Mon, Oct 12 2015 - Ridge Ranger Loop - maybe more (View Original Event Details)
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Well technically this event didn't happen. We were down on numbers, then Margo had "technical problems" with her bike.
So instead for anyone interested in the trail chosen and the lowdown on the new Snakes And Ladders trail, here you go.
Elbow to Sugar Mama for the up. Across on Snakes & Ladders. Back on Ridgeback.
Elbow had minor wet spots.
Sugar Mama has roots making riding uphill less than flowy.
**Snakes & Ladders** Now this is a trail worth checking out. The trail builders have obviously put a lot of time and effort into this latest addition to the Bragg Creek area. I came from the Ranger Summit end. There are berms and switchbacks aplenty and much of the trail is very nice and flowy. Short sections require a little pedalling to maintain momentum. Watch for the one confusing triple switchback. It's possible to bypass the middle switchback on the descent with a steep corner move on the right, leaving the switchbacking for riders heading uphill. It seemed like the descent keeps on coming at you and your face will likely start to ache from the grins. At the bottom you reach Ranger Creek and the realization that with all that fun, now comes the price to pay. In the lower reaches it looked like cattle had left there marks at the trail edges and although they may make future imprints, the trail is in good shape now. It looks like a good line was cut to run along the creek before a bridge crosses it in an area where work looks to be fairly recent.
THEN - the up begins.
The trail rising towards the Ridgeback end is not nearly as polished at this point making the preferred direction of travel at present to definitely be down from Ranger, up to Ridgeback. Longer swooping switchbacks on this side make for somewhat more rideable travel but you still have some considerable elevation to gain. Needless to say I walked some sections. One such section is shortly after starting the ascent. The trail has been blocked off and covered, eliminating a long switchback. I'm not sure of the reason but there was some drainage mitigation going on and it looked like more trailwork to complete before it gets opened.
Another potential confusion is where the singletrack kicks you out onto one of the recent logging roads. One direction leads left (south) while the other direction goes, yes - uphill. There are orange trail blazes to give you the clue amongst the industrial devastation. Then a couple hundred meters up the logging road look for the singletrack deeking off left - and up.
The trail eventually gains the same ridge that Ridgeback follows but before you disappear into the trees, stop for a breather and look around. You can see out towards the West Bragg trailhead and the ridge along Ranger Summit where you came down from stands out magnificently.
You join the R3 section of Ridgeback at the point where you would be coming from the Tom Snow/R4 intersection. It gives you a little uphill to reach the summit ridge of R3 before descending R3. The trail is in good condition but recent reroutes will likely get you glancing to see you went the right way. A new section of boardwalk at the lower end of R3 crosses the seeping section of trail that always had trouble drying out.
So there you have it, a brand new trail review and information for club members or coordinators interested in trying it out. It's a great addition to the trails that will allow for more combinations of trails and loops.
FWIW this loop is nearly 19km, takes around 3 hours, and has nearly 2000ft of elevation gain cumulatively.