Start Here: Bike Magazine

Grab a copy of the latest Bike Magazine and see Big Mountain owner Chris Winter scoping a new trail in Switzerland in the Start Here column. "This section of trail is after a rediculously long and fun downhill," says Winter, " you feel like you're hanging from the cliff's ledge and then you pop around the last corner and ride past a shrine with a cross and mini-sized Jesus on it and lit candles all around. Did I just see that? It's kind of surreal."

A few of Bike Editor Lou Mazzante's words from Start Here: "As we head into winter and start looking for new gear and dreaming of new trails to ride, keep in mind that the act of riding a mountain bike is so much greater than its component parts. It is inherently fun, implicitly adventurous and often best enjoyed with good company."

Do you like the look of this trail? Want to ride it with Big Mountain in 2010? If you're an all-mountain rider click here, if you're a DH rider, clicker here. Why not join us in the Alps next summer?

Moment in time

On this particular Swiss Cloudraker trip in 2007 the weather was challenging: cold, rainy and even snowy at times. OK, it sucked. As it happens though, our group came together like old friends, supported each other with good times and laughs and we made it through big days unscathed, albeit dirty. A good thing about the Swiss trails and rain is that the water drains well and is generally gravely which means good traction and little mud. Plus, it'll rain (or snow) but not for too long, well at least not for someone coming from Vancouver on the Wet Coast or Canada. I'm getting sidetracked here. So there we were. The day started off in fresh snow, the trail was called Goldielocks - a big loop, 50 km, 6-7 hours with challenging technical XC sections, a buffed section, a paved traverse/climb, hike a bike and a mother descent - 10,000 feet of downhill all in all. A super all-mountain day. Towards the end of the day we always stop at a viewpoint where the land eroded away to nothing. I was leading on this section and as i approached i heard scurrying in the forest, then rocks falling somewhere in the distance. I looked out into the mist and there was a chamois perched on a precarious rocky outcropping looking back at me. I pulled out my camera and go this shot just before the mist came in and the creature disappeared in the white.