2017
Santa Cruz Stage 1: Rossland
Date: July 29th, 2017
The Stage: Singletrack 6 kicks off in beautiful, historic downtown Rossland and explores the trails south of the city. After a mellow roll-out through the community, the route makes its way through a combination of double and singletrack, climbing on the manicured switchbacks of the Tamarack trail. A little more climbing on double track will bring you to the Crown Point descent; an old-school black xc trail linking to the valley bottom. Then it’s another leg-burning road climb up to the slightly more technical Whiskey descent. One final major climb will bring you back to the top of the Tamarack trail, which will give the chance for some downhill enjoyment, aiming you back to town for the finish!
Distance: Approx. 40.2 km
Elevation Gain: 1,600 m*
Maps: https://www.trailforks.com/route/2017-singletrack-6-stage-1-rossland/
FSA Stage 2: Red Mountain Resort
Date: July 30th, 2017
The Stage: Stage 2 starts and finishes at Red Mountain Resort, just outside of Rossland. The first 200 m of vertical will be gained right from the start line on ski area access roads, and then it’s onto the Paydirt descent back to the base area. From there, it’s over to the trails on the northern slopes of Rossland, starting with a climb up Techno Grind and then descending further onto Full Monte, Coffee Run and Milky Way. From there you’ll climb back into Rossland, past the cemetery and up North Star. Out on the upper slopes of Mount Monte Christo, you’ll circumnavigate the peak before heading back over to the resort. This is where you’ll complete the last big climb of the day to the summit of Red Mountain, with a final sustained descent returning to the base.
Distance: Approx. 32.6 km
Elevation Gain: 1,500 m*
Map: https://www.trailforks.com/route/2017-singletrack-6-stage-2-red-mountain-resort-4831/
Planet Foods Stage 3: Seven Summits
Date: July 31st, 2017
The Stage: The third stage is a real treat and all-around adventure, utilizing the famous Seven Summits Trail; an IMBA epic. A shuttle will be offered to the start area North of Rossland. This stage will utilize a time-trial format as the route starts directly into singletrack. At the beginning of the stage, you’ll embark on the biggest climb of the day, moving you directly into the alpine on remote singletrack to the upper slopes of Mount Lepsoe. A series of shorter, but still strenuous, climbs lead to fun and fast descents, culminating with a long descent to the south trailhead. But, luckily for you, the fun is not over – we’re including more descending on the Dewdney Trail descent all the way down to the highway! This stage is sure to leave you with a smile!
Distance: Approx. 35.2 km
Elevation Gain: 1500 m*
Map: https://www.trailforks.com/route/2017-singletrack-6-stage-3-seven-summits/
Garneau Stage 4: Smallwood
Date: August 1st, 2017
About Nelson:
Gold and Silver were discovered in the Nelson area in 1867, leading to a boom that firmly established the city on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake by the turn of the Century. Now a centre for culture and outdoor sports, Nelson boasts over 350 heritage buildings dating back to the late 1800s. The city was recently voted the Best Ski Town in North America, with Whitewater Ski Area a short drive from town, and countless mechanized and non-mechanized backcountry skiing options in the area.
Nelson also has a long history as a mecca for mountain biking. The area originally became famous as a destination for freeride and downhill biking and was featured in many early mountain biking movies like New World Disorder. The town features 7 distinct trail networks, some just minutes from downtown, primarily built by local rider volunteers. The Nelson Cycling Club oversees maintenance and development of the trails, including the development in recent years of many kilometres of new cross-country oriented trails, some of which will be featured in Singletrack Six including Fairly High and Upper Bottoms.
For stage 4, we will utilize the Smallwood trail network, just west of town and on Stage 6, riders will experience the Giveout Creek and Morning Mountain trail networks. Our base for the final 3 days of the event will be the Prestige Lakeside Resort in Nelson, which is just a short walk from historic Baker Street. On and around Baker Street you will find scores of eateries, two great bike shops (The Sacred Ride and Gericks), plus lots of other attractions and amenities. The final stage of the 2017 Singletrack 6 will feature a start at Railtown, the heritage CPR rail station and an in-town finish. We’ll wrap up the week with a final banquet at the Prestige, and an after party to follow.
