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Whistler, BC’s Tyax Air flies mountain bikers to ‘finest flowing single-track’ in Canada—the only in the world.

It’s a novel way to gain elevation in the area that birthed the hardcore mountain-bike movement. Wimps, stay home.

by Masa Takei 31 August 2010

Tyax Air’s got an interesting way for mountain bikers to gain elevation. British Columbia’s Whistler Mountain Bike Park makes use of ski lifts. Freeriders on Vancouver’s North Shore usually shuttle up with trucks. Fit riders, on such epics as the Seven Summits in Rossland, depend on good, old-fashioned pedal power. 

But at a piece of wilderness about 100 km (62 mi) north of Whistler, BC, a lucky handful of off-road aficionados can jam into Dale Douglas’ ’61 de Havilland Beaver for a quick airlift to Spruce Lake Provincial Park for a day of unparalleled single-track bliss at 1,570 m (5,150 ft). Trails etched by miners’ packhorses in the semi-arid country of the South Chilcotin yield some of the finest flowing single-track in the country.

In the summer, riders can expect to pass through meadows of mind-blowingly vibrant wildflowers with snow-flanked mountain peaks in the background. Douglas, a former National Veteran Cross-Country champion and bush pilot, owns and operates Tyax Air, offering an array of single-day and multi-day trips with the world’s only floatplane mountain-biking operation. Many trips are done in conjunction with Tyax Wilderness Resort (although it is closed for renovations until winter 2011) on Tyaughton Lake, taking full advantage of its Euro-style mountain lodge. Floatplane-assisted pedalling, topped with a fine meal and soft bed, makes for one memorable day out.

www.tyaxair.com  
www.tyax.com
www.hellobc.com
 
video:
Experiencing BC on Two Wheels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrMS1TnarS4
Mountain Biking - The Ultimate Ride
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNqkfyMnrAc

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Usage guidelines

We welcome you to use these story ideas as inspiration for your own stories about Canada. The CTC owns all rights worldwide. (Our images are also royalty-free and available for editorial print, broadcast and electronic use.) If you choose to reproduce these texts for editorial use only, please include the author's byline and "courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission." If you cut, edit or modify the text in any way, please include this note: "The text has been modified from the original." Thank you.

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Photo credit : Victoria Island, Northwest Territories © NWTT/Terry Parker - Background Image