It’s been a few years since I'd made the visit to Kamloops, BC. A quick stop there this summer had me kicking myself for not going there more often. The landscapes are some of the world’s best natural playgrounds for freeride mountain biking and the rolling hills and big cliffs are super inviting for anyone who wants to 'go big' on a bike.
Kamloops is located in a rain shadow, just east of British Columbia’s coastal mountain range. The semi-arid desert environment is complete with Ponderosa pines, sagebrush and even the occasional tumbleweed. The ground is predominantly hard-pack clay with very little rock. It’s the perfect recipe for creating massive jumps.... and the locals know just how to do that.
In short.... this place delivers!
We started off our drive in Whistler and took the Duffy highway east through to Lillooet. The quick transition from snow-capped mountains and tall trees, to desert is simply epic.
It’s definitely one of my favorite drives of all time.
I’m one of those people you love or hate to travel with because I like to stop every 20 minutes and take shots of rad stuff I see. After 4.5 hours on the road, we finally made it.
Welcome to the Kamloops Bike Ranch, possibly the sickest city park in the world! The best part about this place is it’s free to use, like any other green space in the city.
We only had a few hours to ride here before continuing east to Silverstar Bike Park the next morning.
It was time to make the most of it!
Unfortunately, it was nearly 40 degrees Celsius when we rolled up that afternoon (104 F!) and the winds also started to roll in. The park is so exposed and the winds can get so strong there that it’s simply not safe to ride and hit the jumps at times.
After failed attempts at riding that evening, the sky lit up for us and we decided to stay nearby for the night to make the next day "an early morning mission".
A 4:30am wake-up call had me riding and getting shots by 5am. It was surprisingly warm, but nice and calm this early. The previous evening, I was eyeing this huge, natural 1/4 pipe carved out of a clay wall. This is the first feature we set our focus on. On each lap I’d go higher and higher.
Such a sick feeling!
6am- Morning golden hour. The pine trees and sagebrush were lit up and it was time.....
..... to start sending it on the big lines!
At 7am, the sun started to rise more we shifted our focus to video. Jarrett recently got an FPV drone setup and we wanted to put it to the test. So, I spent the rest of the morning working on cleaning the 'pro line' out, called “Fist Full of Dollars”. With multiple jumps containing gaps up to 50 feet, it definitely kept me on my toes!
By 9am, it was starting to get pretty hot again, so we rolled out of there. Waking up early can suck, but it seems.... is always worth it!
KAVU Days were had before the day even really started.
Kamloops, you’re awesome! I’ll come back soon, hopefully for a couple days, at least!!
Mark Matthews
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