA) for buying all the alcohol for the party, he must have known that Boozie (not going to mention any names...we know who you are!) was going to be there and planned to have tons of extra alcohol. It was great to hang out with the gang at Magura, Race Face, Fox Racing Shox, Crank Brothers and of course Scott USA.
July 20/06
Words by: Michael Hallett "Spruce Lake Singletrack"
We just got back from another amazing and awe inspiring bike trip in the Southern Chilcotin Mountains of BC. We took a group of riders to Spruce Lake. The floatplane biking tour included a 15 minute flight through the magestic mountains in southern BC and a 27 km singletrack ride back to the starting point. The trail takes you through lush alpine meadows that include a spectrum wild flowers, fast technical descents and a few small climbs. This trip comes highly recommended by everybody that took part.
June 8/06
Words by: Katrina Strand "Another European Adventure"
Our first stop was Fort William and we stayed with an international mix bag - us three Canadians, Melissa Buhl, Fionn Griffiths, Katrina Miller and Jamie Mart. All I can say is, it made for a week of non-stop laughter and VERY memorable moments. This was good considering the bullsh*t weather - typical attire consisted of hoodies, down vests, toques and rain jackets, it came down hard in Fort William. Rain, wind, some more rain, some more wind - that equalled a very difficult race. I flatted in my qualifier and and just managed to roll through to the finals. Unfortunately, my final run didn't go too much better - I crashed once and made two major mistakes that brought me to a standstill. I started my race with frozen fingers and they weren't much warmer when I finished, I couldn't find the flow I needed to ride well. But bottom line, I was not riding like I can and so I was really disapointed. I quickly took away some lessons, put it behind me and forward focused to the next race.
Our next stop was Willingen, Germany. We had kidnapped Kovarik from Fort William, picked up a stranded Van Dine at the airport and found Cam Zinc at the grocery store. Our first night in Willingen was Brook's b-day and so we celebrated - it started with a wine tasting, led to a portable dance party where we would drive around town and randomly stop to bust out some cool new dance moves (our fave is the spastic Cam, ask him about it at Crankworx) and ended in a long sleep to prepare for more riding. You'll find some photos from that night in our random tarding gallery . . . .
The course here was flat with lots of huge jumps - not much time with your wheels on the ground! I was feeling really confident in practice and was trying some intimidating jumps - I'd have to say some of the hardest I've tried. After a couple near death experiences though, I chose to ride conservatively and rode far below my comfort zone. Again, disappointed that I couldn't hold my confidence to the end. I finished 23rd. Grrrrrrrrrrrr. I did become a better rider though because of this course and both race experiences have only given me fuel for my fire to continue to work towards my goals as a racer and rider.
Now, I am back home and it is sunny and warm yeah! Lots of coaching coming up in the near future - next stop, 24 hours of sunshine in the Yukon!!
May 19/06
Words by: Michael Hallett
Well WCFG is back from another fun and relaxing vacation, we were in central america...Costa Rica. The people were warm and welcoming, food was great and the beer was CHEAP! Between the 11 of us, we saw some really cool places and came back with really great stories. Now that we are rested, we are ready to take on another successful season of mountain bike guiding. We look forward to hosting our guests from around the world...SEE YOU ALL IN THE SUMMER!
Apr. 17/06
Words by: Claire Buchar
So the season opener HAPPENED. Yup. A busy funfilled weekend. My Canadian DH Girls (Katrina Strand and Brook Baker) and I had a nice article in the new Decline magazine just in time for Sea Otter. If you havent seen it yet, check it out! The Roam premier was, as expected, amazing: I know how hard both the filmers and riders worked on that film, Congratulations! And the SramNation party was super fun: dinner and Bochi Ball on the beach, my favorite! The racing went pretty well for me. Again, I was quickly reminded how much racing beats you up, taking a pretty hard crash on the first day of DH training. I quickly shook it off though, thats part of the game. The courses were muddy and challenging and I felt pretty good on my new bike. I qualified 9th in the slalom and finished 11th in the DH. I feel pretty solid and happy with my results. But, being an athlete striving for my best, am looking forward to my next chance to push my personal goals. I was so excited to see everyone from the traveling circus again. And I got to meet lots of new faces. Sponsors new and old, friends new and old, racers/riders new and old. Thats really what Sea Otter is all about. And getting back into the race mentality after a heavily snowed in winter! Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. Now that the season has officially began, my fire is lit for the next event. Looks like it will be the Black Box Labs ISCREAM Dirt Jump Jam at Jordie Lunns next weekend. I may be the only girl there but I'm used to that by now!!!! I will let you know how it goes.
