At Freehub Magazine, we—like every other rider out there—enjoy bike porn. It’s beautiful. It’s stunning. It makes us want to get out on our bikes and rally some trail.
Still, as hot as the latest photo of the day is, we like telling stories more. Captured sunsets and huge airs are wonderful, but they don’t speak to the faces and tales that make up our sport. It’s the narrative behind those images that define us—hell, that narrative is “us,” the mountain bike community as a whole.
So that’s what we’re here to do, to catalogue that culture and present it in the quality and timelessness it deserves. And we’re pretty damn good at it. With that in mind, we’re proud to present our first Photo Annual.
The West Kootenays stretch between Revelstoke and Rossland, BC, and over the past few decades have hosted some of the deepest mountain-bike history in the word, from the hardtail days to the New World Disorder revolution to the current “Enduro” trend. Abandoned stunts and jumps litter the hillsides alongside newly built features and jumps, and old, grown-over trails wander across freshly cut singletrack. It’s a testament to the West Kootenay’s significance the sport’s early years, and it’s still-active and passionate modern community.
We’ve selected four local photographers, each with a team of local riders, to explore and document the area’s most iconic trails, be they classics or freshly cut. It’s a visual guide to some of the world’s best riding, told through the eyes of some of the sport’s best photographers.
In order to showcase the legendary trails of Revelstoke, BC, local Ryan Creary chose some of the area’s most classic rides. Teaming up with Lorraine Blancher and Matt Yaki, the trio explored Frisby Ridge, Flowdown, and the Keystone Basin Trail. The combination of high alpine sunsets and dense coniferous forests makes for some stunning imagery in the heart of the Selkirks. Revelstoke might be a newcomer to the mountain biking scene, but the area’s commitment to the sport is easily visible in its established network of next-level trails.
Venturing deep into the woods of Nelson, BC, Kari Medig found a challenge in bringing new life to an area he knows so well. Nelson has long been an established summer and winter destination, so picking a mere three, out of the area’s 100-plus trails was a difficult decision. Between Lefty’s, the regions newest freestyle trail, Powerslave, a nine-mile downhill run, and Vallelujah, an increasingly popular XC ride, they covered the essentials. Although memory cards can only do so much justice in an area of such beauty and magnitude, Nelson’s surroundings are well portrayed.
Hoping for a spell of Cascadia’s classic gray clouds, it only makes sense that the glaring late summer sun threatened Bruno Long on his mission to the Nakusp and New Denver area. Settled in the valleys of eastern British Columbia, these two small towns are constantly looking up at the surrounding peaks of the Kootenays, along with many trails they hold. Bruno, accompanied by Stu Dickson and Casey Brown, explore the classic Kuskanax Trail (and its hot springs), Retallack Lodge’s infamous Kestle Run, and the Butter Trail, all under gray skies.
On a mission to explore the trails of Rossland, BC – once known as the “Mountain Bike Capitol of Canada” – Garrett Grove gives the forgotten area a chance to re-live its glory days. Connecting with resident pro Mike Hopkins, and recently-rooted Tyler Mcbride, the three take on some of Canada’s most well known trails, two decades after their prime. From the suburban over looks on the Bluff Trail and the loamy freeride descents of Super Megadeath, to the Seven Summits, the area’s premiere, all-in-one trail, the crew puts Rossland back on the map.
