Hornby Island

News/Video

Vital MTB Article about Vancouver Island:

http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/Rad-Rides-Eats-More-The-Vital-MTB-Guide-to-Vancouver-Island,1468

Darren Berrecloth getting some winter turns on Hornby Island:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFJYAAreVmY

Freehub Mag Article about Hornby Island:

https://freehubmag.com/articles/bucolic-beauty-slow-grown-flow-hornby-island-bc

Singletrack World Article about a little boat and bike trip that some friends of ours made here on the coast:

http://singletrackworld.com/2016/10/boat-n-bike/

Great article about the BC Bike Race from Joe Schwartz that made it’s way into BC Ferries Magazine and one of Canada’s most respected papers, The Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/advBCFerries0913/wild-ride/article14494172/

A recent visit from Seb Kemp and the Bikemag.com/Union Production Company, Feb. 2013.  Please have a read, was really cool to see these guys breaking the chains of conventional mountain bike journalism and travel and embarking on a soul filled winter trek:

http://www.bikemag.com/blog/feature-the-escape-day-6/

http://www.bikemag.com/blog/feature-the-escape-day-7-denmanhornby/

http://weareunion.co/escape/journal/

 

A nice photo in Canadian Cycling, Aug/Sept. 2012 “Improve Your Mountain Bike Skills” photo page 44

http://cyclingmagazine.ca/2012/07/sections/training-guide/mountain-bike-training-how-to-climb-and-descendsectionstraining-guidetechniquemountain-bike-climb-descend/

 

A 2011 article in one of the world’s most respected newspapers, The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/sep/09/mountain-biking-british-columbia-canada

 

New Promo Video from Campbell River!

Island Mountain Rides Featured on West Coast Escapes Television:


Island Mountain Rides featured in Comox Valley segment of Ride Guide:

Ride Guide 2011 Comox Valley segment

Island Mountain Rides article penned by French BC Bike Race intern, Julien Prenez:

http://bclifeadventure.blogspot.com/2010/10/road-trip-on-pacific-islands-with-bc.html

Island Mountain Rides article in North Shore News:

http://www.nsnews.com/travel/Island+trails+stuff+dreams+made/3616130/story.html

Island Mountain Rides, some sweet promo from Norona Life:

Dave Norona, professional motivational speaker/athlete visited with a group in Sept. 2010.  As you can see by the video, we showed them a real good time!

Island Mountain Rides featured on Pinkbike!

This is a sweet article penned by Sharon Bader of Pinkbike.  Photos and video by Lee Lau. Lee and Sharon came over from Vancouver and we did a sweet 4 day tour including; Cumberland, Forbidden Plateau, Hornby Island and Mt. Washington.

Check out the article at:

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/comox-valley-riding-trip-2010.html

Here are the videos:

Island Mountain Rides featured in Mountain Biking UK issue 248, March 2010!!!

Check out the article showing the great trails here in Cumberland, Hornby Island and on Forbidden Plateau!  Six pages of glorious glossy goodness!

Page 1-2:

Page 3-4:

Page 5-6:

Island Mountain Rides featured in Day 2 BC Bike Race Course Preview Video!

The Cumberland stage of the BC Bike Race is all on terrain that Island Mountain Rides can guide on.  Think you got the stuff to do the full 60km epic!?!?  Give us a call and we will take you on the full pull or a portion of it.

Cumberland

Cumberland is a small town with a storied history.  Settled in the late 1800′s due to the discovery of large deposits of coal in the area, Cumberland was a boom town at the turn of the century.  Beginning as a coal mining settlement, Cumberland was an active mining town until the early 1950′s.  Originally called Union after the Union Coal Company that opened the first mines, the name was changed to Cumberland in 1891, named after Cumberland County in England.  The coal mining operations were very large at the turn of the century and prosperity continued along for decades following.  The town’s population was 3000 in 1897 and is only just over 2800 today.  Prosperity began with mining, then logging and has now been replaced with recreation and culture.

In addition to mining operations, Cumberland has always had and continues to have an active forestry sector.  Logging in the area began in the late 1800′s and continues still.  Cumberland is surrounded by forests of varying age as a result and gives the area a unique mix of trails to ride.