Apr. 12/06
Words by: Michael Hallett
WOW...we are finally back from the 2006 Sea Otter Classic. It was definitely a great time and we finally got to meet alot of the people we talk to on a regular basis by phone, e-mail and of course meet the guests that eventually use our product. We got a chance to solidify a few of our existing sponsors for next year and extend our portfolio for the 2007 summer season. A HUGE thanks goes out to the boys at Scott USA, Adrian, Silas and Phil, thanks for letting us pick your brains about the bikes, brainstorm about future plans and especially thanks for letting us demo the new Scott Ransom...WOW! At the flip of a switch you could have a plush 6"+ of rear travel or completely locked out for climbing. That bike screams RIDE ME! Can't wait to ride with you guys during Crank Worx.
The one thing I was most excited for was to see the world premiere of the new mountain bike film called Roam by The Collective...awesome movie, a must see! If this movie is showing in your area, you have to go see it. If not, the movie goes on sale May 1st online. Check out their website for details, The Collective Film. Darcy Wittenburg, Jamie Houssian, Sterling Lorence, Colin Jones, Darren McCullough and Jonathan Schramm have definitely raised the bar, yet again.
Congratulations to the Canadian DH Girls for their season opener race results at the Sea Otter Classic. All three girls (Claire Buchar, Katrina Strand & Brook Baker) raced both Pro Female Dual Slalom and Pro Female Downhill. Claire finished 11th in both dual slalom and downhill. Katrina placed 19th and Brook finished 28th in the downhill. GOOD LUCK with the rest of the season...they are off to Vigo, Spain for the 1st World Cup, May 6-7th.
WCFG would like to thank Tom Pro, Brent Curtain, Tom Radke and Jordan Petrovics for letting us hang out with them at the Bike Parks of BC booth while at the Sea Otter Classic. Bike Parks of BC consisted of Whistler Mountain, Mount Washington and Sun Peaks.
Finally, WCFG would like to thank Mark Knight from Bear Back Biking for all the laughs...he supplied us with some great material to and from show!
Mar. 9/06
Words by: Michael Hallett
West Coast Freeride Guides is pleased to announce that we have decided to sponsor an elite mountain bike team in Whistler. WCFG will be sponsoring Canadian DH Girls for the 2006 season. The all womens team consists of Katrina Strand, Claire Buchar and Brook Baker. In exchange for offer monetary support such as travel expenses, race fees and ongoing training "The Girls" will helping us to spread the word both internationally & nationally through media coverage, guiding, film projects and community involvement. Again, we are pleased to have them onboard and we hope we can help them achieve their 2006 goals...GOOD LUCK LADIES!
Jan. 30/06
Words by: Michael Hallett
Well, there is a ton of things going on at Freeride Guides in Whistler...we are currently digging out after receiving 40 cm of fresh snow last night. We have 4 major annoucements that we are going to be unveiling between now and the up coming summer season...stay tuned. For now we would like to announce that we have signed a deal with Scott USA to ride their bikes for the next season. Adrian at Scott USA, has agreed to provide our staff with the Scott High Octane and Scott Ransom. We are all super excited to ride for such a great company.
Another one of our new providers for the 2006 season is Magura. Jimi & Lonnie from Magura will be supplying us with brakes for our brand new rides. We look forward to working with you more closely in the future.
Oct. 24/05
Well it was a long trip back, but we are finally home in Whistler! West Coast Freeride Guides and Bear Back Biking were in London attending the ExCel Cycle trade show. I was great to meet a whole bunch of new people and we look forward to providing you with an unforgettable 2006 summer mountain bike holiday in Whistler/Canada. “ Thank you to all the people who took the time to stop and chat with us at the Cycle Show in London, England. It was an amazing event for us and we had the great pleasure of speaking to a huge number of people throughout the duration of the show. I hope your visit was rewarding and you enjoyed your day…we hope to see you in Whistler during the 2006 mountain biking season!”
Oct. 4/05
Words by: Michael Hallett
Well, the mountain bike season is quickly coming to an end in Whistler and the guys at BC Mountain Bike Holidays went out in a blaze of glory - probably the best ride of the year! The heli-drop was a last minute decision as we had been trying to get to the top for 3 days. The Crew finished the season on an epic heli-biking trip with fresh snow on top of Rainbow Mountain in Whistler, BC. Before loading our bikes, I was persuaded to bring my small bike up, a hardtail with Fox 36 and the others on their 5&5 FS bikes.
Mid-day the clouds parted enough for the helicopter to get us and our bikes to the landing zone or as they say in the business, ‘the LZ.' When we finally made our way over to the trail head we were surprised to find 6-10 cm of fresh powder – that is decent amount of snow during the ski season. As we picked our way down the snow covered trail, riding what we could, walking what we couldn't, we eventually got to a point where we could ride our snow machines properly, hopped on and let the bikes do what we really didn't expect they would! They were perfect!
