So Jonny and I (and families) are here at Silver Star Mountain resort near lovely Vernon, BC. This year-round resort is a mecca for skiers, both downhill and cross-country, but is also a top-notch biking destination. The lift carries armor-clad Donelle's to the peak every day, anxious to hammer down the myriad of trails cut through the treed dividers between ski runs. It also carried us, the spandexed Prairie geeks looking forlornly out of place.
Our first full day here we bought lift tickets to try our hand at downhilling. The ABES jersey and bibs were on full display (represent!) but we quickly noticed that everyone, yes everyone, was staring. Apparently we stood out. No armor, no baggy shorts, no long sleeved jerseys and full faced helmets. Oops. Fashion faux pas.
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| Jonny studies the map in the Village. |
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| Jacob riding some twisty downhill. |
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| The Hiebzkys riding the lift. |
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| Good to see "Southern Cross" is a black diamond run. |
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| William. |
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| The "Pipe Dream" run. Which is exactly what it was for us Prairie boys. |
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| JS and the chingas lovin' the easy way to the summit. |
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| Mia and Kate with the massive map of awesomeness. |
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| Kate and Cheryl shredding through the forest. |
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| Cheryl's so good she does these runs with her eyes closed. |
So Day One was fun. A lot of fun. We may have been country mice compared to the experts up here but that didn't stop us from smiling goofily all day.
Day Two we decided to try out the XC trails. A little more our style and definitely cheaper. Also our style! Kids came in tow for the first runs of the day.
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| Jacob and I. |
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| Dads and kids. |
Cheryl, Mia and Cindy climbed to the Summit via XC trails in the afternoon. Yes, all the way to the top. Mia proved that while still 8 years old she'll soon be leaving us old farts in her rear wheel dust. That girl kicked ass!
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| Mia ready to rock the Mountain. |
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| Cindy and Mia with one of many twisty bridges. |
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| Cindy. |
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| The Athena contingent. |
Then Jonny and I got our turn. We ascended the same way the girls did, summiting the mountain (I hate climbing btw) before snaking our way down the super twisty Snake Pit trail.
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| Me laboring up a climb. It's steeper than it looks. |
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One of the many bridges I successfully crossed despite my phobia of bridges.
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So two days down and two more to go. A ton of fun and a very steep learning curve. Cuyuna was fast and flowy with just a hint of climb thrown in for good measure. This is a little more punishing on the uphill but equally rewarding and more towards the MB technicality of trails. Keep you posted...
DS
