Granite and Dirt

     Mother nature; the source of beauty and endless wonder held in our Maritime region of the world. Through the limitless adventure it holds, have you ever felt the sensation of the rushing air 

 Have you ever felt the wind rushing through your hair? The sound of rubber losing its grip for a fraction of a second on the dirt? Or even the sound of  a suspension shock as it absorbs a high speed drop off a rock? If you don't, these are some of the sounds one would hear while mountain biking.
Although Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec are all well known for their extravagant amounts of well maintained downhill trails, there is a distinctive variance with the terrain of the east coast of Canada. We are a land of essentially cross country style riding, where one's physical endurance is put to the test on a mixture of dirt and gravel shaped by builders, roots laden haphazardly through time, and deposits of granite moulded by cooled magma from within the Earth's crust, dating back hundreds of millions of years. While the sport of mountain biking in central and western Canada have a certain allure of extreme speed and the rush of adrenaline whilst cruising at high speeds down a mountainside, in NS at least, it changes gears in a multitude of aspects.

     As I have said before, Nova Scotia has a slew of trail systems that are cross country style, meaning you're moving primarily on a horizontal plane, along with some uphill climbing, small descents, as well as small drop offs. Given the large areas of granite deposits, our little hideaway in North America contains many trails of which are a novice to advanced level of riding, which can create difficulty for entry level riders, such as myself. Trail systems like Halifax's Fight trail and Whopper dropper are prime examples of the granite-riddled lines that require familiarity, a fellow experienced rider, and a trail repair kit in case of a blown tire. While such systems are for the more disciplined riders, there are also numerous trails where a beginner can find ease and entertainment, as well as still getting a sufficient workout. In the Halifax area, one such trail system would be the Spider Lake trails, containing mostly dirt trails albeit with minimal maintenance, as the land is owned by Halifax Regional Water Commission, and is a watershed for the municipality's water supply. For trailgoers outside the city, Trailflow, in conjunction with the town of Wolfville, has built the Resevoir trail system. The Resevoir's well kempt trails, professional signage, skills area, and locale in the middle of Wolfville, a bustling University town, has made it somewhat of a hot spot for riders in the area, both new, and the experienced alike. Trail systems like the Resevoir can be seen as a crucial piece to developing, and expanding the sport of mountain biking in Nova Scotia to reel in new, and young riders.

     Although most have fond memories of learning to ride a bike as a child, not too many have carried such memories to the trails that dot the landscape of New Scotland. Mountain biking in Nova Scotia is certainly still a niche sport, as there is not a large sum of young people within the sport's local scene at this time. This begs the question of why aren't we getting more young people into the sport? A multitude of factors can be contributive to the why, such as: A lack of an organized facilities with on site staff (for comparison, think of ski resorts for school ski trips), as well as the costs involved with the sport; a new mountain bike can range from $1000 all the way up to $10000, and even further up from there. Due to such high costs involved with new bikes, bike shops even offer financing options for folks looking to purchase a new bike. On top of the cost for a bike, a new helmet can cost anywhere from $100-$200, then there are numerous accessories than can rack in an additional $500, not to mention maintenance costs per season, depending on the usage one employs on their bike. With all these costs, it can be hard to justify putting their children in the sport when there are few avenues for advanced development, especially when compared to the offerings in skiing, snowboarding, and especially hockey, along with the costs and organizations encompassing each sport.

    There are still a number of groups, primarily run by volunteers, that help regulate and foster the sport to some degree around the province. One such group is ECMTB, a local online forum for folks to post about mountain biking in different facets. The curator of the site also organizes a weekly group ride at various spots around the province, year round, for free, enabling members to explore trails in a group setting. Other local organizations, such as rideeast.ca, Trailflow Outdoor Adventures, as well as the local Mountain Equipment Co-op store, host various clinics, updates on riding conditions, and trail maintenance and upgrades. Trailflow, a local company offering guiding and trail building services, implements numerous jobs every riding season, performing trail maintenance, upgrades, as well as new trail design and construction. Additionally, they also offer clinics, as well as a mobile skills park for community events.

