SKEENA ANGLE R
- ROB. BROWN
‘sland

- lot of water has flowed under the Cold-:
Water Creek railroad bridge since I saw >
‘it forthe first time.

:X Bill Ashcroft and I reached it the hard '
way on: that crisp red: and yellow fall day, slosh-
ing down the creek and brush whacking where the.
pools were too deep. |

That was before the Coldwater valley had seen:
a saw, a time when the creek ran clear year round,

a time when the valley still had the strength to rein. »

in the fall floods and spring freshets that would rip
trees and stumps from their holds and stick them -
together in the large wooden clots that now. plug

the creek at its approach to the,darker water of the .

_.Lakelse.

Light danced on the riffles ahead of. us_We
breathed in sharp cold air, saturated with the smell
of leaves and smoke, commingled with the odour

of decaying salmon. The cries of eagles punctuated .
. With the slaps of leaping coho smacking on the sur-

face of the river told us when we were close to the
confluence of creek andriver.

’ “Look at that guy cast!” said Bill, who reached
the river ahead of me:

I did. He was standing at the top of the Lower
- Coldwater pool, eighty:to a hundred metres up-
“stream of the junction of the two streams, standing —

in the riffle up to the knees of his green waders. He
had on a wool shirt, red and black mackinaw, a vest
over that. He wore a red ball cap.

After each retrieve, he lifted his rod, bringing -
his.ture to.eye level. That.done, he deftly grabbed
the hook between thumb and forefinger of his right

hand and pulled it back on a horizontal as he ex-

tended the rod out over the river, lifted up about

20 degrees and sent it almost to the far bank in a

graceful arc. 7
The float bobbed downstream. On almost every

. drift it disappeared and reappeared with a fish at-

tached.

“That’s Mike — don’t know his last name — he
works at the bank,” Bill said,

Since Mike was occupying the spot, we made
our way down a high water channel that Bill guar-
anteed would take us to a nice pool. It did. Upper
Coldwater, he called it..

- There was an island upstream of the run, an ire
regular chink of rocky midstream real estate about
the size of two mid-sized pool tables. To the best
of my recollection nothing grew on the islet when
T saw it.. — °

Over the years I developed a fondness for the
island, not only because the slots next to its shores
were lay-bys.for trout and steelhead and the angling ..
opportunities they afforded, but because it provided
an ideal viewing platform a as well as a place for rest,
reflection and lunch.

It obviously offered a landing platform for
seeds, dust, airborne leaf litter and river silt as well,
for early in my acquaintance with the place some

_ grasses and a few small plant shoots set down roots.

In a few years shrubs sprouted. Then, early in the.
80s, a high water scrubbed the island clean.

In a few years, some plants had established” a.
tenuous hold once more. Once more-a high water
event erased all sign of their plucky existence. I

didn’t take much notice of the pioneering attempts

of the plants until a couple of alders took advantage

" of a series of low water years and managed to hold -

on long enough to attain shoulder height.
» The grasses did well under the stingy shade of
the little alders. In the microcosmic scale of the

. rock islet, the fallen leaves from. those hardwoods

must have contributed mightily to soil recruitment.

Bugs. are attracted to trees. Birds are attracted
to bugs. The droppings of songbirds afforded a
perch by the slender alder boughs enriched that thin -
mantle of soil, as did guano of the occasional gull
brought there in search of washed up pink or coho

salmon.

Then a spruce took root and held firm. It seeded

another. When I lunched there last week the grove

was large enough to shade half the isle, and at its

feet grew sedges, mosses, and a raspberry plant,

along with variety of shrubs,

As J ate, I thought about that rock; how it had
lain under the massive glacier that sprawled over
this area eons ago; how it had been present at the
birth of the river; and how it would be in attendance

- mute and little changed when it died.

And I thought about how, in this small recent
part of its history,.it had provided a stage for living

things. And I wondered at the zeal, the relentless -

energy, with which complex living things attempt
to animate seemingly barren places.

Ultimately, in the supernova sunset, that life
force may not prove to be indomitable, but, in the
meantime its existence provides some hope that
green growing things may continue for quite some |
time yet, and we, if we acquire some humility and
respect for it, might too.

men's vision this year. He has entegd all five series events. |

By SARAH ARTIS.

FREERIDING is -

_ The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - BS

about ff

being free with your own 7am

Style of riding.

It’s as simple as that

‘says Kristiar Grey, one: of
Terrace’s mountain. biking -

veterans who works at All

" Seasons Source for Sports.

And that’s why he enjoys, aS

it so much..
“7 Tike that you are an in-

dividual and you can’ push

your own boundaries and
limits. You can challenge

yourself to make the perfect
_ line.”

Freeride mountain biking
is similar to downhill biking:
cyclists ride steep, rooty,

‘rocky terrain. But freeriders

tend to focus more on tech-
nique and stunts rather than
going as fast as they can.

The term stems from:

snowboarding. It means to
get off the beaten track with
your own style.

“I love riding because it’s [i
fun,” Grey said: “When you -
‘hit a move just right, it’s an

incredible feeling. It makes
you just want to come back
for more.’

And that’s how other Ter-

racites seem to feel as-well.
According to the presi-.

dent of the Terrace Outdoor
Recreational Cycling As-

sociation (TORCA) and ex-

perts at various bike stores
in town, the freeriding scene
in Terrace has more than

doubled in the last year.

It was popular in the past,
but the scene died down

-when people moved, Grey

7.

said, Now it’s “exploded.”
TORCA president Kate

McMarron said most people

don’t realize how big the

SARAH ARTIS P PHOTO

MARK Forgie (front) and fellow freeriders ( tor rin background) Jodi Braam, Mike
rp fos and Nola Flaws check their bikes and gear to make sure they are ready to

rip fown.the trails at Copper Mountain.

