During the summer, when Golden locals aren’t able to ski in the surrounding mountains, one of the most popular ways to continue to enjoy mountain activities is on a mountain bike. Golden is well-known for its many great mountain biking trails, and when the snow melts our local Kicking Horse ski resort transforms into a downhill mountain bike park, with stunning trails that begin high in the alpine.
One of the most well-known worldwide events for mountain biking is Crankworx. When held in Whistler, BC, this event is the largest annual gathering of members of the mountain biking community. After beginning in Whistler in 2004, Crankworx grew to become an international multi-stop festival tour. Since last year, one of these stops has been in our town of Golden, on a tour known as Crankworx British Columbia.
Crankworx British Columbia is an event designed for viewers to be able to watch at home during the pandemic, as a way to limit the huge gatherings that the Whistler event is known for. The tour has three stops, which include our local Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, along with nearby Silverstar Mountain Resort, and Sun Peaks Resort.
Along with events at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, the Crankworx British Columbia stop in Golden also includes a downhill mountain biking race on our infamous Psychosis downhill race course on Mount 7, an iconic mountain in Golden which towers above the town.
The course begins on a steep paragliding launch site high upon the mountain, and descends into the double-black diamond trail known as Dead Dog. It descends more than 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) of incredibly steep and technical terrain, and includes a hike-a-bike section midway through the course.
Although Golden locals are unable to attend the events in person as spectators, it is certainly still exciting to see the competitions taking place in our home town.