Damian Rosso puts down the skis and escapes the end of the winter in France, heading to Montreal then Vermont to ride some lesser known spots and have some adventures at Highland Bike Park.

It’s the beginning of May, the mountains of Europe are still covered with snow, and most people’s thoughts are still with skiing. Jey Marshal and some friends decide to roll their wheels through the dirt on the other side of the Atlantic. They headed to Canada with the goal of riding the finest spots around the Montreal area.

We decided what better way to start than to take the time to visit the most beautiful bike park in North America: Highland Mountain Bike Park. Jey who is always on the lookout for new places to ride has already heard of this spot and can’t wait to check it out.

According to him, it would be a miniature Whistler on a small hill with a bit of elevation, which doesn't sound that exciting at first. It’s also located in America, which means a drive across country lines into the United States. Given the political climate in North America, we were heading to the south without knowing if we are going to get through customs. We arrive at the boarder early in the morning, the car is full of bikes and luggage, and we are dreading the thought of unpacking everything.

After one hour at the customs office to check the papers and the address of where we are headed, we are finally released on to the American roads. We stop in Waterbury to break up the journey and to meet up with Maxime Beaudry, a local rider, who knows the trails here inside out. With plenty of tree cover and some incredible single track, the riding is far better than the modest elevation would have you believe.

The temperature is extremely hot, making the climb quite painful for, but we keep on grinding up the hill. The descent is worth it though, and it delivers plenty of smiles. We blast down singletrack in the middle of nowhere with leaves on the ground, and some beautiful slabs to go down. The riding is as exciting as you want it to be, pushing hard it’s a challenge, and keeping up with Jey always keeps things interesting.

At the end of a beautiful day with Maxime in Waterbury, we head off in the direction of the Highland Mountain Bike Park. The weather looks good; so the next morning we awake a little earlier, drink some coffee and drive towards Northfield. In the United States, it's impossible not to eat a good hamburger on the road; we end up pulling into a diner on the way to keep the calorie intake up, after all, we’re planning on burning plenty at the bike park!

Today we get to take life easy, Jey and Fabrice head to the ski lift and cruise to the top. It’s quite an old lift, but it does the job. Arriving up top, we discover some trails are closed because it has rained during the last few days. In the US they are very careful with the maintenance of the trails and the damage caused by the weather and the riders. Due to this, some tracks are being dried and can’t be ridden.

At least we will still be able to roll on the rest: Threshold, Power Hour, O.D.B, O.D.C, the list goes on; there is still plenty on offer! These trails make for an excellent day of riding. They are top class, with beautiful berms and corners, plus lots of jumps that are so much fun to ride. It's incredible, and there is something for everyone. Jey has fun on the technical routes through the rocks, while Fabrice rides to the lip and surveys what's coming then tries to match Jey, I’m busy trying to ensure I get all the action recorded on the camera!

The descents are short because the altitude is low, but there are not many people so there is no waiting for the lift like we would be in Whistler. It's 2 pm, the guys decide to go for a snack at the local restaurant, and we are faced with difficult choices between veggie food and burger food. The decision is quickly made in the end; you can’t go wrong with a burger here. A rain shower threatens to interrupt our lunch and indeed our riding, but thankfully it is short lived.

The sun reappears, and we enjoy a fantastic afternoon despite the heat, and the outbreak of flies, which seem determined to upset and annoy Jey! It's the end of a wonderful first day of riding and laughing at the bike park. The next day will be aimed at a more all mountain adventures with pedal power taking us up the climbs rather than the ski lift. Highland Mountain has a lot to offer; there is freeride, enduro, DH and all mountain riding to be done, all of the loops are well built, fun, technical and physical.

Jey and Fabrice trade their Reign DH rigs to make way for their Trance bikes and pedalling time can begin. It's a real treat to sneak between small lakes, nestled amongst hardwood forests that have not yet displayed their spring growth. It is a stunning place, with a warm, friendly vibe and an endless variety of trails.

After 30 km of trail riding, it's time for some rest and recovery, and maybe a craft beer to help wash down another burger while we debrief our day of riding. The conversation typically centres around Jey; he can’t even ride on a simple trail without creating some challenges for himself. We all laugh about his river crossing where he tried to make things more interesting by wheel tapping a dead tree in the middle, only to slip off and snap a spoke and get wet. In short, good times!

Our first three days were packed with riding on some of the best trails we have found in the area. The call of the road is not as strong as the call of the ride, but we must make our way back to Montreal to catch the plane. Along the way we stop and ride spots that look good and take in more of the stunning North American scenery. As we draw closer to Montreal and our flight home, the tension mounts as a strike gets announced for our day of departure, will we make it back to France or will we end up stuck in Canada? There are worst places to be stuck of course!

We find a hotel in Montreal on the night before we leave and realise that despite flying to Canada, we haven’t even rolled our wheels on Canadian dirt. Jey suggests we go and ride at Mount Royal; it's a small hill in Montreal where people come to enjoy the green space in the heart of the city. In the winter you’ll find people sledging, skiing and snowshoeing, in the summer it is a hub for runners and cyclists. 

After climbing to the top to discover Montreal from another angle, Jey and Fabrice, of course, want to enjoy the trails back down again. Starting out from the Mount Royal Cross, which turns out to be very famous, Jey and Fabrice ride under it and jump off the bottom of the cross without really knowing exactly what it is. Only afterwards do they learn about it, the first cross here dates all the way back to 1643 when Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve put on here as a fulfilment of a vow he made to the Virgin Mary to stop a disastrous flood.

On the plane home, we reflect on what was an incredible trip with great riding and culinary discoveries, mainly burgers. Although we did indulge in one of the food specialities of Canada, poutine, a mix of french fries, cheese curds and brown gravy. Once the first bites are engulfed, you are heading in the direction of naptime and there is no way to stop it.

With so much to discover in North America, we will be looking to return soon, the trails were fantastic, the people are welcoming and friendly, the weather was a lot better than we had expected too!

By Damien Rosso

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