From the very beginning, we built mountain bikes to take us further. To explore new trails. To discover new experiences. To push the boundaries of cycling, into unknown pedaling territory. Just as knobby tires, suspension and disc brakes took all of us deeper into the unknown, pedal assist e-MTBs have brought more of us along for the ride.
The following adventure is an excerpt from Further, Shimano’s finest collection of e-MTB tales from around the globe. These stories are told to inspire us to push our own boundaries of action, adventure and advocacy, just a little bit further with these powerful new rides.
Story by Elladee Brown / Photos by Zoya Lynch
Once the Great Depression hit in the 1930’s, his business dried up, and he went to work for Big Bend Lumber as an equipment repairman in the local mill. The timber business ran strong through Brown family bloodlines, with my Grandpa, my Dad, my brother and my brother’s son all pursuing passionate careers in forestry. It’s a tough business, a lifestyle of sorts, but one that connects and roots people to the land
Even today, it’s a bit of a big deal to get to Nakusp. There are three roads that lead into town, and two of those require a ferry crossing. It’s famous for its natural hot springs, of which there are many. The big, bold Monashee and Selkirk mountain ranges surround this small village on Arrow Lakes, a reservoir of the Columbia River. Only 1,600 residents occupy the area, and for a town this small, its recreational amenities are large, both in scope and stature.
As kids, my parents didn’t take us to Disneyland. We had a backyard ‘theme park’ so expansive and uncrowded, it didn’t make sense to leave. We explored the area around us. We boated, camped, fished, motorbiked, snowmobiled, berry picked, swam...everything a nature loving kid could want.
When I was 14, my Dad told me he’d heard about a bike that people were riding up and down mountains, aptly named, “a mountain bike.” It seemed far-fetched, but a few years later I’d come to discover this sport that would become my life’s passion and take me away from the family logging heritage. But no matter how far a bike has taken me, there’s nothing quite like coming home to where it all started. And it was one of these homecoming trips where the story really gets going...
Nowadays, my Nakusp adventures start as an eight hour drive from my new home in Vancouver. This particular journey took more than nine hours, since we missed the ferry in Revelstoke. Missing the boat was OK though, because my travel and riding buddy for the weekend, Daamiann Skelton, and I had a lot to catch up on. Throughout the 90’s we raced on the Canadian National Mountain Bike Team to World Cups around the globe, and our paths have intertwined since then. We taught mountain bike clinics together and travelled the southern US on freeride MTB trips back in the day. Though she’s originally from Australia, she’s now spent the majority of her life in Canada.
She now too lives in Vancouver, although we rarely see each other these days. Three kids and a full-time job don’t spare her many out of- town escapes. But I organized this trip well in advance, and with proper planning she was able to swing it. I’m a proud Nakuspian, and I’ve bragged to her about this place for years. Knowing her passion for mountains, wilderness and riding, I concluded that my hometown would serve as the ultimate getaway for a couple of old friends in need of a reconnect. We would also meet up with Zoya Lynch, a local Revelstoke photographer, who would join our e-MTB adventure.
My parents’ ranch, Nakusp Creek Quarter Horses, sits just outside of town. It made for the perfect launch pad to take Daamo on some of my favorite rides of all time. When we rolled up, dad was out doing his typical chores: fixing fence posts, milling wood, tinkering in his shop. He’s never bored. His wife Janet remains just as occupied. I’ve seen her deliver a foal, give a horse lesson, bake bread and do chores all before lunchtime. Their boundless energy is inspiring. It’s something I look up to as I embark on this 50-something life.
My step-sister, Gina, is a high-level barrel racer, and in the late 1970s she was the youngest person to ever compete in the Calgary Stampede. She’s been into horses for decades with some BC Barrel Racing Championships to her name, and more recently she’s been a top contender in the Pro West Rodeo Association. While we were at the ranch, Gina did a race run on Charlie, the equine equivalent of our Evil e-MTBs. Gina and I have known each other for a lifetime, and there’s some awesome irony in how much we both love the riding experience, albeit on different kinds of steeds.
Daamo, Zoya and I pulled out from the ranch Saturday morning and headed for the Hot Springs Trail on Kuskanax Creek, a pristine single-track loop snuggled under giant western red cedars, hemlock, brilliant green moss, huckleberry bushes and about every kind of fern species imaginable. This forest blasts with every shade of green. The country is wild out here, and it isn’t unusual to cross paths with a bear or cougar.
