Grey Ghost Pursuit puts Christina Lake on West Kootenay gravel route
The Grey Ghost Pursuit links Christina Lake, Castlegar and Rossland with gravel routes using forest service roads and former railway grades.
Photo credit: Grey Ghost Pursuit
CHRISTINA LAKE — Christina Lake is playing a central role in the Grey Ghost Pursuit this weekend, with the regional gravel cycling event linking the Boundary with Castlegar and Rossland over two days of riding on forest service roads and former railway grades.
Organizers scheduled two timed courses for Saturday, including a 65-kilometre route starting in Christina Lake and climbing toward Rossland. The longer 140-kilometre route starts in Castlegar, follows the Columbia and Western rail corridor over Farron Summit and descends into Christina Lake before joining the same route to Rossland. Organizers list 2,450 metres of climbing on the short course and 2,940 metres on the long course.
For riders leaving Christina Lake, the published route begins with a 23-kilometre climb gaining about 1,200 metres on Rossland Cascade Road. The course then includes a 16-kilometre descent, followed by an 11-kilometre switchback climb gaining another 730 metres to the Seven Summits trailhead before the final descent into Rossland. The longer route adds the Castlegar-to-Christina Lake section, including the climb to Farron Summit, trestles and the 912-metre Bulldog Tunnel.
The event continues Sunday with an untimed social ride in the opposite direction. The 65-kilometre route starts in Rossland and finishes in Christina Lake after 1,380 metres of climbing. Riders first climb from Rossland to the Seven Summits trailhead, descend the switchbacks, climb another 16 kilometres and then make the 23-kilometre descent into Christina Lake.
The 140-kilometre Sunday option also starts in Rossland and follows the same route into Christina Lake before riders continue along the Columbia and Western Rail Trail toward Farron Summit. Organizers list 2,110 metres of climbing on that route. The current event description does not clearly identify the final community for the long Sunday course, although it says riders will refuel at Christina Lake before continuing for another 78 kilometres on the C&W corridor.
Both courses are described by organizers as being entirely on forest service roads and double-track gravel routes, with no singletrack. Gravel bikes, hardtails, full-suspension mountain bikes, fat bikes and e-bikes are permitted, with Saturday race times categorized by bicycle type. Organizers recommend tires wider than 40 millimetres with tread.
The event package lists a food and beverage station, first-aid support and a post-race celebration for Saturday, while Sunday’s social ride includes breakfast and on-course support.
The point-to-point format also means riders are responsible for some of their own transportation. Organizers say transportation between Castlegar or Christina Lake and Rossland is not provided for people taking part in a single day of the event. Two-day participants can have bags transported between destinations.
Cycling BC lists the Grey Ghost Pursuit as a Grassroots event, while RED Mountain Resort is promoting the Sept. 26-27 event through its listings. As of Saturday afternoon, the event remained listed by the organizers, Cycling BC and RED Mountain, with no cancellation or postponement notice posted.
People using the same backcountry roads and recreation corridors may encounter riders during the weekend. No event-specific road or trail closure notice was posted by the organizers or identified in official transportation notices in a Saturday check, and the event describes the course as using forest service roads and double-track routes rather than closed race circuits.
Sunday is expected to bring favourable conditions at the Boundary end of the route. Environment Canada’s Christina Lake forecast calls for sunshine and a high of 20 C after an overnight low near 0 C, with fog patches possible in the morning. Conditions can differ considerably at higher elevations along the route.
The event’s organizers say the Grey Ghost name refers to the South Selkirk mountain caribou, which they describe as having been known by that nickname because they were seldom seen. B.C. government herd-status information lists the South Selkirks herd as extirpated and says the last known cow was moved to the Columbia North herd in 2019.
The Grey Ghost Pursuit was founded in Rossland in 2023 and describes itself as a grassroots cycling organization. This year’s route gives Christina Lake a significant role in both days of the event, serving as the scheduled Saturday starting point for the shorter race and a junction on the longer course before becoming the finish for Sunday’s 65-kilometre social ride.
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