By SARAH ‘ARTIS
RAY PRAUGHT isn’t
- competing in ' five

-adventure challenge ¢ events
because he’s fearless.” If
anything, it’s because he’s
not.

He likes knowing some
of the other participants in
the race and pondering how

‘he sizes up.
_ Praught, describes him-
self as fit and very com-

petitive person.’
But he remembers. last

_ year’s adventure challenge

rock climbing competition
at Chist Creek ‘as tough. ~

It can be a bit intimidat-
ing, he says, but everyone.
is supportive and claps for
you..

He iaughs and crouches
low, knees and arms shak-
‘ing. He’s s imitating himself *
in last year’s competition.

“That’s what keeps me.
climbing,” he says, “the fear

~ of falling.”.

_ This - year’ Ss», adventure
challenge rock’ climbing’
competition is at 8.a.m. on
July 2 at Chist Creek.
Competitors | will climb :

a graduated series of routes -
with eight minutes. to com-.

plete each.
“It’s a top-rope competi-

' tion,” says adventure chal-

lenge organizer Sarah Zim-
merman, “which means it’s
the safest way to climb.” °

In top-rope, climbers are ©

on belay at all times, mean-
ing someone is always con-
trolling the slack in the rope
to catch climbers in the air
if they slip.

Most people,
ing beginner climbers, can
complete the first route but
not many make it to the last

' one, Zimmerman said.

Once "Participants have

_ SARAH ARTIS PHOTO \,

} . M

| ;

M like that you are

an individual and
you can push your
own ‘boundaries
and. limits,”

-Kristian Grey

sport is here.

“TI don’t think a -lot of
people realize what a big
gioup is involved because
you don’t see them going
through town. Lots of peo-

7h

Po

ple think it’s just. one single

guy.”

is a big network of people
— about 60 guys ranging
from their teens to the 30s,

_ with a few women and older |

people as well.
‘Non-cyclists might not
know, however, because the

bikers are on the trails as:

much as possible.

Tn Terrace, they are either
hiking the Terrace Mountain
Trail with their bikes to ride

But the freeriding scene

down the back side, or shut-

tling up Copper ‘Mountain
in pick-up trucks filled with

bodies, bikes and armour.
Most of the trails at Cop-
per Mountain are advanced,

so many of the riders get
decked out in full-body pro-
tective gear, which includes .

leg and arm pads, gloves, a
chest plate and a full-face
helmet.

A group of riders can look
like they are going to war.

Cont’d Page B12

“Tt’s all:about the com-
_ petitive spirit,” he says.

includ- .

. . ‘Useful

tired. their. foreaims ‘pull:
ing themselves up rock all
morning, they can tire their

legs in.the psycho cycle ad- | |

venture challenge | race that
afternoon. |

Inthe psycho cycle, com-
petitors hike the Terrace.
Mountain trail with. their

bikes, mountain bike down

the back side, then ride on

the road to the Northwest.

- Community College. -
“This event proves to-- |

be very ‘exciting - “because

it combines’ road riding,

cross-country riding, and -
downhill riding - with: hik-

ing, * Zimmerman said.

= But newcomers should ~
~ be cautious, she warned, as-

the trail has lots of roots;
rocks and steep sections.. —

This is one of the least .
Social events because of the .

terrain, Zimmerman said...
“In this type. of race,

" people -have their ‘head “
- down and just go.” ;
The psycho cycle course —.
is about 10 kilometres. and _
" starts’at the arena at 5. pm 7 oe

July 2.

long weekend...

Registration . forms - are:
available: at. Ruins Board .
Shop, .Hot, House, Azad -
Outspoke’n .

Adventures,
Bike and Sport, All Seasons

‘Source for Sports, McBike
and The Terrace Standard.

‘Forms will” ‘be accepted ©
at The Terrace Standard
until June 28. There’s no.
‘same day registration. Cost
is $25 per event.

Cali Sarah Zimmerman ,
at 638-7283 for. details or -.
attend at.a meeting in:the |
Terrace Aquatic Centre

meeting ‘room at 7:30 p.m.

June 28 for answers to last-.'

minute questions.

pularity

-Freeriding af
facts for
beginners: 7

. ° “The minimum equipment

‘necessary ‘to start is ‘a.

. front or dual suspension’

‘ mountain bike and a: safe,

sturdy -helmet —_ prefer-
_ ably full face. Cost for a’
suitable bike is. minimum ::

», $1000.’ Helmets cost any-
where from $40 to $300.

_ to wear on your back. The

minimum .cost for.each |
~ item in order is $100, $40,

and $50.

+ It’s best to wear - comfort :
able,. breathable clothing.
that : fits tightly enough’ -
that ‘nothing ° catches “on

_ branches or your bike.

° Prepare to fall. Part of
the fun of freeriding is -
challenging yourself. But ‘
always stay within your —

‘comfort zone. Know your
limits. 7

° - Learn in steps. Don’t as- ©
sume your first: day out .

you will be able to ride

what. everyone else. is. |.
‘« You will improve. .

° Don’t give in to your feel-

ings of intimidation. At
first you might feel out of

your league because you’
don’t, understand lingo”

or don’t have “the look.”
_ But this sport is not about

comparing yourself to.

others. It’s about explor-
ing your own limits

638-7283

The ° Terrace. Standard. a
Adventure Challenge’ isa
five-sport ‘series: that takes”
places over. the Canada Day

accessories . int"
‘clude arm and leg pads, -
gloves and a water pack