We found out that there was a fair amount of traction and because there was no snow base we were able to stay on the trail and control the bikes – for a bit! I am really glad the boys talked me into bringing along my small bike, it was so much fun. It was definitely back to the basics of mountain biking. I didn't have a full suspension rig and wide tires to save my ass from any mistakes that I made. However, I am really glad I did not let them talk me into keeping my clipless pedals on; I switched them for my flats.
All-in-all this was an amazing way to end the season. See you next year for more stories...
Sept. 30/05
FRESH OFF THE PRESS...BCmountainbike.com is the first and only multi-company organization created for riders in mind. We have pooled all of our resources to provide our guests with ‘everything' mountain biking. Situated in the World's mecca of mountain biking and the rugged Coast Mountains of Whistler BC is West Coast Freeride Guides and Bear Back Biking. BCmountainbike.com is now able to provide information for your entire mountain biking holiday; epic singletrack XC guiding, top-notch shops, multi-day backcountry freeride tours, resort life, heli-biking, alternative activities (Bungee Jumping, 4x4 Hummer Tours, Horseback Riding and much more), fully catered luxury accommodation (short and long term), bar and club hotspots, access to two lift assisted bike parks, expert coaching, daily freeride shuttles and airport transfers. BCmountainbike.com holidays… SIMPLIFIED!
June 29/05
Well here is the follow up article to our May 4th news posting. For the 10 guys from Hawaii, Western US and Eastern US, their Whistler mountain bike vacation was a blast and we (Freeride Guides) got to share it with them. There were 4 guys from Maui (Paul, Steve, Rob and Dan), 3 guys from Oahu (Creep, Rob and Skip), Mark from San Francisco and 2 guys from Eastern US (John and Daren, aka Heavy D). The three groups all arrived at individual times, but eventually met at their swanky pad, just a few pedal strokes from the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. The first and last few days were spent ripping up the trails in the park, but in the middle of their trip the crew decided to venture outside the box and try something new. It was pouring rain in Whistler and I suggested to head up to Pemberton as it would be dusty and dry. We rode two eye opening trails, the gnarly Mackenzie Cruise (which is no walk in the park) and the Jim Jam. A couple days later we decided to take them to the infamous North Shore, we rode CBC and Neds in the pouring rain...they all had a blast. When we weren't riding with the guys, we were hanging out at their deluxe condo having dinner, partying, telling jokes and laughing non-stop (six pack ab laugh work out), working on our bikes or out at one of the many bars in Whistler. While out at the bar we got to take part in Heavy D's Evil Bikes/e-thirteen promotional sticker tour. It was almost a scene from Girls Gone Wild, they were lined up out of the bar for these one of a kind stickers. Thanks for the week of fun and new friendships.
Paw - you're the life of the party...
Rob - the man who doesn't like elevated bridges, but took a huge leap of faith...
Creep - the house chef...
JP - the camera man...
Skip - "...'cause I am a f__king scientist..."
Mini - the man who brought his army fatigues to ride...
Daren - do you want to HIT IT?
Dan - "here's to CANADIA..."
Steve - sorry for getting your bike dirty...
Marc - Marchanical...
West Coast Freeride Guides is well rested and ready for the busy summer. We just got back from two weeks on the island of Maui, Hawaii. But we couldnt go on a vacation without experiencing some local culture, so we hooked up with Paul (Paw) Parrish from Crater Cycles for a bike ride. We drove from our hotel (at sea level) to Paws house/bike shop (at 3000 feet); he lives on the side of a volcano...Haleakala, the worlds largest extinct volcano. After setting me up with a Kona Stinky we loaded up the truck with his wife Sue and three buddies, Steve, Rob and Brennan. After a 38 mile drive to the top of Haleakala (over 10,000 feet) we started our 7,000 feet vertical descent. We were amazed that we were able to ride all types of terrain in just one shuttle. We rode on volcanic rock (which felt like ride on ball bearings, very nerve racking), buff single-track, logs, ladders, gap jumps, steep sections, wide open green meadows (with cows grazing)...you name it we rode it. Next time you are in Maui and you want to go for a ride, make sure you get in-touch with Paw, www.cratercycleshawaii.com. A huge props to Paw and Sue for the bike ride...see you in Whistler!
Sorry for the lack of news articles, but West Coast Freeride Guides have been taking advantage of the great riding weather in the last month. We have had 2 groups of riders on back to back trips.
Our first adventure took us to a small island off the coast of Vancouver Island. After 3 ferries and 6 hours of traveling, we finally made it to Hornby Island. While on the island we stayed at a beautiful cabin right on the beach and it was only a short bike ride to the trail head. The trails we found were everything from smooth old-school single-track to 20 foot road gaps. The riding on the island was so fun and the cabin atmosphere was relaxing.
