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Matt and Jordan's summer in BC
Matt Beer discusses the time he spent training and riding at Sun Peaks this summer!
Courtesy of Sun Peaks Bike Resort:
September 1, 2010 – Sun Peaks, BC – We asked Matt Beer to drop us a note and give us an East Coast perspective on his summer of training for DH racing at the Sun Peaks Bike Park. Find Matt on pinkbike.com if you want to ask him any questions about his summer, or watch him crushing the trails on vitalmtb.com.
Winter in St. John’s is not the most friendly time to visit the east coast of Canada. It’s mixed with every form of precipitation and it kept me in my basement training and planning my first season of nation-wide racing. I wouldn't be travelling alone the entire time though. Jordan Hodder is a young pinner that I ride with regularly, and was eager to get into the racing scene as well. My previous visit to Sun Peaks in August 2009 for the Canada Cup, was a successful one where I finished 9th in Elite. It made me realize that it would be a great spot for us to set up home base for the coming race year.
I headed west to the Thompson-Nicola valley after stopping at the first Canada Cup in Mt. Tremblant and Diablo Freeride Park for the US Open. I was looking forward to the hot, dry, and dusty conditions of BC’s interior mountains, but I guess I brought the rain with me. The locals were whining about a lack of sunshine, not normal for mid – June, but I was just waiting to carve first tracks in the damp black berms I could see from the base of the hill! The trail crew had put in an amazing effort to groom the turns and clean up the scary chutes.
Most people who have never ridden at Sun Peaks seem to think it's all about dusty berms and jumps, which are great, but it has some of the best natural terrain around! This is not place to ride with a hangover; you've got to be on your toes when you drop into the black diamond rated trails here. The combination of high elevation and loose trail conditions offered the perfect place for me to train, because it was the exact opposite of what I usually ride near home. The bike park offered me the best practice scenarios for the Nationals Championships which would be held in a very similar climate on July 10th. Within a few weeks I felt very comfortable at high speed and in the loose silt that lingers on your face and clothes after a day of shredding!
The variety of trails that are available to a rider at Sun Peaks are often over looked. Even the trails rated as easy or beginner have some sweet turns and flowing single track for riders of all levels. The jump trail named Steam Shovel on the mountain also gives you a variety of jumps with different proportions and also tosses in two nice rock faces. It's fun on a small jump bike or a downhill bike as you can hit multiple lips on one jump; pop and trick it or whip and scrub the lip! My favourite trail in the park had to be a link-up of Kaboom, which throws you into a gnarly, shale section of turns and then spits you into Keener; a steep, tight, trail with low berms and catches and some sweet off camber roots. It finishes off with the last few jumps on Steam Shovel and down the biker cross! I would have been happy to have paid for a season pass even if that was the only trail up there! Another epic trail to check out is Honey Drop and features very similar sections. If you're looking for the steepest of steep, spin over to Smitty's Steeps, where you more or less try and survive - don't skid kids! The most entertaining trail for any level of rider is Route 66 which is buried into the face of the hill directly under the lift for the most part. If you want berms, then hit this and Barn Burner. The pitch of the trail is steep and it allows you to cut the turns early, drift up them and catch the end of the berm without loosing any speed. It's a really good way to get a feel for your bike and trust your tires.
Matt rippin a corner in Sun Peaks
Not only is the bike park fun, but the village has waves of entertainment - you can even ride your bikes through it! If you're looking to escape the crowds or hit one of the friendly bars, drop in have a pint. The Sunday Farmers market is a great place to pick up cheap groceries too. I found it to be quiet enough to train and ride, but have all the help you need to service your bike and restaurants to feed your hunger. The condo I rented was massive and had a garage, BBQ, hot tub, and even allowed me to ride downhill to and from my front door!
Looking back at Sun Peaks, I don't think I could have had a better time this summer (except for breaking my ankle right before Crankworx). It was centrally located in BC, 40 minutes from Kamloops airport, perfect weather, not too hot and just the right amount of rain, and affordable! If you want to hit some mean turns and smell your brake pads cooking, get yourself to this hill and you won't be able to wipe the smile off your face!
Shout outs to Matt, Stu, Kevin, Toby, and the rest of the trail crew for their efforts. Big thanks to Full Boar Bike Store and Time 2 Ride for use of their help.
Thanks to JP Theriault at On The Edge Canada, Turner Bicycles, Racelight Handlebars, Royal Racing, and my local shop Freeride MS.
Matt Beer