Free Drop Off to the Bow Valley and Calgary
This is how it works:
1. You're in Squamish between August 21 and 27. This is the easiest part.
2. You'll look at the routes and pick between the vert challenge or the classics challenge (or both, fortune favors the brave...), then you go run the routes.
3. As you complete the routes, you will stop by the SkiUphill Booth at the Arc'teryx Academy Vendor Village (Pavillon Park, Squamish), pick up your challenge postcard and get it stamped by Joel or Rob. Evidence of completion for each trail will be needed. Accepted pieces of evidence include, but are not limited to... strava files, summit photos, a spoken word poem describing your run, a photo essay and so on. Note, you don't need to have the postcard to start the challenge.
4. Once you have completed the trails on your postcard, come and see us at the booth and we'll treat you to some gifts, a giveaway entry and more. You'll love it.
On August 26 and 27, we'll go run two of the vert challenge routes in the AM before the Vendor Village opens up.
August 26th - EVAC @ 9 AM: https://fb.me/e/3TUbyEQS9
August 27th - Big Drop Valley @ 8 AM: https://fb.me/e/233kyTSCp
Snag your postcard at the vendors village on the Academy weekend
Or meet us in Squamish between the 21st and the 27th!
The "Classics"
Four Lakes Loop
To live fully is [in part] to be attunedto the nuances of beauty offered by our exterior world. With this in mind, Slow down, see and feel the aesthetic goodness provided to you by Alice, Edith, Fawn and Stump lakes.
Smoke Bluffs Loop
This trail will take you past crags where masters of the rock climbing world have honed their craft. Enjoy the views from the bluffs. Or, if you're a climber, use this as a scouting mission to get your eyes on some future projects.
Stl'lhalem Sintl' to Low Down
THIS RUN WAS MODIFIED TO AVOID MTB TRAFFIC. PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF RIDERS.
An emblematic run of the western temperate rain forest. Looming trees, mammoth ferns and the vibrato of Swainson's thrush will make your worries recede against the lush simplicity of this run. Go hard if you want, or take time if you need it.
Trails in order: Stl'lhalem Sintl', Half Nelson Access Doubletrack, Recycle, Down Ring Creek Access Road, Low Down 1-2-3, Flat Alley, Reverse Stl'lhalem Sintl'.
The "Steeps"
Sea-to-Sky Evac Route
A grind for the mind and the body. Infamous as the squamish test piece for coast mountain athletes - stairs, roots and the steep angle make the kilometers drag by. You'll love it.
The Chief - First Peak
Adorning walls and lockers of every teenage dreamer, images of the chief attract rock climbing supplicants the world round. For runners, the trail to the top is a spicy bit of coast mountain fun too. Give it a go.
Big Drop Valley Trail - Slhanay
An underground favourite for some of the legends of canadian mountain running. The ups work your grinditude; the downs test your delicacy and poise. See what running on the coast is all about.