Did you know that you can’t live in Squamish without owning a mountain bike?
It’s true, or at least that’s what everyone tells me. And trust me I have heard it at least 20 times since I arrived in this beautiful mountain-bike-loving town almost a month ago.
I knew before I arrived in Squamish that it was a place where people loved to celebrate all things outdoors.
Whether it’s snowboarding and skiing in the winter; or hiking, climbing, kiteboarding and yes, mountain biking in the summertime—people come to Squamish to immerse themselves in the wilderness and I am so glad to find myself here amongst it all.
But I must ask—is it so hard to imagine someone would live here and not want to own a mountain bike?
Since my first day in Squamish, people have been telling me that I have to get involved in the mountain bike scene and hit the trails as soon as I can.
Not as a subtle suggestion but an order, because Squamish is one of the best places in the world to go mountain biking, so how could I not?
And it is true, the plethora of trails and the new Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association bike skills park does make a great case for it to be THE place to go mountain biking.
If that wasn’t a convincing enough argument, Crankworx, the world famous mountain bike festival in Whistler surely did its best to show me what elite athletes of this sport can do.
Now while I do love a good bike ride along a (relatively flat) beach path, the reality is that I have zero desire to get on a mountain bike, speed down dirt trails and launch off jumps in the woods.
It’s not that I haven’t tried it before, I have, but it just wasn’t for me.
Does this mean I don’t meet the criteria to live in Squamish anymore? I sure hope not because I was just starting to find my footing here and I’m not sure I’d be too willing to leave.
I’ll cheer you on from the sidelines and champion the importance of the sport in our community, just please don’t force me to get on a bike.
So, to everyone who says you can’t live here without owning a mountain bike, I say—watch me.
