[kootenaytallboy]

Thinking of a move to Ottawa, and I'd love to get some beta on the DH riding in the area. Obviously, I know Bromont is kinda close (how close?), and a little research has turned up Camp Fortune nearby. How about some of the eastern US locations? Also, information on all-mountain style riding would be appreciated.

p.s. I currently live in Vancouver

Thanks in advance!

 

[slyfink]

Ottawa's actually not that bad for riding, but you'll find there isn't really all that much AM riding, it's more XC oriented. It can be pretty burly if you know where to look, but it's not like out west, where you'll ride up for a while, and then reap the rewards of the down. Here it's more up and down and you're pedalling all the time. Try having a look at these two sites: http://www.mtbkanata.com/ and http://ottawamba.org/ to get a sense of the local riding scene. Kingdom Trails in Vermont can be worth a road trip, and they're about a 5 hour drive from Ottawa.

As for DH, Camp Fortune is actually pretty good. It's like a mini-Bromont. It's 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa, and the lifts run every second wednesday and on weekends in the summer. The trails are generally pretty rocky and slick, and there's one or two steep trails. Expect 2-4 minute runs if you're doing top to bottom non-stop runs. If you're into in, you can race either the Quebec or Ontario circuit. I think most hills are within a 6 hour drive of Ottawa.

Calabogie Peaks had a bike park, and it had much smoother trails and was a bit jumpier. But they closed last year, and their status in uncertain for the foreseeable future. It was about an hour drive from downtown Ottawa.

Bromont is rad and it's 3 hours away. Whiteface in Lake Placid is also rad and it's also 3 hours away. I haven't driven to Plattekill, Highland, Diablo or other New England hills (I know, Diablo isn't in New England), but they're at least 7 hours driving. One thing I've been considering is a weeklong road trip to check out all the destinations one summer. Could be fun.

Mont Ste Anne is about a 5.5 -6 hour drive from Ottawa.

All in all, I'd say Ottawa is pretty good for riding. It certainly warrants more than one bike: I have a DH, a burly XC bike (Spec Enduro), a road bike and a city bike. I spend most of my time on the Enduro, but in the summer I take advantage of running lifts as much as I can.

One caveat. If you like the AM biking, and are into pedalling, Gatineau Park is fantastic. but it's all illegal. I've been busted twice now, and it's a $125 fine. My hatred for the NCC (National Capital Comission) knows no bounds...

 

[banj]

Sly covered most of it, but I'll add a couple of things.

First off Camp Fortune ran the lift every Wednesday night this past year for dh, hopefully we'll have the same next year. Gatineau isn't all illegal, it's just that most of the good stuff is. Camp Fortune is in the park and has a lot of good DH and XC/trail riding, it's a small hill but it's covered with trails of various difficulty. It's fun to ride with the lifts running or without.

 

[kootenaytallboy]

thanks for all the info!