A new Sea to Sky heli-biking trail is finally getting ready to welcome riders after "several years of dreaming, planning and building."
Whistler-based Blackcomb Helicopters announced last month that the new backcountry trail, located in the Ipsoot/Rutherford Valley area between Whistler and Pemberton, is scheduled to open to bikers this summer.
The opening of the new trail also marks the official launch of Blackcomb Helicopter's new adventure tourism brand, AlpX Expeditions, which the heli-biking trail will fall under. Though the company has been flying heli-bikers into the Pemberton area for years, this new AlpX trail is the result of a lengthy tenure application process that included five years of consultation with the provincial government, Lil’wat Nation Land Referrals Committee, Squamish Nation, resource organizations and local user groups, according to Blackcomb Helicopters.
Whistler-based trail building crew Howler Contracting is currently completing work on the site, which will result in 13 kilometres of freshly built singletrack. The final trail will include a three-km black diamond peak descent section, a 1.2-km climb and a nine-km-long intermediate blue rated trail following a ridgeline down to old growth forest, featuring a mix of singletrack and bike park-style flow sections, said Jordy Norris, Blackcomb Helicopters' director of marketing, tourism and sustainability, in a release.
“We wanted to build a trail that offered a world-class experience to riders of all levels. We believe we have done just that," he explained. "This has been years in the making, and we couldn’t be more excited to be up and running this summer.”
The advanced-intermediate portion of the trail, which begins at a ridge-top landing pad located at 1,920 metres elevation, is expected to open later this summer. "Anticipating a slower start" to the season following B.C.'s wet, rainy spring, the carbon-neutral company is currently taking bookings with a start date of Aug. 1, but will open up more dates in July if possible, said Norris. The expert section is expected to be ready to ride next year.
