As Hairy as You Want It in Prince George
The northern B.C. city expands beyond its downhill roots
When Rollin Chalifoux moved to Prince George, B.C., a decade ago, the mountain bike scene was limited to roughly 40 downhill-minded riders. Just this past summer, when Taber Mountain opened its lift-access downhill terrain, the size of the current bike community – which now stretches into the thousands – all came out to celebrate the latest addition to the area’s booming trail scene. “I was blown away by the number of people who were out riding,” says Chalifoux. “It’s sick and the trail networks are blowing up across the city.”
The Dh-only mindset has long since disappeared, too, as three distinct trail networks serve nearly any style of rider. To go along with the 10 lift-access downhill trails at Taber Mountain, Prince George has two trail networks that sit on opposite sides of the Nechako River, each 10 minutes from downtown. Otway is the city’s best cross country zone, with a stacked-loop system that gets progressively more technical the farther you ride.
“I’ve been looking for an escape route to leave P.G. for a while,” jokes Chalifoux, “but Otway is the reason I stay. I’ve ridden all over British Columbia and it’s my favourite place to ride. The up tracks are flowy and fun, but when you point it back downhill, it can get as hairy as you want it to.”
Across the Nechako River, the Pidherny network has grown up from its unsanctioned Dh-only origins to become a fully sanctioned enduroriding zone ideal for modern trail bikes. “In 2012, we received the first financial grants and it really started to develop,” says Ben Yeager, the self-proclaimed full-time fun-haver at Ruckus Skis Boards and Bikes. “That’s when Papa Woods was built as the original signature trail with four to five big structures and the biggest jump line in Pidherny.”
These three distinct trail networks place Prince George on the cycling map alongside its regional neighbours in Williams Lake and Burns Lake. While Prince George is the easiest of three to get to – thanks to the larger regional airport and central B.C. location – visitors are only just finding their way to the local trails.
“People don’t realize what we are sitting on and just how many great trails we have,” says Yeager. “Nobody will be disappointed here. With the only chair-access riding in northern B.C., I’m sure we’ll see more people visiting. It’s going to change everything.”
Change is something the city knows well. In 1981, Prince George was the second largest city in the province and its natural resource– based economy thrived behind three pulp mills, plywood-manufacturing facilities and multiple sawmills. The original mountain pine beetle epidemic, which began in the 1980s, started the decline of the ultimately unsustainable economic boom.
When the forestry economy slowed down, Prince George reinvented itself into a serviceindustry centre. As the central transportation hub between B.C.’S northeast and northwest, Prince George emerged as the de facto capital of northern B.C. Along with its 71,000 residents, the city now acts as the major service destination for nearly 250,000 people living in the region. Since becoming a major government and transportation hub, new developments have attracted major retailers and new tourism operations that only bolster the growing local community and tourism markets.
Prince George is located at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers, where watersports dominate local recreation. While it’s possible to fish within walking distance of downtown, other recreational opportunities are seemingly endless. There are more than 1,600 lakes and rivers within a 150-km radius of the city. River boating is a local favourite, but there are plenty of canoe, kayak and sup opportunities for visitors looking for a quieter piece of nature.
In recent years, the downtown has seen significant change, as well. Locally owned restaurants, such as the Copper Pig bbq House and Twisted Cork, provide a local sense of identity, while the province’s northernmost winery gives the city a unique edge.
“The up tracks are flowy and fun, but when you point it back downhill, it can get as hairy as you want it to.”
“The past five years have had exponential growth for the community,” says Chalifoux, “and the same is true for our bike trails.” Recent trail builds, primarily by a group known as the ygdr build crew, include some inspiring wood structures that rival anything on Greater Vancouver’s famed North Shore. New England Clam Chowder has some fear-inducing wooden structures, but it’s the newest trail – Kitchen Sink – that is primed to become the zone’s definitive trail.
Aptly named after the “everything but the kitchen sink” cliché, the trail packs in nearly every style of enduro riding into a single segment. Halfway along the first handmilled log-balance feature is a rasta-painted stone dog that Yeager admits has circulated the Pidherny trails since the very beginning, disappearing for stretches before popping up randomly on different sections of trails. From that point, the trail steps up the adrenalin factor with each full-throttle corner. A 16'-tall wooden ramp with a technical S-turn entrance is the first of three major features. The following two are polar opposites. One is a high-speed ramp that accelerates riders onto a new section of trail. The other is a roller-coaster that is so steep that trail builders installed matching “slow” and “slower” signs along its approach. In between the technical features are a series of wide open flow sections complete with small jumps and berms.
Kitchen Sink ends in the middle of the trail network, leaving the possibility for a short climb back toward the ridgetop for a lengthier descent or to connect simply with a series of trails that lead farther downhill. Almost every ride ends with an all-out speed-fest down Ditch Pig that finishes at the lower parking lot.
“It flows so quickly that we’ve held chainless downhills on that trail. There’s just one section you have to run, but mostly it’s just about staying off the brakes,” says Yeager.