Less than a year after leaving, the wife and I were back in Western Canada, this time for a visit and a holiday. We’d attempted to do the drive down the Pacific coast from Vancouver to Los Angeles in Autumn 2010 but only made it as far as northern Oregon. I was stood in Portland Saturday market eating a rather tasty Philly cheese steak sandwich when I got a call from my sister in the UK to say my Grandma had had a heart attack and was very ill. During that day she got worse so we made the decision to abandon the trip and return to the UK. This left us with a half completed trip and a strong feeling that my Grandma would not wanted to have stopped us doing the trip and that we should finish it off this year.
We started back in Vancouver to see our friends and remember why we loved the place so much. One of these loves was the mountains and how easy it was to access the best places in the world for outdoor activity. So, two days in, off we went to Whistler for a days mountain biking. Nich came along this time too after a weekend training course in the Welsh hills. It was an amazing day. Great weather, great riding and great for Nich to finally have a go on a full Downhill rig!
In Whistler Village
This time around, and after my week in Les Arcs in the French Alps, I attempted some of the more tricky runs. But the super fast, jump heavy highways like ‘A-line’ and ‘Crank It Up’ are still my favourite experiences on a bike. I knocked together a short video with the help of some music from ‘Clutch’.
DAVE CHEESEMAN 