As we laughed about our pasts, we couldn’t help but ponder how things have changed. How were these bikes compared to the bikes we raced on 20 years ago?! It was both humorous and enlightening all at once. For Zoya, who carried a heavy backpack full of cameras and gear, it was a dream to have some assistance up the hills. She blasted ahead and caught up from behind, with energy and time to spare for setting up new shots and looking for extra, creative angles. The last time I rode this trail I was mostly conserving my oxygen, not wasting it on conversation. Now, the ability to back off or push it expanded the realm of possibilities for the day.
On the trail, we stopped at an old cabin that had originally been used as a hitching post for horse packers back in the day. We took a moment to pause at this historic rest area and to enjoy the absolute stillness that’s hard to come by these days in most other places. It’s the ultimate zen zone out here, and comingback from Vancouver I was reminded of the loveliness of nothingness, the dead quiet. The trail eventually led to a small, local hot spring run by the village of Nakusp. It was a place I frequented often as a kid. Now, there’s a windy, now paved road from the town of Nakusp to get here.
‘Energy to spare’ became my new mantra for e-MTB. After riding the Hot Springs loop, we decided the afternoon would be well spent exploring another natural hot spring that we could soak in. Our geothermal destination was dubbed ‘Halfway’ as it’s literally located halfway between Nakusp and the town of Revelstoke. This area is managed by a childhood friend of mine, Bob Moody. He orchestrated a revamp of this site in recent years, and there’s three large soaking pools plus bathtub sized pools right next to Halfway Creek.
An 11.5-kilometer Forest Service road leads into Halfway River Hot Springs Rec site. To me, these double tracks used to seem like a mere means to an end, just a necessary part of the journey to get to the ‘good riding.’ But on an e-MTB, it became part of the ride, not just an extra 20 minutes in the shuttle vehicle. When we arrived at the campground and pools, there were some short single-track routes to explore with epic views of Halfway, and then a final steep descent into the actual soaking tubs.
My Dad insisted that we start our Sunday with his famous pancake breakfast before we hit the new mountain bike trails at Mt Abriel. This new bike park plus campground located on the shores of the Arrow Lakes has very recently put Nakusp on the mountain biking map. The addition of Nakusp’s local bike shop, Shon’s, has also been instrumental in driving the local riding scene, catering to out-of-town cyclists of all genres. Abriel’s 26-site, first-come-first-serve campground is almost always full, the word is out. Once this project reaches completion, it will have over 50 kilometers of purpose-built mountain bike trails from easy to double diamond. Everybody and every kind of bike has a place here.
We accessed the upper trails at Mt Abriel from a Forest Service road that climbed up almost 10 kilometers to the start of Ride On, a flow trail that drops down to a dreamy beach. It’s one of the most well-built, extended fun trails we’d ever ridden. Daamo and I loved this trail because of its accessibility to a variety of skill levels–speed, not gnar, added difficulty. It was as though the builders took cues from every other trail system, and then melded all of that collective experience into the formation of this park.
Until recently, the area had been somewhat of a ‘best kept secret’ sitting halfway between Western Canada’s biggest cities, Vancouver and Calgary. People used to ask me,“You’re from Nakusp, where the hell is that!?” The area has developed its mountain bike trail projects, like Mt. Abriel, that put it on the map, and now the question has changed to, “Hey Elladee, have you ever ridden in a place called Nakusp?”
Most people shuttle to the top of Mt. Abriel in vehicles on Turner road. The e-MTBs let us ditch the cars, pedal up for another lap and enjoy the views along the way taking in the awesomeness of the Monashee mountain range in the distance. With energy to spare at the top, and no shuttle driver to bid adieu, weflipped it around and enjoyed the trails back to the base as a complete crew.
Back at the ranch, we loaded the car, preparing for our drive back to Vancouver. Daamo and I talked about the changes, fads and advancements we’d seen in the sport. Some come, many go, but after our first big e-assisted weekend, we knew e-MTB was here to stay. And with e-bike bike policy in BC being one of the most progressive in North America, the opportunities for access and exploration are endless. Being able to do epic rides each day, sometimes two, and still having energy to connect with my family was a noticeable advantage of electric assist.
On the road back to Vancouver, Daamo and I reflected on our riding history, and how it felt like no time had passed since our last significant road trip together some two decades prior. It was a homecoming of sorts: re-visiting my family and hometown, connecting with a lifelong friend through a shared passion and discovering another kind of riding that will likely be a big part of my life in the years to come. I will always remember Nakusp as the place where I found my first love for the outdoors and the friendships bonded by it. The development of mountain biking in this area has only added to the gratitude I feel towards my Grandparents for making this place their home. If only they could only see it now...
