Rossland Singletrack

Just over the border from Washington State, Rossland, British Columbia has come to be known as “the mountain bike capital of Canada”. Surrounded by five Canadian provincial parks, the magnificent Kootenays and an untold number of alpine lakes, Rossland (pop. 3556) has evolved from a 19th century gold rush town into something of a remote test bed; where magazine editors gather to evaluate the next generation of mountain bikes.

Tucked up against an extinct volcanic crater, Rossland is also the gateway to British Columbia’s Monashee Mountains. Scots-Gaelic for “peaceful mountain”, the Monashees arc 250-miles across Southern BC’s interior, peaking out at 10, 700-ft, defined by great stands of old growth Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock, roaring creeks beneath thick rainforests. The seven dramatic summits above Rossland draw columns of Canadians and fat-tire types from the American Northwest keen to experience the epics: full-day rides that combine all mountain/cross-country features, wedded to hour-long descents. Mountain bikers can expect nothing but endless singletrack through forests of pine and cedar, clean lines feeding into wide in the hip banked turns.

The highpoint of this big value/big character tour is the Seven Summits ride. Characterized by endless singletrack over infinite ridgelines, this spectacular point-to-point trail traverses the Rossland Range. The latter is part of seven continuous Canadian national parks and World Heritage sites, some 543-square miles of British Columbia big rivers, bigger mountains and big Old Growth stands stretching to Southwest Alberta, home to an abundance of wildlife. Given that backdrop, expect a full day of forest mulch on the Seven Summits, widely acclaimed by riders the world over, ranked an IMBA epic, no less than BIKE Magazine’s Trail Of The Year (2007).

Finish each day in a rustic inn: feet and wool socks edging the fireplace, replaying the day’s highlights, swept up in BC’s natural beauty.