The Kootenay’s is a region of mountains in the South East corner of British Columbia, Canada.
It is home to some fantastic MTB terrain, and has had a remarkable number of very well built trails.
If you are used to UK trail centre riding areas such as Glentress or Dalby then this place will blow you away. The riding is a mix of crosscountry loops and shuttle accessed downhill style descents. 2-3000ft descents are the norm here.
Highlights:
Eli Sim in Nelson is a great ride. It takes about 50mins to get to the top by a fireroad then you get a great fast flowing descent with plenty of intermediate stunts.
The Awakener
This is a route near Castlegar, BC, a great mix of advanced trail types
The wildlife here is amazing. So far I have seen 5 bears, all have been fairly relaxed so far and just slowly leave the area when they see/ smell you. Today in Rossland we watched one climb a tree searching for food. Other wildlife seen recently include Ospery, Deer, Marmots, Bald eagles, Mountain sheep, Humingbirds, Chipmunks and Beaver.
| Bear seen slinking away in Rossland |  |
| Rossland Riding |  |
The terrain here is not really any different to areas of the Alps. The difference is the huge effort local riders and clubs have put into the trail building which results in beautiful riding trails with plenty of oppurtunites to rip it up and improve your riding. If you love mountain biking this area is a must see.
I’ll post some more links to vids shortly when I get my helemt cam working properly.