Update - Stage 3, Little Elk Pass

Nipika to Canal Flats

108km - 1,500 m climbing  |  67 miles - 5,000 feet climbing

Next year’s stage 3 has been updated from its originally planned 2021 route. 

After monitoring the proposed crossing of the White River, we’re not confident that water levels would be low enough to allow for a safe crossing. We thought this might be the case, we had an alternative plan specifically for this situation, and now we’re going ahead with the alt-plan as plan A.

Elevation gain will stay almost the same as our original route although the stage is now slightly longer at 108km’s. We’re expecting average speeds to be slightly higher, so we anticipate similar overall riding times. That said, riders finishing in the back 25% on the first two stages have the option to start this stage at the 40km point (Nipika) missing the major climb of the day. This could serve as a sweet transition day going into Stage 4. Riders who choose this option will have their time adjusted by three hours. 

Stage 3 Preview

Starting from beautiful Nipika, riders will retrace Stage 2’s finish for just a few kilometers before turning off at Cochrane Creek. They’ll follow a gradual forest service road (FSR) that parallels the creek before the grade increases on the way up to Little Elk Pass, the highpoint of the day. 

Just over 500 meters above the Kootenay River Valley, Little Elk Pass is 11km’s into the stage and the start to a long, fun, fast descent back to the valley. On the way down, look for occasional drainage ditches across the road. They can all be rolled, but if you hit them unexpectedly, they could cause a loss of control. Otherwise, this a fun, secluded downhill back to the main FSR and Checkpoint 1 at the 20km point. From here, you’ll ride back to Nipika on the Kootenay Palliser FSR, before crossing the Kootenay River and heading south on Settler’s Road. 

From this point you’ve got 65 km of rolling (net descending) hard packed gravel roads all the way down to Canal Flats. You’ll hit checkpoint 2 at 75km, the junction with the Kootenay River FSR. From here there’ll be two moderate sustained climbs of approx. 100m vertical before a final descent into Canal Flats to finish out another amazing day of Kootenay dirt surfing.