On the majority of my rides, I’m the only one pulling a camera out. Then it’s usually to grab a quick photo of something I’m reviewing for NSMB.com. If I’m carrying the camera and Mr. Lungtastic’s photo-senses start going off we’ll stop and grab something interesting but generally speaking we’re riding and chatting from start to coffee. 

The exception to this rule is my regular Tuesday Fromme ride with my photo-happy friend Jacnoquie. The JacAttack is always good for a few riding shots, maybe a video, and a photograph taking the piss out of me anytime I as much as think of opening my pack. Depending on the mood and the time of year we have a range of favourite trails. Upper Crippler, Bookwus, Upper Oil Can, Grannies, Ladies Only, Pipeline, Boundary, and Lower Crippler come immediately to mind and we also ride 7th, Executioner, and occasionally the upper Digger trail. I’d call it a healthy assortment of North Shore riding. 

*All Photos By JacVenture

Now it’s been a particularly wet fall so we’ve been sticking to #TrailsForWeather or, in other words, those from my list that are best armoured, elevated, and designed to drain. And it’s been cold, and a warm cup of coffee is always calling, so admittedly we haven’t been getting up past the 6th switchback as often as my current fitness level says I should be. 

And, well, what can I say? Ken who maintains Pipeline has it running fantastic and the same goes for Andy who builds all the awesome work on Lower Crippler. And so, on Tuesday, when a photograph is far more likely to be taken of me riding than all the other days of the week put together, one could say I’ve been riding Pipeline and then up and into Lower Crippler a lot. 

A lot is at least enough that a few folks have pointed out now that there are as many photos of me riding Pipeline and the LC in the last couple of months as every other trail put together. And, of course, my first reaction was that I should probably get out and bang off some Boundary laps, maybe try my hand at the discombobulating-teeter on Upper Oil Can, enjoy the flow of Ladies Only, and so on. 

But then that put me down a whole different line of thinking. If you had to pick one trail and ride it only – as many laps as you want, as many days as you want, for a whole year – no matter what the weather was doing, what trail would it be? My first reaction was to have a look at which of my go-to lines is the longest, but that’s why I added the multiple laps. I thought about access, but actually, the climb up to Lower Crippler is one of my favourite techy lines to fail at. 

It came down to a coin toss between – you guessed it – Pipeline and Lower Crippler and then Lower Crippler won. The crazy thing is, as much as I ride it all the time I never get bored of it and I’m always getting better at it. Actually, that’s a lie, sometimes I ride a section brilliantly, and then it takes me months to muster the necessary flow to not make the same combination of roots and rocks look terrifying. 

It’s the top of my you-have-to-ride-this-trail list for the North Shore (but, you might as well get a Pipeline run done first as a warm-up) and as I finish typing this I can’t wait to get out on it next week. If only to glance at the giant hoard of wood that will be the next feature to master. 

Thanks for all your hard work, Andy! (and Ken).