     With these factors, one question mark remains as to the direction of the sport in our little corner of the world; will it develop, much like the winter sports in our communities? Or will it simply be favoured with an older generation, similar to that of sports like golf? 

     With these factors accounted and observed, what is the future of mountain biking on the east coast of Canada? While there are numerous volunteer organizations overlooking the sport from many parts of Nova Scotia, will it be enough to guide the sport's future? Given the numerous trail systems that receive regular attention from local riders' Instagram accounts, is it benefitial to make them more well known whilst only having minimal trail maintenance? The fortitude of the sport over time will surely depend upon the current generation of riders, as well as the volunteers that overlook the sport here, to adopt a younger generation into the sport, and explain the benefits of a tubeless upgrade, dropper posts downloading Strava to keep track of one's stats every ride, and see who's king of the mountain.

Lost in transition

Winter: the element of desire when it comes to a niche market enjoyed throughout the world. Despite our anticipation here in the Maritimes, we are only allotted an extreme lack of prevalence for the sensation of crisp air piercing our skin and sound of snow crunching beneath our feet. This time of year holds a certain lifestyle for us. If you thought I was talking about Christmas, then you’re at least half right. I'm talking about the ski season. We are snowboarders and skiers, and we are slaves to the love that we have for these few short months. If we’re lucky, you will find the majority of us working at our local ski hills to satisfy the craving. I had approximately 70 days of bliss this year, working as a snowboard instructor as well as a terrain park supervisor, at my home hill of Ski Martock.
     Though Summer’s antithesis delivers us delight, it isn't without a bittersweet debt to be repaid. The spring, the shoulder season, bears an essence where we can only reflect and recover, and hunt for a means to get us by until the next winter rolls around. Without a doubt it is the biggest cause of what I like to call the "post-shred depression". We're laid off, taking time to finally sleep in – if waking up as late as 9AM counts as sleeping in – and we get a bit lazy.
     In the past few years, it’s become more apparent that all of us at the ski hill go through this phase, and it’s an unavoidable part of our devotion, like undershooting a jump and knuckling it. But what if there was a way to combat it? What if there was a way to pin it, and sail into the sweet spot of the landing after the winter is over? What if the season didn’t end?
     Although it is a fairly uncommon solution, there are select individuals that make the pilgrimage below the equator to New Zealand and Australia, as our seasons oppose. Before you get all starry-eyed, it is important to realize the cost of pulling a year round winter is definitely not inexpensive. Flights to the South Island of New Zealand can set you back anywhere from $1,300 to $1,500 one way, not to mention the $2,500 for a round trip. As if the airfare wasn’t enough to deter you, the fact that you’ll be working a minimum-wage gig to pay for the Ichiban noodles and cheap beer while extending the ski bum life just might. Nonetheless, if your heart is truly set on this commitment, it means you're going to need a work permit and lots of savings, as in the application process it is required you to have a certain amount of cash on hand before you’re allowed to travel there. Immigration NZ's monetary requirements for their Canadian Working Holiday Visa is at least $4,200 NZD (New Zealand Dollars) which is $3,900 and change in Canadian dollars. If you can weave your way through the hoops you have to go through to obtain a working holiday visa for down under, then I’d say you’ve put in the work and deserve every piece of your paradise.
     Given my own personal experience with the frostless depression – and everything that I do to battle it – I’d like to share that it is definitely an obstacle that is easy to overcome. Through my own healthy balance of strength training at the gym to hiking and writing, I can say I have managed to stay content. The amount of activity we face as winter enthusiasts is enough that simply doing nothing will only heighten the cabin fever.
     So, in conclusion, although the end of another winter season means storing away our boots and boards/skis, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of us being outside and active. If anything, our thrill from this exhilarating sport drives us to be more active in all seasons in a multitude of ways, and it's all a matter of finding what you're most passionate about, and sticking to it like spring snow to the top sheet of your board or skis.