Technical Trail Feature: The difficulty levels of mountain biking trails

Mountain biking is a great sport for focus and a even better way to stay in shape. Although it is fun at times, it can be difficult and dangerous if you do not know what to do or where you are going.

Mount Seymour has trails categorized as Green (beginner), Blue (intermediate), Black (advanced) and Double black (expert). To narrow it down, a green trail is for all riders. You can go on them even if you just learned how to ride a bike, most greens are just a flat mellow dirt path. Blue trails are for people with a little more experience; they have more turns and different features you won’t find on a green. You need some bike control to get through a blue but overall they are mostly simple. Black trails are for the advanced and only the advanced riders, especially on BC trails. They can go from nothing to gnarly really fast. They can have skinny wooden features and steep rockwork depending on the mountain or trail. The last one is Double Blacks: expert riders only. They have some crazy features you would not find on any other trail system such as everything on Black runs, long carved out log rides sometimes up to 10 feet over creeks, and natural rock faces that can go from really easy to crazy hard and steep.

These trails and difficulty levels are all different so make sure you always follow someone the first time you go down any trail so you know what to do and how fast or slow you need to go.

Mount Seymour is just one of the amazing destinations for mountain biking in British Columbia. I’ve had the chance to ride on its most popular trails. I strongly recommend knowing your skill level before taking the trip up because north shore mountain biking and any mountain in BC is known for its steep technical trails that not everyone can handle. But don’t get me wrong–there is something for everyone.

There are signs near the start of trails with the trail’s name and the skill level needed. I rode the trails Severed D (Black), Corkscrew (Black), Boogieman (Double Black), and John Deere (Blue). They all have been well maintained, with nice dirt on John Deere, fun rock work on Severed D,  amazing wooden ladders and bridges on Corkscrew and Boogieman is just something else. It has absolutely crazy features such as high skinny bridges, a steep rooty descent, and big drops. There is some even I won’t touch.

Take a look at the video I made of my trip:

• At 0:00 to 0:06 of my video, it shows a 5-foot wooden drop on a trail called Deer John.
• 0:07 to 0:18 are on the Corkscrew–it has some of the most fun wooden features on the north shore, especially now that they have expanded the trail.
• 0:19 to 0:51 is on Severed D with many steep and technical roots and long loose sections that I don’t recommend stopping until you get to the bottom.
• 0:52 to 0:57 is the ending of a trail called Incline with a few mini jumps that are fast and flowy. It’s a great fun way to end a technical trail.

Overall, the trails on Mt. Seymour are flowy and very technical in spots. I recommend the blues on this mountain. You have to be fairly comfortable on your bike. When I say be comfortable I mean you must know how mountain biking works and how to control your bike through the steep, technical and skinny parts. Don’t be fooled by the rating. If you are an intermediate or beginner going on your first black or double black make sure to go with someone experienced. Trails are rated difficult for a reason. You can easily get hurt or injured. Also you’re in the middle of nowhere so always go with someone for safety. Having a partner can also makes you feel more confident while riding. Always go in the day especially during fall or winter because it gets dark around 5:00 and it’s dangerous if you don’t know the trail you are going down. Please be safe while mountain biking: always use a helmet and I recommend pads, too, so when you fall you have a less chance of getting hurt. If you want to try a new activity with your friends/family, or just wanna have fun and go for a ride, mountain biking is very fun pass time and who knows if you get better and better you could start racing and or go to events for competition. Great practice for focus, patents, and a great way to stay in shape. So go out there, and have a good time, but make sure you know your difficulty levels and stay safe.

TTF is a column that talks about mountain biking and mountain biking trails, written by Zoetough. Want to learn more? Ask Zoetough by emailing 8fortymagazine@gmail.com. Your identity will always be kept confidential.