Alpine Riding in Revelstoke - Frisby Ridge and Ultimate Frisby

 Frisby Ridge

24km (out and back)

800m climb/descent

Ultimate Frisby

600m descent

For the third and final day of our epic alpine weekend in Revelstoke, we decided on the ultra-classic Frisby Ridge. On prior trips to Revelstoke, the trail had been under a voluntary closure due to trail maintenance issues, so Kyle and I had never rode it. We were both eager to see what all they hype was about! Sunday night was spent around the campfire, watching dry lightning over the surrounding mountains and experiencing some of the most amazing stargazing of my life. With such a dark night only a few weeks before the height of the Perseid meteor shower, we were overwhelmed with the number of stars. It was difficult to pick out the usual constellations due to the sheer number and brightness of normally unseen stars! The northern lights made an appearance too. It was a magical night.

Sunset chainsaw

Campfire shenanigans

The crux of the day occurred before we had even started riding. Kyle Duran had been worried all weekend about how well his Northern Lite camper would fare up the rough road to the campsite. Having arrived in the dark on Friday night, he didn't realize how bad it was going to be until it was too late and he was committed to driving down to the turn-around at the edge of the lake where we camped. For the rest of the weekend, we had been using Kyle's truck and left the camper and trailer safely at camp. We had done some work to the road, filling in holes and trimming branches, to make the drive a bit easier, but tensions were high as we left camp for the final time.

What goes down must come up

Northern Lite made it down and up the hill

We made it up to the road without issue and drove to the 9km FSR that would take us to the Frisby Ridge parking lot. As we stopped to unhook the trailer, we met an american rider named Aron who was looking for riding buddies and was offering to help deshuttle us at the end of the day. We happily agreed to team up so that we could add the Ultimate Frisby descent to the end of our day.

Flowers and mountains at the base of Frisby Ridge

Frisby Ridge trail is an out and back so there is 2 way traffic on the trail. It starts in a cutblock and climbs steadily up through meadows, forest and finally into the alpine on the ride. It is a continuous climb but the grade is mellow, which made for a very enjoyable ride.

Stopping for a much needed dunk on the way up

As we gained elevation, the views got better and better. Near the end of the trail there is a loop that takes you to Frisby Lake. At this point there is the option to extend the ride and add another ~8km to your day but we opted to just head to the lake for a swim.

Meadow cruising

Starting to descend to Frisby Lake

Alpine trails and views

We stopped at the lake for a very brief and chilly swim. Within seconds of stopping we were swarmed by bugs so we didn't linger. We did go check out the sled hut on the ridge but it was all boarded up for the season. After a quick bite of lunch, we couldn't stand the flies any longer and got back on our bikes for a final climb before the long descent ahead. 

Revelstoke crew at Frisby Lake - photo credit to Aron the ripper!

Frisby Lake and the cabin

Alpine meadows

Bugs and bikes

The descent was fast and so much fun. Although the climb did not feel too strenuous, you could pick up some serious speed on the smooth single track descent which felt endless. There were plenty of swoopy corners through the trees and little side hits and stunts to keep things interesting. We regrouped at the truck for a drink of water before dropping into Ultimate Frisby. This is more of a downhill trail with steep, technical sections that got the blood pumping. By this time, my arms were so tired that it was hard to grab the brakes, so the swim in the cold river at the bottom was a welcome relief!