photo credit: @bentjenkins
For immediate release: September 16th, 2019
Rossland, BC is often referred to as the Mountain Biking Capital of Canada and now, with the completion of the final single-track section of the Seven Summits trail, they have another reason to own this title.
September 13th, 2019 Rossland, BC –The Seven Summits trail is the only mountain biking trail in the Kootenays with IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) EPIC status and is one of four IMBA epic trails in Canada.
Obtaining IMBA Epic status has several requirements. It must be technically and physically challenging, at least 20 miles in length and be more than 80% single-track. It must also denote a true backcountry riding experience and must be a demanding, mostly single-track ride in a natural setting. Though Seven Summits has met these criteria for many years, the newly completed section makes the entire 29km trail single-track. With the optional “Dewdney Trail” downhill section, the ride is a 35km single-track epic.
Stewart Spooner, from the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society, says that the Seven Summits Trail was built in 2004, but early-on much of it was unrideable due to its condition and steep incline. “For the past 15 years we’ve been replacing these sections, piece by piece, with high quality bike-able single-track trail, and we’ve finally linked up the entire trail as 100% single-track. It’s quite a milestone, and will cement the Seven Summits trail’s reputation as one of the world’s great mountain bike rides”.
With the knowledge, skills and hard work from the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society, Tourism Rossland was able to assist in the completion of the non-single-track portion of the trail by using some of the funding they received from the Resort Municipality Initiative.
Andras Lukacs, the Executive Director of Tourism Rossland is extremely excited that the “crown-jewel of the Rossland single-track trail network” was completed this summer. “It is a spectacular ride that should be on the bucket list of every mountain biker, trail runner and hiker. On behalf of the tourism industry, I would like to congratulate the KCTS for this accomplishment and thank the organization for their leadership and expertise. We see increased summer visitation in Rossland in part due to our incredibly built and meticulously maintained trail network that helps our partners to deliver exceptional visitor experiences.”
If you would like to learn more about the Rossland trail network or the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society, visit www.tourismrossland.comor www.kcts.ca
About Tourism Rossland:Tourism Rossland is Rossland, B.C.’s Destination Marketing Organization and works collaboratively with input from all Rossland tourism stakeholders. The organization is a registered non-profit society which was formed in 2007.
About KCTS:The Kootenay Columbia Trails Society is a registered, non-profit society, based in Rossland B.C., funded by and serving the communities of the Lower Columbia region. The organization exists to manage, maintain and develop a regional network of recreational trails for a variety of non-motorized trail users. These trails serve as a popular amenity for local residents, and as a significant draw for visitors.
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