Full Boar Challenge

10 years for the Challenge

Words by Dan Gronross.

The event started off in true Full Boar fashion. I woke up at 7:30 am freezing cold, with a splitting headache and the unmistakable sound of rain hitting the top of the van.

We had planned on doing the Full Boar many months ago on Johnny Smoke’s insistence that it was a really fun low key event that was more about the experience than the time that you finished in. A B.C. classic that just happened to turn 10 this year! Yep for ten long years the event has been entertaining the hearts, minds and livers of the participants and spectators alike.

The start line, complete with a fine dusting of snow to make the course really interesting

This event is also unique because of the time of year it's tradionally held. The weather at the end of September here in British Columbia is sketchy at best. The weather can do what it wants and with the unsettled meteorological conditions we've been enduring anything is possible. I heard horror stories of rain and snow. Sadly in our case we had both. The night was dry, but the morning brought with it an interesting assortment of weather.

Steve Mitchell performing some of his pre-race rituals

I had the luxury of sleeping in the Volkswagen Westi, with many thanks to my girlfriend Nina’s parents, while others were relegated to the thermal comfort of tents. Ryan, Johnny Smoke and Elladee Brown were all protected by the insulation value of their nylon shelters.

Once awake, I needed the daily intake of caffeine. I know there are two Cowboy Coffees in Kamloops but I only know where the downtown one is and that it is tragically closed on Sundays. I won’t mention where we went but the coffee and the service did nothing to lesson the dull roar in my head.

No one was too keen on getting out of bed but Simon and Fiona were just arriving, loading up the car and heading up for a pre-race run. I slowly walked over introduced myself and asked if I could join them on this freezing cold, wet and snowy endeavour.

There was no stereo in the car, so while rally racing up the hill I was told I was to provide the entertainment. There was lots of talk of the snow, how cold it was, and the fact that I had forgotten my gloves.

Sleeping in Vans was far more comfortable than the ground or the bed of your truck.

The top of Greenstone was lightly dusted with 4” of snow. Pretty if you hadn’t forgotten your gloves and you were riding with a back tire balder than Bruce Willis. Luckily Simon gave me his spare gloves. Thanks man! They were returned battered, a little dirtier and with a few more stories worn into the palms.

Once we discovered the Greenstone trailhead, we pointed our bikes down and were off.

Snow + Rock = Disaster.

There actually were no casualties on that run. I walked the beginning section because I slid off the side of the rock and couldn’t get back on my bike. Ripping through the trees that had been burned in the past fires was an incredible experience. The black trees, white snow and the various spots of green poking through, were amazing.

No one sent us the memo about the cows. Simon scared a bunch of them ahead of us and instead of the cows running off the trail it turned into a “running of the cows” down the trail. Which probably would have been cool accept two things:

1. When cows run, well they drop stuff. Stinky smelly stuff that manages to splatter all over the trail. When you are riding down a muddy wet trail behind them... you can only gather where this point is going.
2. The chasing of the cows is fun, but if you turn around and find one behind you it's more invigorating but decidedly less fun. At one point there was a cow running behind Fiona, who was behind me. She was screaming slightly because hearing the cows coming down the hill is kind of spooky. We stopped and then to our amazement, so did the cow. The cow proceeded to mooo at us until we got going again. They were chasing us down the mountain! I ended up riding off the trail and up a rock as logic somehow told me that a cow couldn’t climb a rock.

After sliding off the entrance of the bridge and landing in the snow… the forest lost some of its “prettiness”..Photo ~ Andrew Summers. 'Rider' ~ Dan Gronross

Late the night before I was told by Elladee Brown that there was one thing that she wanted me to remember… watch out for the hole! She said that there was a hole in the ground that had swallowed her up (heal up Elladee) and that when I got to the bog I should go left.

Harley and Johnny all snug in their beds with dreams of warmer weather. .

Needless to say I hit the hole. And yes the hole was about 24” deep and swallowed your front wheel perfectly. I went for an early morning flight and a very rough landing.

Arriving back at the site, people had begun to stir… or in the case of Maya and Ashek, slightly sway back and forth. Smoke was one of the last ones out and even Harley didn’t want out of the tent.

We had to continually stoke the fire to keep everyone warm, thanks for providing the piles of wood.

Coffee was brewing, or pressing I guess, and once Johnny woke up, we had Burritos for breakfast. Camp fire, burritos and Coffee… what more could you ask for?

How about reaming out the guy that got his machine stuck on the trail? Yeah the beginning of the race/event was postponed until they could get someone’s machine unstuck and off the trail.

The complete Brodie Bikes spread, not five minutes before this picture was taken there was only dirt.

While we waited we entertained ourselves at the full Brodie Bicycles spread that Mr. Summers had constructed with his bare hands. Please note he asked me to write that. While waiting for the event to start, Johnny figured that due to the 10 year Anniversary, dress-up was in order so he donned a fine corduroy Smoking Jacket.

Johnny and Harley relish in the festive atmosphere of the event by performing a lovely dance.

As was previously mentioned, the shuttle was long so Johnny decided that we would take his van up and Sven would drive it back, eliminating the need to chase.

The van fully loaded, we drove to the top and readied ourselves for the onslaught of snow/mud and rain. Because this race is sooooo serious, Mr. Summers and I thought that we should start at precisely the exact same time to see who could make it down the course the fastest.

We all piled into Johnny’s van… at least it was warm.

The first climb killed me when I had to stop for undisclosed reasons, and the same happened at the second climb. Once I had collected myself I managed to make it down at a good clip, only being passed (read pushed into a tree) by a certain rider… in 28:18. That includes 3 stops for photo ops and the aforementioned “rest breaks” at the top of the hike-a-bikes.

Poor Ashek had a difficult time at the start, we figured it was elevation sickness.

Dorothy was there to remind me that Andrew was kicking my “Ass” as he passed the finish line right before me, but was there at the finish line soon after with “refreshments”.

As it was Sunday and most of us had to work the next day we started to pack up the campsite and waited for the awards to be given out.

The event was also a poker run in which you picked up cards at predetermined locations along the trail and tried to make the best hand. Some lucky guy won the Electra Cruiser with a hand of 4 5’s and one high card.

This lucky kid took the Electra Cruiser… although I am thinking that he might have needed a few more knobs on those tires to get around the campsite. Photo Andrew Summers.

Trevor who runs the event puts a lot of effort into it. Without him at the helm and all the volunteers, these events would never happen. As Trevor did that day, I give a huge round of applause to those people that put tonnes of effort into running one of the best events that I have ever been to.

I suggest that if you are going to hit one event next summer (or winter as the case may be), get to this one. With it’s no nonsense, low key, community feeling, it is very hard to not enjoy yourself. Regardless of what condition you are in the morning of the event.

AKA The BOAR! Photo ~ Andrew Summers

I would like to thank Full Boar Bike Shop for putting such a great event, Brodie Bikes, Electra Bikes, and Dakine for supporting the event and Mr. Johnny Smoke for… well… being who he is: one incredibly well dressed mountain biker!

Dan Gronross