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The 10 Things You Need To Know...
Getting Started On Galbraith
Somewhere deep in Banjoland -- Janet (LEFT) and Mary Jane take a break on the Rob Taylor Memorial Bench. It was Mary Jane's third ride on Galbraith (note the soccer shin guards!).
| GALBRAITH CAN be intimidating.
When I talk to people about Galbraith, they frequently ask about body armor and the risk of injury.
 I tell them it's actually much safer riding on Galbraith than on a city street or even a county road. The reason? On Galbraith, the danger is always in front of you, and you can always just choose to ride or walk around it.
When you ride on Galbraith, you will never get nailed from behind by some old guy driving a 1966 Impala who should have had his driver's license revoked five years before, like happened to my friend Wizard on the Silver Beach Rd. a few years ago.
With the right preparation, riding on Galbraith can be both completely safe and dangerously fun -- child's play even, as Little Hucker above demonstrates (ABOVE LEFT) with a little help from his mother. Here are ten things you need to know to get started on Galbraith...
-- Mongo
October 30, 2009
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Getting Started On Galbraith
The Ten Things You Need To Know |
| 1. |
People on Galbraith are usually friendly and willing to help, if you need it. |
| 2. |
You will need a map. The best, most complete and up-to-date Galbraith trail map available is the GalbraithMt.com Map Set. The worst map is the one provided free by Trillium on the three Galbraith Kiosks, which is riddled with errors and ommissions. |
| 3. |
You will get lost because everybody gets lost. It's part of the Rites of Galbraith -- how you get to know Galbraith (and yourself). |
| 4. |
When you get lost (or even better, before you get lost), ask the riders you meet about the trails ahead, what they rode, how the conditions were, etc. There's lots of good fellowship available on the mountian, if you reach out for it. |
| 5. |
You do not need body armor to ride Galbraith (many of the best riders wear light armor or none at all), but a good pair of shin guards (soccer shin guards work fine at the start) will give many riders a greater level of comfort in technical situations, and prevent the sort of injuries that occur to beginners when feet slip off pedals. Otherwise, you should have the type of protection appropriate for the type of riding you do. For instance, if you are attempting big air moves, you will probably want a full face helmet. If not, a normal bike helmet will do just fine. |
| 6. |
When you encounter a situation on the trail you are uncertain about, get off your bike and check it out before you attempt to ride it. Then you can either go back and take a crack at it, or you can continue on and wait to fight that battle another day. That's OK. Everybody does it. |
| 7. |
Never ride a challenging maneuver until you are completely ready, and then when you do ride it, give it your total commitment. I sometimes ride technical moves with my hands off the brakes so that I am 100 percent committed. I simply HAVE to make the moves because I can't stop. |
| 8. |
The best way to take a step up technically for the first time is to follow right behind a better rider through the move so you can see his/her line, points of attack and difficulty, etc. |
| 9. |
If you're either a tender Beginner or a gnarly Freerider, start out on the South Side, where you will find easiest access to good trails. Cross-country and technical trail riders may want to start out on the North Side, where they will find easiest access to the kind of trails they like.
Specifically, beginners should zero in on Banjoland, The Bunnies, Art's Trail and Kaya, which comprise a sweet South Side trail suite. These trails are so sweet, in fact, they get attention of high end riders too, especially the singlespeed wolfhounds. Unfortunately, all four are "secret trails." See GalbraithMt.com's Secret Trails List for more info.
Freeriders scoping Galbraith for the first time should hit Shawn's Trail and Not Shawn's Trail (accessible at the Blue Rock), or better yet, climb further up the Tower Rd. and combine Shawn's with Mullet (accessible off the 4000 Rd.) and/or Evolution and Scorpion (accessible from The Towers at the top).
Technical trail riders should sample some combination of Bob's Trail, Cedar Dust, El Pollo Elastico, Mas Pollo, Log Cabin, 187 and SST on their first visit(s) to Galbraith.
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| 10. |
Now let's talk about parking. Riders starting on the South Side should park at the Upper Lake Padden Park parking lot on the west side of Old Samish Hwy. across from Galbraith Lane. There is a history of car theft here, so it's best to park close to the road where the car can be well seen. You then ride across Old Samish Hwy. and up Galbraith Lane.
Riders starting on the North Side should park at the Upper Whatcom Falls Park parking lot near the tennis courts. You then cross Electric Ave. and ride up Birch St.
See GalbraithMt.com driving directions from the Freeway and map for more info.
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You don't have to get lost. You don't have to ride the same couple trails over and over again.