The mix of mining and logging history has led to a vast network of old  roads that are now intermixed with an ample amount of singletrack.  From IMR’s base at the Riding Fool Hostel, we can access all of these local trails within minutes.  Cumberland trails are all homegrown, mountain bike specific trails, built and maintained by a small but hearty local crew.  The trails, like Cumberland itself are a nice mix of old and new.  Recently, the Cumberland crew has moved a staggering amount of dirt in a full scale effort to sculpt corners and create the ultimate network of trails that flow from the first minute you get on your bike.

IMR can show you all the goods, in the right order to maximize flow and descending time.  Leave the hard work to us and you can concentrate on riding your bike and having a great time!

In addition to the great riding, Cumberland has a vibrant arts scene and is close to other recreation activities.  Just past town and accessible by bike is Comox Lake and a short drive away is Mt. Washington Alpine Resort and Strathcona Provincial Park.  The arts and culture scene is focused around Cumberland Village Works.  This local promoter brings great musical acts into town regularly and provides a nice compliment to the vibrant recreation scene.

Come check out Cumberland’s trails, beautiful surrounding areas and the vibrant entertainment.  You won’t be dissapointed!

Contact:

For more information and 2009 pricing and availability:

e-mail: info@islandmountainrides.com

phone: 1.250.702.3940

Forbidden Plateau / Comox Lake

Two mountain bikers at Forbidden Plateau

Within 10km’s of Cumberland and the Riding Fool is the trails of the Forbidden Plateau/Comox Lake area.  This area has some of the best singletrack descents in BC and some absolutely spectacular scenery.  From the plateau’s trails you can see Comox Lake, Cumberland, Courtenay/Comox, Denman and Hornby Island and even over to the mainland and the vast expanse of the coast mountains.

Forbidden Plateau is an area rich in local history and folklore.  The name is supposedly derived from a local native legend.  The story has a few versions, but each version explains that a tribe or part of, “fell off” the plateau.  In the hundreds of years following that incident, local natives have generally avoided travel to the “Forbidden Plateau”.

European settlement arrived in the late 1800′s and the plateau has since been a recreation destination.  The first lodge was built on the plateau in the 1930′s and served as an access to the back country and to what is now Strathcona Provincial Park.   In 1949, ski lifts were installed and skiing operations began as Wood Mountain ski park. In 1982 the original lodge burnt to the ground and in 1999 a huge snow load collapsed the roof of the day lodge.  Since 1999, the lifts have not turned and what remains now are a few burned out buildings, the abandoned lift towers and some of the orange chairs of the main lift.

In 1946,the plateau was the epicenter for the largest earthquake recorded in Canadian history, measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale.  There was not much damage in the immediate area, but it was recorded that nearly all of the chimneys in Cumberland crumbled on that day.

The trails that Island Mountain Rides will show you descend down from the plateau, through mature and young forests. There are also open rock bluffs with spectacular views of the ocean, neighboring islands and the coast mountains in the background.  The trails are mostly downhill and vary from technical steep lines to fast, flowy rips with short climbs and stunning views.  IMR can take you there and will ensure that the ride down fit’s your style and needs.  IMR can show you the classics and link them up with the new school lines for a great day of singletrack descending.

The trails of Forbidden Plateau feed into the Comox Lake area trails including the trails of Puntledge Park and Nymph Falls Regional Park.  These recreational trails are well maintained and mountain bike specific.  The trails are fun, fast and roll smooth, sometimes near the banks of the Puntledge River.  Riding at Forbidden Plateau can begin and end with these trails as the two networks connect.  The Puntledge Park area also serves as a great day of riding for beginners as the Nymph Falls, Bear Bait and Bevan trails are a nice tight loop through large trees with periodic views of the river. For more advanced riders, the trails can be used as a throughfare on the way up and down from Forbidden. Feeling really fit?  These trails can also be accessed via road, doubletrack and singletrack right from Cumberland for an epic experience that you will never forget.

Following a great ride down from the plateau or around and near the river, relaxation along the Puntledge or a swim at one of the local swimming holes is always an option.  Island Mountain Rides can bring it all together for you and show you all that these areas have to offer.

Contact:

For more information and 2009 pricing and availability:

e-mail: info@islandmountainrides.com

phone: 1.250.702.3940