Course Description

THE GEARJAMMER RACE COURSE

* For 2010 note the course change from Plateau Dr. to the finish *

From the mass start chute in Alice Lake Provincial Park, racers will do a quick sprint up a forest services gravel road. A fast gentle uphill ride on the FSR (forest services road) takes you through the park area and up to the SORCA shelter by Cliff's Corners. Continue on past the shelter keeping left, onto a new FSRr for some distance, and then left onto Ed's Bypass.

Cruise down Ed's, then out, right, and on to the top of 'Rock n’ Roll'. Surf down Rock n’ Roll, then turn right on to Dead End Loop past the bottom of Made in the Shade. Ride down both sections of Dead End Loop, and turn right on to the Bob McIntosh trail. A big-ring rip down Bob McIntosh takes you back to the forest services road.

Cross the forest services road and continue on past Edith lake. Turn right to Mikes Loop, and climb to the top of the hill. A quick left takes racers down Mice and Men hill (careful!). From there ride Tracks from Hell out onto Mashiter. Left, up Ray's Cafe, Up Cliff's Corners, right at the top of Cliff’s past the same SORCA shelter as before, and out onto the gravel road over the Mashiter Creek bridge, with lots of short ups and short downs.

A sharp left off the main road at the Drink Station and onto a steep climb up a decommissioned logging road takes you to the bottom of Squamish's premier single-track climb, Skookum. Up through the trees, with some passing opportunities for those with the strength to commit, to the top of Middle Power Smart. A left down into Middle Power Smart, great cross country technical downhill through switchbacks and roots, and across a couple of log bridges to go down the IMBA Smart section.

At the bottom of IMBA Smart, racers enter an area where the course overlaps. The lower part of Skookumis next, now a wide logging road, down to George's Crossing. Go left up an old fsr, up and up and up (aint it grand?) then right onto Recycle.

Down recycle to the top of Pseudo Tsuga. Down the first section of Pseudo Tsuga, across the road, down the second section, cross the road and down our new section, Lower Pseudo Tsuga - a sweeping new section of single track with some interesting steep areas (also know as Flat Alley) to the Garibaldi Park road.

Once on the Garibaldi gravel road, racers do the short (and gentle) climb up to the *new* 'The Hell With Darwin' bridge across Ring Creek. A steep (but mercifully short) climb up the bottom of the Ring Creek Rip and a little level single-track takes you to the Powerhouse Plunge; some of the finest cross-country technical downhill Squamish has to offer. Racers will be grinning all the way down, if they can spare the energy.

At the bottom of the Plunge, racers cross the Powerhouse Bridge and climb up through our 2nd Drink Station before entering the Crumpit Woods area. At the top of the drink station area, turn right, and dive back into the woods, onto the new Farther Side. Development in the Crumpit Woods area has meant a new routing for the Far Side trail, and Lost Loop is now completely lost...but some would say that's no loss  So climb (yes, uphill again!) to the top of the new Farther Side, and enjoy the ups and downs to S&M Connector.

From the Farther Side go out to S&M Connector, and down to the gas cut. Turn right and climb up the cut to Three Virgins. At the top of the hill, hang left onto Seven Stitches. Ride all the way down Seven Stitches to Summer's Eve then out into Raven's Plateau, in the Valleycliffe area of Squamish, then right on Plateau Drive.

Along Plateau, (new for 2010!) right to the end and through the connector to the Hospital Hill neighbourhood.  Turn right at the road to the end of the cul-de-sac and into the the trail which traverses the hillside to the base of the bluffs.  Down the trail along the bluffs to the climber's parking lot.  Left out of the parking lot onto Loggers Lane a short bit then into the parking lot and Rose Park for the finish.

Congratulate yourself. Massage the cramps out of your arms and legs. Smile.