Snow Biking

[Steve McDonald]

Now that Vancouver has been awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics, wouldn't it be good to have snow
bicycling used as their choice for an optional event? This is typically done with a ski for a front
wheel and metal cleats on the rear rim, instead of a tire. By the way, where will the snow be found
in this seaport city, that has generally mild and wet Winters? They must have some ski area picked
out way off in the mountains. They need to construct an offroad bikepath all the way there from the
city, that would have all ice and snow cleared a couple times a day, including a heat-evaporation
machine for all moisture on the surface. Whoever bicycles all the way to the events should get
half-price tickets.

Steve McDonald

 

[Zoot Katz]

Wed, 2 Jul 2003 19:01:12 -0700 (PDT), <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Steve McDonald) wrote:

>
> Now that Vancouver has been awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics, wouldn't it be good to have snow
> bicycling used as their choice for an optional event? This is typically done with a ski for a
> front wheel and metal cleats on the rear rim, instead of a tire. By the way, where will the
> snow be found in this seaport city, that has generally mild and wet Winters? They must have
> some ski area picked out way off in the mountains. They need to construct an offroad bikepath
> all the way there from the city, that would have all ice and snow cleared a couple times a
> day, including a heat-evaporation machine for all moisture on the surface. Whoever bicycles
> all the way to the events should get half-price tickets.
>
>Steve McDonald

The sliding sports areas are 116 kilometer north of the city in Whistler BC, where the World Cup
skiing has been rained out.

It's 90 minutes of intensive driving on a mountain highway. Seventy five minutes in good weather
when you know the road and with no traffic, a powerful bike, skill, and luck you don't see a
mountie. It's more like two hours with normal traffic and clear roads and legal speeds. Winter
weather slows it even more.

That's unacceptable to the Olympic Family so we gotta build a new road and fix the old one and then
not be allowed to use it for the seventeen days they're in town. It is presumed we will receive
their dispensation to exercise our rights and cycle the whole distance.

There is some bicycle infrastructure planned in the bid so we've gotta make sure that it all gets
built. I'll have to look if there's going to be a bike route to Whistler.
--
zk

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
(Steve McDonald) wrote:

> Now that Vancouver has been awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics, wouldn't it be good to have
> snow bicycling used as their choice for an optional event? This is typically done with a ski
> for a front wheel and metal cleats on the rear rim, instead of a tire. By the way, where will
> the snow be found in this seaport city, that has generally mild and wet Winters? They must
> have some ski area picked out way off in the mountains.

Steve: As Zoot mentioned in his post, the skiing is at Whistler. But Vancouver also has the North
Shore mountains (of freeride MTB fame) about 20 minutes from downtown. Three regional ski resorts
that begin about where the North Vancouver housing tracts end.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>, Zoot Katz <[email protected]> writes:

> There is some bicycle infrastructure planned in the bid so we've gotta make sure that it all gets
> built. I'll have to look if there's going to be a bike route to Whistler.

There's a highly roundabout way of getting there via a network of abandoned logging roads, but to
attempt it in the depths of winter would be an Herculean if not suicidal task.

Basically, go up Sylvester Road, yell "Hi" to Fabs when ya see him training on there, and keep going
past the end, toward Lytton. AIUI (I haven't made the trip, myself), then head for the coast.

But I'm familiar with some of the area. Watch out for the packs of feral dogs -- note where the
climbable trees are. If it rains hard, those tranquil little creeks become raging torrents almost in
the blink of an eye. Around Davis Lake, there's a layer of shale or schist that gets really slimy &
slippery when wet.

Resist the temptation to detour and look for the Lost Slumach (gold) Mine, which so many others have
done, and have never been seen again.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

 

[Fabrizio Mazzol]

"Tom Keats" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...
> > Basically, go up Sylvester Road, yell "Hi" to Fabs when ya see
> him training on there, and keep going past the end, toward Lytton. AIUI (I haven't made the trip,
> myself), then head for the coast.

Tom, nothing above Sylvester except active logging roads, no place to be riding your Vredestein
Fortezza Tricomps and Vittoria Techno Pros.

Any place off the pavement is just waste land, sadly this lame part of the country has way too much
useless waste land.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>, "Fabrizio Mazzoleni"
<[email protected]> writes:
>
> "Tom Keats" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...
>> > Basically, go up Sylvester Road, yell "Hi" to Fabs when ya see
>> him training on there, and keep going past the end, toward Lytton. AIUI (I haven't made the trip,
>> myself), then head for the coast.
>
> Tom, nothing above Sylvester except active logging roads, no place to be riding your Vredestein
> Fortezza Tricomps and Vittoria Techno Pros.

