The Bears Paw Café, Frog On The Bog, and Whitegold Adventures present 7 Summits Bike and Hike Challenge Wells/Barkerville, BC. September 18, 2010

Click here for photos from the 2008 Challenge!

I PROMISE UPDATES WITH 2009 RESULT INFORMATION AND PHOTOS IN FEBRUARY 2010!

7 Mountain, 7 Stages and 7,000 Feet of vertical....one day!

2008 Event Results(click here)

The 2010 7 Summits Bike and Hike Challenge will be run on Saturday, September 18, 2010. The race route is well marked and staffed with great and dedicated volunteers at strategic locations.  2010 will see some route changes to keep the old hands on their toes!  Entry fee of $40 covers the race, cool participation prize, organization, transportation of bikes, First Aid and some drinks. Meals are on your own, except lunch on race day. All profits will go to support the Friends of Barkerville. who have lovingly rebuilt and restored most of the trails that we ride on, and who support to preservation of the historical context in which our region is set.

We wanted a race that was challenging to do, but still accessible to most people. I think this fits the bill. Our Alpine environment is fragile and irreplaceable. Our intention with this event is to raise awareness about the beautiful Alpine resource that we have in this area. These days, this environment is under a lot of pressure from a variety of recreational and industrial sources. We wanted an event to raise awareness about how to treat it right. There are portions of this race that are technically rideable but shouldn't be ridden, due to their fragile nature. That's why we have the mix of modes of transportation. We produce a pamphlet in conjunction with the race to help riders to appreciate the historical and environmental significance of each section of their route. Unfortunately, this includes opportunities to see the rapid negative impact of two-wheel and four-wheel recreation on some of the environments that we will only be hiking through.

• Friday night Concert and Dinner at The Bear's Paw Cafe in Wells
• Optional Breakfast package at the Paw at 6:00 am Saturday
  
• Start time is 7:30 am at Barkerville - Mandatory Pre-race meeting at 7:00 am
  
• Finish line is at the Bear's Paw in Wells
• Post-Challenge Dinner Package available.
  
• Must Haves: Fleece, raincoat, warm hat, repair kits, a hiking pole, big lunch, snack foods and plenty of water

Travel stats look like this:

Viewing Wells from Slide Mountain

Start in Barkerville at 7:30 am and race up through Historic Barkerville Townsite to Groundhog lake (in the alpine)...hike Agnes and Bald Mtn, return to bike and ride the ditchline back to Cow mountain, overlooking Wells. Hike up Cow mountain and back to your bike.  Ride down the face of Cow Mountain and enter Wells to refuel and water. Ride to the Northeast on paved and gravel road over to Mount Murray Trailhead.  Drop your bike, and hike up Murray, along alpine ridges to Slide mountain, and descend Slide. Meanwhile, we move your bike to the bottom of Slide, and then you ride over Downey Pass back to Wells via the 1 mile road. 7 Mountains and 5 Summits later, you're home!

There is some significant down-hilling on some portions of this ride, but you're going to want your cross country bike because there is some hill to climb too.  All the riding is on existing mine roads or ditch lines. There is a very minimal amount of single track and it is level (along a beautiful abandoned ditch-line on Cow Mountain). The whole race looks like a giant figure-eight.

 

Distances and elevations look like this:

• Groundhog lake on Mount Agnes with Mount Murray in the Distance

  Total Distance 56 km
• Total Hiking Distance 18 km in 3 separate stages
• Total Biking Distance 38 km in 4 separate stages

1. From Barkerville to Groundhog lake at Km 7
2. Hike 2 summits  (7 km) return to bike at Km 13)
3. Ride to Cow Mtn trail at Km 23
4. Summit Cow (1560 m) (1 km hike return 100m elevation gain)
5. Ride to Barkerville Hwy at Km 28
6. Ride to bottom of Murray at Km 33
7. Hike to top of Murray (highest point at 1993 metres) and over to Slide (1935m) through a 1850 m pass
8. Hike to bottom of Slide Mtn trail elevation (1200 m)(total hike 11km) at Km 42.5
9. Bike to Wells over Downey pass and Cornish Mountain (elevation at pass:1300m)
10. End at The Bear's Paw (1200 m) Km 52

In 2007 it took two old guys 11 hours, at a moderate pace, taking pictures and eating food to measure the course.  Most Participants beat this time, despite a raging storm! In 2008 ALL participants finished in great weather in under 10 hours and the fast, fit guys could do it in under 7 hours. There are cut-off times at three locations to help you understand your progress. If you don't make the cutoff time to each of these locations, you don't proceed for safety reasons.

 

• 7 SUMMITS CHALLENGE POSTER (.pdf 1.5 mB)
• 7 SUMMITS CHALLENGE ENTRY FORM (.pdf)
• Route Map (.pdf 2.8 Mb)
  
• Important Pre-Race Info (.pdf 32 kb)
  
• Interpretive Route Guide (.pdf 978k)

• Meals and Accomodation Packages, and extra Information

For more info, hard copies of registration forms or details, contact:

7summitschallenge@gmail.com

Cheryl Macarthy / Dave Jorgenson
The Bear's Paw Cafe / Frog on the Bog Gifts
Box 206, Wells, BC, V0K 2R0
Toll Free: 1-866-994-2345

On the slopes of Mt. Murray with Mount Agnes in the Distance

Whitegold Adventures Box 206 Wells   BC V0K 2R0 Canada adventure@whitegold.ca

Phone: 1 250 994-2345 Toll-free (N America): 1 866 994-2345 Fax: 1 250 994-2347Member: Wells & District Chamber of Commerce Recreational Canoeing Association of British Columbia Cariboo Tourism Association

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