Hustle and bustle at the chalet this morning. There is a real mixture of riders here at Bear Back Biking which reflects the diversity of rising in Whistler. Downhill culture gets all the publicity because of the Whistler Bike Park but the variety of trails and facilities means that small groups will go off in different directions.

Today I had a guided ride off to the area known as Riverside which as it suggests is a series of routes up and down a steep sided valley with a glacial river flowing down the gorge. Beautiful spot with a choice of gravel forest roads or a network of swooping and dipping trails up and around the river. And once again the guys at Bear Back had pitched it just right for my level so I was really able to enjoy it.

Yesterday was very much about riding skills but today was more about scenery and landscapes, although as most cyclists knows that means more hills – you can’t have views without some climbing and for me why come to a mountain resort unless you are going to get up to a level, even with low cloud around.

And I got to meet the neighbours too!

The other highlight of the valley was the sheer exuberance of the greens in the little hollows and ponds which featured up and down the valley. It was almost temperate rainforest in its appearance with the combination of ferns and fronds, a rare combination in most countries.