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By Glen Petrie
Particular to the Calgary Herald
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“Biker down,” stated my information into her two-way radio as I abruptly discovered myself within the snow, nonetheless straddling my e-bike. How embarrassing. I’d let my eyes drift off the path to absorb a view of snow-capped peaks and drifted onto the gentle shoulder.
“You OK?” Solely injured satisfaction. The surroundings, I spotted, must look forward to the following photograph cease.
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I used to be driving with a small group alongside Banff’s Brewster Creek Path, led with cheerleader gusto by Clare McCann, founding father of Bikescape Excursions. In summer season, it’s a horse path, however our steeds had been battery-powered fats bikes. It was probably the most enjoyable I’ve had in winter with out skis on my ft.
“Our objective is to offer you a ridiculously enjoyable, critically protected journey,” Clare says. “With fats tire e-bikes, it’s such an accessible and distinctive backcountry expertise.”
Bikescape provides two- and four-hour excursions on the again roads and trails across the city of Banff, however Clare’s specialty is bespoke journeys, no pun supposed. Drawing on her data of native trails and situations, she’ll devise an journey to swimsuit anybody’s objectives and health stage.
“You simply need to know methods to experience a motorcycle,” Clare says. Bikescape supplies bikes, helmets and snacks.
Our tour to the off-grid Sundance Lodge was considered one of Clare’s customized concepts. The journey could be performed in a day however we’d organized an in a single day lodge keep.
Nobody in my group had any fats tire e-bike expertise, but after a fast lesson within the car parking zone all of us traversed the path with out issues, my careless spill however. The bulbous tires of the bikes are made for winter. The resistance of snow is definitely compensated with battery energy, even on the uphill. With a flick of a swap and a contact of the pedals, my 30-kg steed rocketed up the path as if being pushed from behind. The experience felt like a sluggish curler coaster I piloted myself.
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“I wouldn’t take individuals right here on an analog bike,” Clare says. It’s 11 kilometres with an elevation acquire of 173 metres and the snow could be mushy, making for a tough slog aboard a push-bike.
We rolled up and down by means of towering lodgepole pines, alongside ravines and throughout wood bridges over Healy Creek. We paused for snacks amidst a winter mountain scene that regarded straight out of a vacation greeting card.
Bikescape is the birthchild of the pandemic. Clare, an skilled information, took her children on fats bike rides as a socially distanced exercise. Quickly her pals and neighbours requested if she’d take their children alongside as nicely. A brand new enterprise thought was hatched.
McCann and her employees are the park’s solely licensed bike guides. “It’s a must to know the place to go,” she says. “I do know when a path goes to be icy or slushy, however a customer from out of city just isn’t going to know that.”
In an hour or so we reached the comfortable, 10-room Sundance Lodge, constructed and maintained underneath a park licence by Jonathan Welsh, proprietor of Uncover Banff Excursions. We had been welcomed into the normal log cabin by a crackling fireplace and gourmand charcuterie board. Huge, cozy armchairs make it too straightforward to go to sleep. The proficient employees serves meals that may put a few of Banff’s finer eating places to disgrace. Actually, among the Sundance cooks additionally work at well-liked eating places on the town. (The lodge requires advance discover to arrange for a bunch.)
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Photo voltaic-powered lights and gasoline stoves belie the actual fact there isn’t a electrical energy. No mobile service both; Sundance is the right place to go darkish. Actually. With no gentle air pollution, galaxies of stars crowd the night time sky.
Whereas we stood within the deafening silence, necks craned towards the night time sky, I requested Jonathan if there may be wildlife within the space. “Oh certain, bears – grizzlies however principally black bear. Coyotes, wolves, bighorn sheep, elk. A marmot lives underneath the cabin out again.”
The lodge is open Thursday to Sunday in January and February and could be reserved on-line for people who make the journey on their very own bike, or on snowshoes or Nordic skis.
Bikescape will take teams of two or extra to the lodge and again on a half-day experience, and guides could be booked to accompany an in a single day journey. The lodge is roomy sufficient to accommodate guides in addition to friends, or guides can escort the group in and return the following day to steer them out. Typically, households, teams or corporations will reserve the whole lodge.
“Six individuals is an effective quantity to divide the price of the lodge and guides,” says Jonathan.
The experience out the following day was much more enjoyable as a result of it was principally downhill. Plenty of thrills and no spills.
For those who go
Bikescape’s two-hour Style of the Trails Winter Tour is $169 per individual. A four-hour intermediate tour is $239. Bespoke journeys could be quoted. https://bikescape.ca
Sundance Lodge is $259 per individual, per night time, together with meals. Unique lodge rental is $3,365. https://horseback.com/sundance-lodge
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