Details

How to get there

Sol Mountain Lodge sits at 1,900 m in the Monashee Mountains south of Revelstoke. The approach includes 55 km up a series of progressively narrower and rougher logging roads. Sol recommends four-wheel drive, though a high-clearance vehicle will probably be fine; flimsy racks won’t cut it on the bouncy roads. Most people come in from Revelstoke, heading south on Highway 23 to Shelter Bay and then onto the logging roads from there. All in, it takes about two and a half hours. From areas south, such as Nelson, it’s a longer logging road haul off Highway 6. Expect four hours of driving.

Where to stay

The lodge mostly has two-person rooms. With covid-19 protocols, the place is running at half occupancy for 2020 with every guest sleeping solo, unless with family members. “It’s going to be a great place to isolate,” Cooperman says with a chuckle. Where to eat

All trips for 2020 are catered by a chef who serves gourmet, hearty and filling breakfasts and dinners. Brown-bag lunches are made in the morning.

Where to shop

Plan to do any shopping and maintenance work before heading up to Sol. Bring extra parts, tires and tubes, and booze. There’s no bike shop or liquor store at 1,900 m, though riders occasionally find beer waiting at Sol Lake.

ant-size people down at the lodge, 300 m below.

Then, I thought I heard someone crack a beer. It must have been time to go. We turned downhill. With all the obstacles, we expected to work, but instead it flowed nicely. About halfway down, we turned onto Crazee Train and I took my fall. I picked myself up and I chased after Chris. We charged onto the descent side of Beacon Check, a natural roller-coaster of step-ups, kickers and drops. It’s one of the most enjoyable sections of riding I’ve ever done. “Oh, my God,” Chris said, back at the lodge with a massive grin, eyes sparkling. “That was amazing. Let’s do another lap.” We did two more.

The lodge was quiet at that time of year. That evening we made it our own, sprawling out in the large living room area, stretching in the dedicated space and enjoying the showers. (It’s one of the few backcountry lodges with hot running water.)

After a slow start the next morning, we retraced our route and headed out to South Caribou Pass. It was more of the same: fun, challenging and rewarding pedalling. There were awesome views at every rest stop, a lot of fresh mountain air and no one around.

The trail ends at Caribou Pass. Cooperman wants to loop it around to Infinity, but for now it’s a jumping-off spot. Straight up is the summit of Mount Fosthall, an easy scramble. On the other side of the pass are a couple of lakes hanging in a wide open plateau. In every direction, there was something to draw my curiosity. But the trails were so good, our time was tight and I had a date with Crazee Train. This time I planned to keep it on the rails.

“Oh, my God. That was amazing. Let’s do another lap.”