Squamish Trail Conditions (2012)

yeah i remember that line, never really got finished but was rideable, kind of a step/gap thing into an off-camber slab with a g-out into some bushes towards a cliff?

yup. that last slab/bowl was huge, you could carve it over 40 feet from side to side.

so much potential still in that little zone
i scouted some truly horrifying lines a few yrs ago, still gives me nightmares. totally rideable, but not for me!

anyone riding "ballhugger" off FM tower?

Rode ballhugger a couple of time last year and it's a fun line. It's kinda over quick so I opt for the Labour/Dope line to the climbers lot usually as it lasts quite a bit longer.
New/old Gouranga line is one of the coolest natural features I've ridden. Fun continues across the road too.

If anyone is riding the Mamquam FSR, watch for construction equipment [HTML_REMOVED] trucks on the road. Was up there on Sunday and this IPP project is in heavy construction mode, even on weekends:

http://www.runofriverpower.com/pages/our-projects/hydroelectric/skookum-power-project.php

east mashiter trails were prime today. we rode half nelson, hoods in the woods, the plunge and angry midget (one of my new favorite trails!). dry and fast but not dusty - maybe last week's dollop or rain was the ticket? oh and the new climbing trail is rad, definitely not too steep for tourists

Rode ballhugger a couple of time last year and it's a fun line. It's kinda over quick so I opt for the Labour/Dope line to the climbers lot usually as it lasts quite a bit longer.
New/old Gouranga line is one of the coolest natural features I've ridden. Fun continues across the road too.

Agreed, that new trail off Gouranga is super fun. Do-able on an AM bike too.

A group of us are camping at Alice lake this weekend. I haven't ridden much in Squamish other than the test race course. What are the "can't miss" XC trails? Does SORCA get a cut of that iPhone app?

A group of us are camping at Alice lake this weekend. I haven't ridden much in Squamish other than the test race course. What are the "can't miss" XC trails? Does SORCA get a cut of that iPhone app?

My pick for must do trails would be Entrails (Near Alice Lake), Somewhere Over There, Word of Mouth (In the Mamquam area) and the Cheshire Cat to Wonderland line from Cat lake. If you are feeling beastly, you could probably get it all done in a day, but it would be a monster of a day.

A group of us are camping at Alice lake this weekend. I haven't ridden much in Squamish other than the test race course. What are the "can't miss" XC trails? Does SORCA get a cut of that iPhone app?

Not sure about the app, but it sure is awesome and worth the money.

Biggles makes some good suggestions, but I think it all depends on your riding preferences. I'm not a big fan of Word of Mouth personally, and Cheshire is pretty fun but Wonderland is very flat and not my style. For a group XC ride of varying levels, those are all probably safe bets and you will have fun. But if you're looking for something a little spicier, some of the best in my opinion are Value Added (which has the best tech climb in Squamish, follow by a nice and wild descent with steep rock sections and great single track) to Icy Hole (to Larvacide for about as spicy as it gets on a trail bike, or stay on Icy Hole to Jacks), then up Jacks and Debecks to either Plural of Nemesis or Crouching Squirrel. Or maybe Entrails to Boney Elbows to Gouranga with the new section that continues over the road to Lumberjack. The other options off Debecks that splinter off Crouching and Plural called Kiki and Dirty Jane respectively are also lots of fun if you want to ride some fresher trails. Credit Line is very popular and not quite as gnarly as Value Added, close by to where you will camp and can be added to Crouching Squirrel or Plural of Nemesis nicely by climbing back up Jack's and Debeck's. Somewhere Over There and Word of Mouth will have you either driving or pedaling on a whole lot of boring stuff, and Cheshire is either a shuttle or a pretty long pedal on the highway, which if I was camping next to a wealth of awesomeness I would try to avoid.

Not sure about the app, but it sure is awesome and worth the money.

Biggles makes some good suggestions, but I think it all depends on your riding preferences. I'm not a big fan of Word of Mouth personally, and Cheshire is pretty fun but Wonderland is very flat and not my style. For a group XC ride of varying levels, those are all probably safe bets and you will have fun. But if you're looking for something a little spicier, some of the best in my opinion are Value Added to Icy Hole (to Larvacide for about as spicy as it gets on a trail bike, or stay on Icy Hole to Jacks), then up Jacks and Debecks to either Plural of Nemesis or Crouching Squirrel. Or maybe Entrails to Boney Elbows to Gouranga with the new section that continues over the road to Lumberjack. The other options off Debecks that splinter of Crouching and Plural called Kiki and Dirty Jane respectively are also lots of fun if you want to ride some fresher trails. Credit Line is very popular, close by to where you will camp and can be added to Crouching Squirrel or Plural of Nemesis nicely by climbing back up Jack's and Debeck's. Somewhere Over There and Word of Mouth will have you either driving or pedaling on a whole lot of boring stuff, which if I was camping next to a wealth of awesomeness I would try to avoid.

Not too much boring stuff on SoT really, if you start at the university, go up the new climbing trail, climb up to Angry Midget, then over Darwin's crossing and up STP, then you really minimise double track, and the clearing above STP is fairly short. Word of Mouth has a lot of gravel road to get to it though, but I think it's a great trail (but I love pedally, physical trails). Entrails-Gouranga is an awesome loop though.

If you go ride Word of Mouth.

Best to ride up to George's crossing, and take Fred, to link you to Word of Mouth. Much better route then taking the Ring Creek lower FSR road.

By taking George's crossing you can also ride up Skookum, down middle powersmart, to Fred, and then to Word of Mouth. Makes for a nice long trail connection.

Word of Mouth is one of those trails that you have to pedal. If you are fit, and on a smaller bike it is a ton of fun. If you are big boned, and riding a heavy bike, its a slog.

For shits and giggles type riding… Mike's loop area and Debecks (as Kram suggested) has a ton of fun trails. Probably the best spot to explore if staying at Alice Lake.

The Trail app is awesome - and often shows very new trails.

My pick for must do trails would be Entrails (Near Alice Lake), Somewhere Over There, Word of Mouth (In the Mamquam area) and the Cheshire Cat to Wonderland line from Cat lake. If you are feeling beastly, you could probably get it all done in a day, but it would be a monster of a day.

My favourite loop :)
Start with Cheshire (either drive up, or pedal through Cheekeye and Brohm), thru kitten and White Rabbit, up Alice Lake, Entrails-
Then either Icey Hole- Covenant - Coho Park grab some food - and pedal up Legacy (now called Grizz) to get to Word of Mouth OR
Out of Entrail, up the Mashiter, up the corners across the North North connector to Word of Mouth
Then up the FSR and across Ring Creek, first half the Plunge, SOT, and out Pooped Alley.
It is a big day, but a drive to Cheshire cuts half an hour off. Still makes for four in the saddle.

Not too much boring stuff on SoT really

I was meaning if you left from the camp ground at Alice Lake and didn't want to drive. The Angry Midget, STP, SOT loop is a good one for sure.