Trail builder Riley McIntosh has been in the process of starting a bike vacation business for quite a while now, and this year it is coming to fruition in a big way. Enter Rilor Wilderness.
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This is the first of a two part interview with Riley, mostly detailing his story and where he is going with Rilor Wildernes. Enjoy this introduction, as I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from Riley in the future, as well as the cinematic masterpiece hidden within!
Hey Riley! First off would you like to introduce yourself to the members at Ridemonkey?
My name is Riley McIntosh, I am 25 years old and have lived in Nelson, BC for 8 years, and have been mountain biking for 14 years.
Can we get a little background on what you?ve been up to for the past few years, since you got your start in the proverbial ?scene??
Well I?ve been pretty involved in mountain biking since I first started riding and trail building on Vancouver Island at the age of 11. I went and worked on the Whistler Bike Park trail crew when I was 18, learned lots riding there. The last couple years my focus has moved away a little from crazy trail building and more to flowy fun stuff, that?s what is the most fun to ride.
Trail building has been, and continues to be, an essential part of the sport. What are some trail building projects that you have been involved with in the past?
Well my first trail building was on Mt. Tzouhalem in Duncan, BC during junior high. My friends and I built and worked on lots of different trails, I think my true first trail was a fast little one with a really steep hill on it called ?Beside B-Line? We also built a really fun one called Assassin that has since been wrecked by a golf course development. I moved my efforts across the valley to Mt. Prevost in high school and added a bunch of berms to the old horse trails up there. I also had a really involved stunt trail near my house called ?TV Sucks,? that was definitely my ?magnum opus? so to speak, I?ve never put so much effort and time into a trail since.
And now it?s all about Rilor Wilderness, what?s the idea behind that and where do you see it evolving?
Well Rilor Wilderness comes from a pretty simple wish which is kind of the ultimate dream; to ride bikes and build epic trails all the time and just live a life style of creating something from the ground up that one day is like my own little mecca, my vision of ultimate mountain biking. I was largely inspired by a couple named the Drurys from Meadow Creek, BC who started the first Cat Skiing operation in the world. Their story is just so pure and the basis of all their efforts was the amazing powder skiing they had found. They basically worked their assess off all year in the Oil Patch to make enough money to run a bunch of guests through their amazing ski terrain; In the early days they?d ski 30-40 guests through their terrain in a season, lodging them in their attic, guiding them, cooking for them, working on their snowcat all night to get it fixed for the next day (laughs), basically losing their shirts in the process and then heading right back to Alberta to work for 8 months straight so they could go back to Meadow Creek and do it all over again. Nowadays they have a beautiful lodge and cat ski tenure that has created so many incredible experiences for so many people. That is what I imagine that I am creating and am working towards.
Where is Rilor Wilderness located?
Rilor Wilderness is located in the North end of the Slocan Valley, on a property on Slocan Lake, 1 hour north west of Nelson, BC.
What are your thoughts on the Slocan Valley, and why is it the perfect spot for a mountain biker?s heaven?
Well I think there are many many places in the world that already are and could one day be absolute mountain bike meccas. For me, the Selkirk mountains and general area around Nelson just captures my imagination when it comes to mountain biking. There are already so many great trails, and the potential for new ones is huge. Due to the epic amount of mining trails built during the silver ore mining boom here from the 1890?s to the depression and subsequent drop in mineral values in the 30?s hundreds of trails were built in the local mountains, and many of them are spider webbing through the hills, unused to ready to be re-kindled into unreal rides. I have a folder on my computer called ?dream trails? that features around 25-30 Google earth maps frames where I?ve drawn a little red line where I want to build a new trail. The opportunities to create amazing rides to compliment what is already here is just mind boggling.
Where do riders eat and sleep during the adventure?
The riders stay in our ?Grizzly? lodge which is 2600 square feet and is perched on the edge of a cliff with unreal views of the lake and the Valhalla range of mountains. The lodge is super cozy and when full of people kind of has a ?ski cabin? or ?summer camp? kind of feel. I really want to encourage that; a riding trip that is also a cultural experience where guests are sharing something unique together and just living a special lifestyle for a few special days. Between all the riding, the cozy beds, our chef?s unreal cooking, massages, yoga, etc I?m trying to offer my guests my idea of 4 really really radical days of mountain bike culture. When we arrive back at the lodge at the end of the day the appetizers are out on the deck waiting, beers are in the fridge and the view is just captivating.
SPeaking of which, what usually goes down at Rilor apres bike?
Well the main thing is the lake, for sure. We have a huge dock and it?s so perfect to just grab some appetizers and head down to the water to chill out. Last year it was so awesome to be down on the dock after a full day of riding while the light slowly faded, and dinner was being prepared up in the Grizzly. Quite Luxurious. Getting excited for this season right now! (laughs)
As it is a guided bike experience, who are the guides, and is that the world?s best job or what?
Well the guiding aspect is huge. My philosophy is that since we are building and maintaining the trails we are kind of prepping ourselves to be able to guide our guests on these trails in a unique way, in terms of giving them really complete rundowns on the trails, watching their riding style and being able to suggest lines or ways to ride certain sections, etc. I really think Anthill films hit the nail on the head with the title of their new film coming out in the spring, ?Follow Me,? because that is such a fun part of riding with friends and new people, just feeling that vibe of having so much fun and being able to say ?follow me? and just knowing they are going to love the next section of trail. Of course safety is a huge aspect and I have designed my safety program from what the cat ski operations in this area are doing. Level 3 first aid training, radio communication, etc are standard procedure.
What skill level do the trails at Rilor cater to?
Rilor Wilderness is offering intermediate level riding. Although this is kind of a perception thing/sliding scale type statement, I am doing my best to maintain and craft trails in such a way that less confident riders can enjoy and push themselves, and very aggressive riders have lots of great berms and features to keep them really stoked.
Look for the second part of the interview next Monday, where everything from the licensing agreement to the new film Life Cycles get discussed.
