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The Mountain Biking Capital of Canada throws the Rossland Rubberhead Bike Festival

Published by Connie Motz, Writer

Country: Canada

The Experience

Rossland, B.C., is widely known for two things: powder skiing and snowboarding during the winter, and mountain biking in the summer.

With only 4,000 residents year round, the population of Rossland is nearly the same as its elevation of 3,400 feet, nestled in the Monshee Mountains of southern British Columbia.

In celebration of its mountain biking roots, each Labour Day weekend in September Rossland is home to the Rossland Rubberhead Bike Festival. Limited to the first one hundred racers, the Rubberhead attracts participants from across Western Canada.

The Dreaded All Mountain Challenge is the main event of the Rubberhead Festival, which takes place on Saturday at the local ski hill: Red Mountain Resort. This two-part race (Dread Head Up, and Dread Head Down) sends bikers first 1,329 feet up the Red Mountain summit trail, and then down the Red Dread Head trail back to the base of Red Mountain. Featuring fast corners, jumps, gap jumps, wide-open spaces, amazing scenery, and tons of pine trees, this course challenges riders to their maximum fitness and ability levels.

Eric Gross was the winner of the Dreaded All Mountain Challenge in 2009 with a time of 31.22 minutes for the Dread Head Up, and a dizzying time of only 3.33 seconds for the Dread Head Down.

The next event in the Rubberhead Bike Festival is the Huck en Berries Bike Jam, which is held at Centennial Bike Park in upper Rossland. This jam-style bike competition is offered to several different age categories. Riders are judged solely by other riders participating in the event, and so display their tricks accordingly as they utilize the jumps and slopes. With a deejay on site, the music pumps as the riders get in as many runs as they can within their allotted time. Winners of the Berries Bike Jam are designated as the King and Queen Berry Huckers. Centennial Park also offers a selection of food venues, a beer garden, plus entertainment throughout the day.

Saturday is also the day for the Little Grom Event, especially designed for children aged 4 to 10. Kids are encouraged to dress up in costumes for riding the oval track, but most of all, to just have fun during this family-oriented event. Prizes are awarded to the kids in a variety of categories, including one for best costume.

Sunday marks the last day of the Rubberhead Bike Festival and its final event, the Seven Summit’s Poker Ride. This non-competitive event takes riders along the challenging 22-mile course that spans seven mountain peaks and takes in picturesque alpine meadows, forests, and amazing views of the valleys below—all the while climbing 3,396 feet in elevation.

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When to Go to Kootenay Mountain Biking

The best time of year (actually the only time of year) to experience the Rossland Rubberhead Bike Festival is on the Canadian long weekend in September. Mountain biking can be enjoyed in Rossland, and in nearby Trail, from early spring to late fall where riders of all abilities will find numerous trails to choose from.

Odds n' Ends

The Kootenay Columbia Trails Society provides trail maintenance for all approved runs in the Rossland-Trail area. See the link to their website that features up to date information about each trail, as well as a downloadable trail map. The Society manages 32 trails covering 170kms, including the Seven Summits Trail, an International Mountain Bicycling Association Epic Trail.

One of the best things about Rossland is that trails are just minutes from anywhere in town. In most cases, there is no need to drive or shuttle out to the trailhead.

Want a Guide?

Rush Adrenaline Adventures
Whistle Tours Backcountry Ski Touring

Places to Eat

Rock Cut Pub
Gypsy at Red
Idgie's

Recommended Places to Stay

Cascade Lodge
Redstone Chalets
Prestige Mountain Resort & Conference Centre

More Experiences Nearby

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Elsewhere on the Web

Official Site
Trail Map
Mountain Biking the Kootenays
Rossland features 170km/106mi of some of the best mountain biking trails in the world. Trails range from wide, gently sloping rail trails to terrifyingly tight-and-twisty single-track.
IMBA Epic Trail: Seven Summits
Adventerous mountain bikers will be thrilled by the Seven Summits trail in Rossland. This point-to-point adventure holds over 30 kilometers (19 miles) of rolling singletrack with beautiful mountain vistas, some steep ascents and thrilling descents.

Language Guides

French , Italian , Japanese , Lao , Portugese , Russian , Spanish , Turkish , Vietnamese are some of the languages spoken in Canada. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!

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