This is hilarious, check out the inset reactions as Kona’s Regular Joe regulates some burly Bolivian singletrack.

Photo: Cam McRae/NSMB

What can Joe teach you? He’s carved out a life that involves getting paid to ride and ski for most of the year. He’s a guide for Big Mountain Adventures as well as a coach at Summer Gravity Camps in Whistler and at his own camp in Calgary in the summer. Come winter he’s leading paying customers at heli and cat ski operations around B.C. – but not this winter. He’s paying some dues and doing some learning – as you’ll see.

Read Cam McRae’s full interview with Joe on NSMB

Homecoming
There is a certain comfort with the trappings of home. The familiar nooks and crannies of a house that one has grown up in, the hiding places, the comfort that is bred through this familiarity. The trails I grew up on evoke similar feelings. After spending a couple summers away from the Kootenays I enjoyed a homecoming this August. The summer was full of exciting adventures and new experiences, but I was looking forward to re-visiting the trails I once knew so well.

More than just the trails themselves, the feeling of re-immersing myself in an environment that nurtured me from a young age was a comfort in itself. The stoic and silent mountains that I grew up in seemed to welcome me as I climbed up the logging road towards the first Kootenay trail of my return. Even the scents of the forest seemed familiar, reminding me of my youthful adventures on the very same mountain. As I dropped into the trail, I was struck by not only vivid memories of the singletrack ahead, but my body also remembered, muscles anticipating explosive moves that lay ahead. It was like I had never left; two seasons of absence erased in the few moments it took to push off at the top. The track had evolved over time, of course, but I had evolved too, and I was ready for any surprise or alteration to the trail. Favourite lines re-introduced themselves, and new routes popped up as well, some of them attacked and some of them noticed too late, but committed to memory for the next chance at the trail. That chance might be the next day, or maybe two more years away.

It is an intoxicating feeling to return to trails that have ingrained themselves on my riding style. These trails didn’t just leave a mark because of a single good day once upon a time, but these nooks and crannies of the forest left an impact on me as a young person, moments that played a crucial role in life decisions that led me to where I am today. To re-visit these special parts of my upbringing was uplifting and re-assuring. And not to mention some damn good bike riding too.

Jason Remple looks south down Kootenay Lake, in interior British Columbia

Hunting for Singletrack
It all started with a vague idea, the connection of a destination with the faint promise of singletrack. Salt Spring Island offers all the elements of a great weekend get-away; ocean, funky town, amazing farmers market, and a laid-back island culture. The only thing missing from the picture was confirmed and recorded existence of sweet trails.

Knowing nothing of an existing bike scene on the island, I started in the place where all searches start these days: Google. The lack of information that popped up was surprising, but I continued to investigate. Armed with a couple phone numbers I started dialing. My phone calls led to very little, as the girl at the kayak store seemed to have never heard of mountain bikes, the tourist board had closed early, and the mountain bike association contact was the voice mail for a physiotherapist office.

Many of the best discoveries happen by chance, so I discarded my technological aids and went with the old fashioned way: show up and hope I run into a knowledgeable local. When we arrived on the island we went straight into the cozy town of Ganges to take in the amazing farmer’s market that happens every Saturday. As we perused the fresh produce and funky crafts that the market had to offer I kept my eye out for anyone wearing telltale bike clothing, or sporting chainring scars, or the more obvious clue of flashy bikes hanging off a truck tailgate. I spotted no such signs, as the predominate choice of attire at the market was long scarves, dreadlocks or “sporty” West Vancouver polo shirts.

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Crans Montana Bike Park from Joe Schwartz on Vimeo.

The Kona Groove-Approved Bike Park of Crans Montana is located in the Valais region of Switzerland. With panoramic views of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, and of the Matterhorn, this park delivers in majestic vistas and in rad terrrain for mountain biking. There are only two tracks, but both are long and demanding. One is a machine-built berm fest, and the other is a World Cup ready DH course. Both are exciting and action packed, and are very worthy of Kona’s Groove-Approved label.