The Stage: For stage 4, it’s off to Nelson and the Smallwood trail network. After 3 km of climbing on pavement, the route enters a short section of singletrack on Sproule Creek Trail, linking riders into the Sproule Creek Forest Service Road. Another 8 km of fast-rolling gentle climbing before the start of the toughest climb of the day… and maybe the week. Sweet Sally is a strenuous 400 m climb ascending high up the forested slopes of the Smallwood area. A couple more km of moderate climbing will take you to the top of the ridge, where you enter the Vallelujah trail. This singletrack is technical and challenging, and offers stunning panoramic views in all directions, including the Valhallas to the North. After a few km of rolling uphill, the trail turns to the south for some sustained descending, connecting into Antler Trail and then Smallwood Trail. A short but strenuous climb takes you to another great viewpoint, this time overlooking the Kootenay River and Nelson far below. Then you are rewarded again with the Bigwood descent back to the Forest Service Road. This fast roll along the FSR will take you to a final singletrack descent into the finish line.
Distance: Approx. 45.1 km
Elevation Gain: 2,083 m*
Map: https://www.trailforks.com/route/2017-singletrack-6-stage-4-smallwood/
Thule Stage 5: Kaslo
Date: August 2nd, 2017
The Stage: Following a morning drive from Nelson, this stage will start close to downtown Kaslo on the shores of Kootenay Lake. Stage 5 begins with a climb out of town on Highway 31 for the first 4 km. The climbing only continues from there, with another 4 km and 400 m of sustained climbing on forest road up the eastern slopes of Mount Buchanan, offering sublime views of the lake below. From there, it’s onto singletrack that traverses the mountain heading west. A short singletrack descent is followed by a climb up to the high point of the day. The trail is rugged and steep in places, occasionally unrideable, but also offers up some true joy. As you descend onto the lower slopes of the mountain, the grade eases off and the speeds pick up, cruising into the Nordic ski area. The route descends to the highway, follows the shoulder of the road for a few fast km, utilizes a pedestrian bridge to cross the Kaslo River and accesses the True Blue Trail network. This part of the course includes a couple of stiff climbs up Spanish Moss and the new Strawberry Ridge trail, before descending back to the airport and down to the river valley. This is where you’ll wind through the woods back into town to finish on the lakeshore.
Distance: Approx. 38.4 km
Elevation Gain: 1,822 m*
Map: https://www.trailforks.com/route/2017-singletrack-6-stage-5-kaslo-4830/
Tinhorn Creek Stage 6: Nelson – Giveout
Date: August 3rd, 2017
The Stage: Back in Nelson for the final stage, you’ll start in Railtown, just meters from downtown. A climb through the streets of Nelson will take riders into the community of Rosemont and onto trails starting with Silverking Trail. A few km of gentle climbing on the Giveout Creek Forest Service Road will bring you to the start of Fairly High, a new machine-built, bi-directional singletrack. You’ll continue climbing on Fairly High before popping back out on the road to finish the first climb up to the top of Upper Highballer. From there, you will start descending on a series of singletrack trails: Upper Highballer, Mister Slave, Illuminati, Born Again and Unit Cruiser for a total descent of more than 700 m to the bottom of the Morning Mountain trail network. From there, it’s a climb back up on Oilcan and Upper Bottoms, all the way to the top of Fairly High. Then, you get to enjoy this trail in the faster direction, continuing to retrace your steps down Giveout FSR and Silverking Trail with a stellar finish in Rosemont!
Distance: Approx. 38.9 km
Elevation Gain: 1,786 m*
Map: https://www.trailforks.com/route/2017-singletrack-6-stage-6-nelson-giveout-4893/
*Elevation data may be highly variable by device or mapping platform, as different software may use various data sources and calculation methods. Our total elevation gain for the stage is a middle estimate based on readings from multiple devices.