Currently browsing mountain biking

When thinking ‘vacation’, the mind automatically starts drooling over white-sand beaches, palm trees and margaritas right? Well, what if I told you that there was another option where the days are long, the beer is cold and the mountain biking is out of this world? The place is the Yukon Territory. Following the 2011 Norco Product Launch, I managed to sneak away for about a week and visit the midnight sun of the Yukon. Let’s start off by saying that I had a blast!

The Yukon has about 30,000 people that call it home and nearly 25,000 of them reside in the Capital of Whitehorse. Another town that you may have heard of in the Yukon is Dawson City. Situated about 500km northwest of Whitehorse, Dawson City was first settled back to the Gold Rush Days and is now home to about 1300 people. Once a year, the town doubles in size as the Dawson City Music Festival draws people from afar to enjoy some beer, bands and perpetual light. Bringing in artists such as Dan Mangan, Fred Penner, Elliott Brood and more, this is the largest music festival in Northern Canada. The thing about the Yukon that caught me off guard was the people. Living in the city you forget about the aspect of community, and neighborly kindness that is so important to a smaller town’s vibe. Well, it seemed to me that no matter where in the Yukon I was, the people were willing to go the extra mile to make sure I was having a blast. This closeness of the people is one aspect that makes me want to return time and time again. The music festival was really a gathering of people in a celebration of sorts. It is a celebration of the North, the people and the music. This is more than your typical festival.

After spending three days at the Dawson City Music Festival, the time to ride was upon me. Driving back to Whitehorse meant that I could meet up with my friends at Boreal Mountain Biking an the local bike shop Icycle Sports. There is nothing quite like local knowledge when on vacation to find the best spots to spend limited time.

Mountain biking in the Yukon is totally different from anywhere I have ever ridden before. The diversity of the terrain runs from open rock to dense forest, lush meadows to near desert conditions. One minute you may be riding at tight forested singletrack and the next riding a ridge above the beautiful Yukon River. Regardless the trail, somewhere along the way, there will undoubtedly be a stunning vista, a vivid glacial lake or the sight of a winding river. The views are even more spectacular than the best-in-class trails. When you are planning your vacation to Whitehorse, plan to ride the Yukon River Trail, Money Shot, Mountain Hero and more, much more!

At the end of any ride, a bevy is in order and in the Yukon this is no exception. The Yukon Brewery makes some of the best beer around. From the Gold to the Amber, IPA to the Stout, there really is no bad choice… Not only is the beer awesome but the brewery is also a big supporter of the local mountain biking community and the Dawson City Music Festival. When you head up to Whitehorse, check out the brewery, they do daily tours and make a beer that is ‘worth freezing for’. So, the Yukon in a nutshell is pretty straight forward. Good riding, great people, spectacular views, and you can enjoy it all with a cold beer.

Now, just to find my way back to the Yukon soon…

Dustan

Last night I arrived in Winterpark, Colorado for the first Crankworx Festival. The course looks groomed and there are some cool features like the Captain-Hook Mustache, Kona Wall Ride and some big-ole’ booters that I can’t wait to ride. I am looking forward to getting on my Empire today and checking out the course before my qualifying runs tomorrow.
Walking the run, I bumped into some kids who remembered me from last year and were so excited to chat. Love the fans! I’ll check back soon once I can get a few runs in. For now, you can see a full course walk-through at pinkbike.com

More soon,

Sam D

Photography is an area that has turned a leaf over the past decade through the advancement of digital technology. Photography used to be an art, an art that was exclusive to the truly talented photographer. Now there are two types of photographers out there. I like to categorize as ‘photographers’ and ‘people with camera’s’. Now before I dig any deeper into this, I would like to point out that I fit comfortably into the second category. I am a “person with a camera”

First off, I will date myself by admitting that the first camera I ever owned was digital. . . yes, it is sad but it is also true. Around 2001 I received the gift of a Kodak Easyshare camera with a whopping 2.1Megapixel resolution. I could enlarge a photo up to a massive 4″ by 6″ with only minor pixelation. Through a few more sub-par point-and -shoots I finally stepped up in 2006 and bought an SLR. Mind you this was a Canon AE-1 Program which was introduced in 1981, long before I was born . . . This was my first intro into what a camera could do. (using technology that was 25 years old). After many wasted rolls of film and several blurry, underexposed photos that made everyone dizzy, this past December I finally purchased a digital SLR. . . Ever since I have truly embraced being a “Person with a Camera”

Let me step back a bit and give you some more background info… My father has been a professional photographer for the past 35 years or so, therefor he knows a thing or two. He shoots mostly wildlife such as birds, plants, insects, mammals etc. and in my bias opinion he does a spectacular job. I remember back a while  getting some pointers on photography and he said, “in order to get an adequate depth of field you must shoot at a minimum of F-11″ . Well, you try taking a photo of a cyclist at F-11… Especially living in Vancouver where it rains all winter and you are stuck in a dense forest. Realistically you are lucky to be shooting at F5, never mind a minimum of F-11. Cycling is an area that is extremely difficult to take photos in and everyone with a camera is trying their hand at it.

There are some truly talented photographers out there such as Harookz, Ian Hylands, and Dan Barham. Among others, these guys can do things with light that I could never dream of accomplishing. To take a crisp, focused, well exposed image of a cyclist involves working in the worst of lighting, the fastest of speeds and the most remote of terrains, really there is nothing working in your favour…

Again, Photography is an art, to even grasp a fraction of what there is to know takes decades and still you are only scratching the surface. Props to those that are doing it, props to those who are trying but from one ‘person with a camera’ to another, remember there is a lot of room to learn and a lot of room to improve. I know I know very little, I can learn a lot. I want to learn as much as possible.

Mind you these are nothing but the ramblings of a ‘person with a camera’ and who am I to give advice about photography?

Dustan

a photo by "a person with a camera"