Sol Mountain Lodge Season in Full Swing!
The Backcountry Ski Canada crew are at the Sol Mountain Lodge in the beautiful Monashee mountains near Revelstoke, British Columbia, to take part in their season, which is in full swing right now.
(click photos for larger views)
Before you begin to wonder just how this is possible in the middle of September, let us clarify that it’s the midst of their mountain biking season. Sol Mountain is one of the only backcountry lodges in Western Canada that has purpose-built singletrack riding during the summer months and we’re going to be sessioning all of their trails over the next few days.
Revelstoke is quickly becoming world-renowned for its epic alpine riding (notable trails include Frisby Ridge and Keystone) but Sol Mountain is the only place where you can stay in a luxurious alpine cabin (full catering available) and enjoy singletrack that is literally on your doorstep.
Looking east from the lodge over the Monashees.
The lodge was established in 2004 and owners Aaron Cooperman and Paul Person, along with a crew of four builders and a professional trail designer, started building the bike trails in July 2013. Since then they’ve put in 14km of singletrack including a 1.4km machine-built downhill blast called “Sassy Toe,” which they just completed last week.
During the summer season accessing the Sol Mountain Lodge requires a 2.5-hour drive from Revelstoke and a lot of it is on logging roads (a 4WD is recommended). When we first arrived we were blown away by the size of the lodge (10 bedrooms spread over 3,500 sq ft), the location (it rests at 6,300 feet and looks out over Monashee Provincial Park) and the amenities (yoga room, large living room and kitchen, hot water, indoor washrooms, stocked bar, sauna, WiFi, and all-mountain full suspension bike rentals to name just a few).
Then we went for a quick introductory lap down Sassy Toe, which boasts berms, rock drops and small kickers and returned up the flowy, 2km-long “Park and Ride” trail. We had such a good time on the latter we immediately turned around and blasted back down it to take advantage of the smooth corners and the fun rock slab stunt. Afterwards we reluctantly put our bikes away to prepare for dinner but stay tuned for more reports from both the biking and hiking trails around Sol Mountain Lodge in the next few days. After all, the season’s in full swing here!
Vince enjoying the mellow up of “Park and Ride.”
Scoping a fun rock slab ride on “Park and Ride.”
The Deets:
Location:
Sol Mountain lodge is located on the east side of Monashee Provincial Park near Revelstoke, British Columbia. (UTM 415199E 5589278N)
Amenities:
10 bedrooms spread over 3,500 sq ft, commercial-sized kitchen with 2 propane stoves and ovens, yoga room, large living room, hot water, indoor washrooms, stocked bar, sauna, WiFi, and all-mountain full suspension bike rentals.
Price:
$95/person per night for a self-serve and self-guided stay
Lending a hand to automotive owners everywhere.
The youngest of our crew (age 11) threads his way through alpine meadow towards the lodge.