Our second trip was also based around lots of ferry rides...4 to be exact. Our first destination was Sechelt, on the Sunshine Coast. We met up with a few teens from the local bike shop that showed our group around. We got to ride some really fun stunted trails and some good old single-track. Huge thanks to the Robinson brothers', Louis and Curtis, you guys rock! While on the Coast we stayed at the beautiful B&B at Ruby Lake, www.jewelofrubylake.com. Our next stop was Vancouver Island. We had to take 2 ferries to get there, one to Powell River, then from Powell River to Comox. Our riding destinations were going to be Duncan, Nanaimo and Port Alberni. The trails on Vancouver Island are extremely well built and lots of thought has definitely been put into developing a great trail network. Our entire group was amazed by how great the riding is outside of the prime locations like Whistler and the North Shore...they will be back for more!
Feb. 15/05
West Coast Freeride Guides are pleased to announce that we have partnered with two other mountain bike companies, Alpine Highs and Bear Back Biking, both UK based organizations. Alpine Highs specializes in full service mountain bike holidays in Les Arcs and La Tania, France. Bear Back Biking also provides an all-inclusive mountain bike vacation, but they are based in Whistler. WCFG wanted to become an international company and with the growing UK market, we felt it was vital to partner with these companies. We are now able to offer accommodations to our guests for extended stays, a 14 day tour and trips based around the British mountain biker coming for one week.
WCFG is also working on having a fleet of demo products on hand for our guests to use while on tour. These will be donated by our kind sponsors. Stay tuned for the list of cool products that you will be able to demo...then hopefully buy!
Feb. 3/05
2:25 pm, after sitting at the computer all morning, I decide it is time for a bike ride. I figured Brian would be feeling the same thing. I decide to give him a call and see if he wants to ride A-Line, in the middle of winter, as I figured he said, "YES." So I pack up and met him in the village. We quickly stop by our buddy Dave's business (www.whistleractionvideo.com) to pick up a helmet cam. After a 35 minute hike-a-bike, we drop into A-Line at 4:03 pm. And much to our surprise there was virtually no snow, except for one small patch on the trail. Need we say more...
Jan. 31/05
We are pleased to announce that Steve Romaniuk, Cameron McCaul and Glyn O'Brien will be guest guiding some of our 2005 8-day Freeride Journey. Steve Romaniuk has starred in 'Drop In' for the past two seasons, placed 5th in 2003 and 3rd in 2004 Red Bull Rampages. Cameron McCaul is no new comer to the sport of mountain biking. He also starred in this years 'Drop In' TV show, placed 2nd at the UFC 2 along with many other accolades. Glyn O'Brien, Irish World Cup downhiller and 2003 Red Bull Rampage bronze medalist, has just completed an extensive mountain bike guiding course and has recently created an instructional/guiding company in Ireland, First Tracks Guiding. He is hoping to pass along his extensive mountain bike skills and knowledge to fellow Irishmen and women. Also, Glyn has just signed with Cove Bikes for another year and will be stationed in Whistler for the summer months. To check him out in action, he can be seen during Crank Worx and Joyride 2005. Thanks and good luck with the new venture...
Jan. 15/05
Book now and receive 20% off for the first ten riders and you will also receive a brand new Dakine Drafter mountain bike pack. Or if a group off six or more reserves then, one rides for FREE!! Reserve now, spaces are filling up fast. Our 2005 season will start at the beginning of May 2005.
Nov. 3/04
We were approached by the Resort Municipality of Whistler to do an after school instructional program with the youth of Whistler. We had five kids which rode with us once a week in the fall and we will be continuing that this spring. Stay tuned for our new updated site. www.freerideguides.com
Oct. 12/04
We topped our year off with a trip with the Banshee boys to Interbike in Las Vegas. A 24 hour drive from Whistler, we stopped in Boulder City for Demo Days where we able to test next years product. The riding was pretty fun, with some fast loose descents. The shuttle up there was pretty sketchy, an open-ended flat bed truck with no tailgate...you didn't want to be last guy on! At the trade show we approached a bunch of companies for sponsorships. We were lucky enough to land the following: Banshee Bikes, Dakine, Race Face Performance Components, Fox Racing Shox, Kenda Tires and Lake Cycling. Thanks to all involved and for your support. I wish Red Bull would sponsor us! The rest of Vegas was a blur...mud wrestling Annie B??
Aug. 30/04
Eric Fremont (Events Coordinator, Whistler Blackcomb) involved WCFG with all of the shuttling at 2004 Crank Worx Mountain Bike Freeride Festival. A must see 4 day event with the last day being the slope style event that had 3000 fans cheering their favorite pros down the "bone yard." There were back flips, tail whips, no hander landers and more from these guys. We had the best view of the course from the top of our van. We were stoked to volunteer our time for such a cool event and look forward to this year CRANK WORX.
July 8/04
Our '04 season was a success, from hanging with the Banshee boys in Sun Peaks at the Joyride Festival, awesome trails and a great party scene....Smitty Steeps!!!
