Sproatt Alpine Trail: A New Whistler Biking Adventure
Posted by: Pip Campbell
Across the valley from Whistler Mountain and the famous Bike Park, a new riding experience has been taking shape and there’s no lifts in sight. A dedicated crew of trail builders have been working on new trails on Sproatt Mountain which when complete will give riders a self-propelled alpine ride unlike anything else in Whistler. More of a backcountry day trip than a quick pedal, the loop will match a multi-use ascent trail with an 8 km long flowing blue descent through some of the most gorgeous scenery around.
We’ve been tracking the progress of theSproatt Alpine Project via the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association website and as first ride reports and photos started to appear we knew it was time to check it out. We sent a crew of riders up last month to get a feel for the flow – here’s your very own sneak peek at the Ascent Trail and the mouth-watering Lord of the Squirrels Descent.
Trail Information
You can check out Lord of the Squirrels and Sproatt Summit Trail on Trailforks. Please note the Alpine Ascent is still under construction, with the final work being done next year.
Current Trail Conditions
These new trails pass through the sensitive alpine environment. Like all new trails they can be damaged if ridden while soaking wet, and being at higher elevations will they will receive more rain than the valley. As per WORCA’s last trail report this trail should be considered closed as the autumn rains roll in. Please respect the work of the trail builders and stick to lower elevation trails like Lost Lake, Riverside, Kill Me Thrill Me in the wet.
Don’t be sad if you didn’t get to ride up there this year. When the full loop opens next summer (date will be snow and construction dependent) the trail will have benefited from a winter compacted under snow, making this a must-ride for summer 2017. We can’t wait.
Trails like this don’t just appear – there’s many people and organisations involved in building these trails as part of a bigger Alpine Trail Network program. Thanks are due to everyone involved including the Resort Municipality of Whistler, people working on fundraising initiatives, people and organisations donating to the project as well as those on the ground moving the dirt and rocks around, with the RMOW, WORCA and the Alpine Club of Canada working on trail construction.
Riders – please consider joining or donating to WORCA to support trail development and maintenance, and remember to high five trail builders if you see them out and about – or get involved in trail days yourselves. For help planning your next bike trip, Whistler.com is a great place to start.
Article source: https://www.whistler.com/blog/post/2016/10/05/lord-of-the-squirrels-trail-whistler.aspx