Of course. This is Brodie/Kona/Rocky Mountain country.

And better keep those Spinergy carrot choppers outa there, and on the bunny trails or roads instead.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

 

[Zoot Katz]

Thu, 03 Jul 2003 17:57:40 -0700, <[email protected]>, Ryan Cousineau
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Steve: As Zoot mentioned in his post, the skiing is at Whistler. But Vancouver also has the North
>Shore mountains (of freeride MTB fame) about 20 minutes from downtown.

Right, we're buying new snow making equipment and upgrading the facilities on Cypress so there can
be freestyle skiing and snowboarding events in West Vancouver.

Twenty minutes in a car won't get you over a bridge if traffic is normal.
--
zk

 

[Kevan Smith]

On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 03:33:29 GMT, "Fabrizio Mazzoleni" <[email protected]> from Shaw Residential
Internet wrote:

>Any place off the pavement is just waste land, sadly this lame part of the country has way too much
>useless waste land.

They'll be converting it all to good pavement soon enough for the 2010 olympics.

--
http://home.sport.rr.com/cuthulu/ human rights = peace If a person is FAMOUS in this country, they
have to go on the ROAD for MONTHS at a time and have their name misspelled on the SIDE of a
GREYHOUND SCENICRUISER!!
12:30:18 AM 4 July 2003

 

[Benjamin Lewis]

Zoot Katz wrote:

> There is some bicycle infrastructure planned in the bid so we've gotta make sure that it all gets
> built. I'll have to look if there's going to be a bike route to Whistler.

I assume they'll have to allow bikes on the new highway to Whistler, since there isn't a reasonable
alternate route. The current Sea-to-Sky highway really isn't too bad to bike on, although there's a
stretch of about 4 km at one point that get a bit uncomfortably narrow for some people.

As long as they don't put in any of those damned "rumble strips" . . .

--
Benjamin Lewis

On a paper submitted by a physicist colleague: "This isn't right. This isn't even wrong." --
Wolfgang Pauli

 

[Bernie]

Benjamin Lewis wrote:

> Zoot Katz wrote:
>
> > There is some bicycle infrastructure planned in the bid so we've gotta make sure that it all
> > gets built. I'll have to look if there's going to be a bike route to Whistler.
>
> I assume they'll have to allow bikes on the new highway to Whistler, since there isn't a
> reasonable alternate route. The current Sea-to-Sky highway really isn't too bad to bike on,
> although there's a stretch of about 4 km at one point that get a bit uncomfortably narrow for
> some people.
>
> As long as they don't put in any of those damned "rumble strips" . . .
>
> --
> Benjamin Lewis

I felt uncomfortable on the return highway run from the upstream end of the Cheakamus canyon back
to Squeamish. Some stretches are kind of close and tight - no wiggle room - and traffic is always
fairly heavy (weekend). It was rare on our 20 or so km return ride where I felt comfortable riding
in traffic. I've felt more comfortable and safe on a high speed four lane highway with a good
paved shoulder.

How bout a nice wide paved shoulder with "no stopping" and "bike route" signs ? Better yet, just
build a route accessible to buses and human powered vehicles only?? That would be a truly
revolutionary Olympics. Remember we cyclists and pedestrians have "free right" to be on the road.
Motorists must apply for "licence" to bring their motor vehicles on to the common road. Bernie

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
Benjamin Lewis <[email protected]> wrote:

> Zoot Katz wrote:
>
> > There is some bicycle infrastructure planned in the bid so we've gotta make sure that it all
> > gets built. I'll have to look if there's going to be a bike route to Whistler.
>
> I assume they'll have to allow bikes on the new highway to Whistler, since there isn't a
> reasonable alternate route. The current Sea-to-Sky highway really isn't too bad to bike on,
> although there's a stretch of about 4 km at one point that get a bit uncomfortably narrow for
> some people.
>
> As long as they don't put in any of those damned "rumble strips" . . .

Notwithstanding the special case of the freeway, has there been a recent major road-modification job
in BC that hasn't added a bike lane? The Barnet Highway has a very nice one to go with its extra
lanes and velodrome, and the recent Lougheed Highway reconstruction (due to the Skytrain extension)
also features big fat new bike lanes.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club