Squamish isn鈥檛 known as the outdoor recreation capital of Canada for nothing.
Its stunning landscape and inspiring terrain has attracted a community full of people just as passionate about the outdoors as they are about finding the time to enjoy it.
Some might say that could be why locals鈥� hobbies tend to be just as extreme as their surroundings鈥� beauty: in this community, limits are meant to be pushed.
For example, why go for a hike when you can go for a trail run? Why go for a run when you can run a race? Why run a race when you can run an ultramarathon? Or, better yet, why run one ultramarathon when you can run two in one weekend?
At least, that鈥檚 what we can assume 250 people were thinking when they signed up to run the Squamish 50鈥檚 2019 50/50 challenge.
Scheduled for Aug. 17 and 18 this year, the challenge invites trail runners to tackle a 50-mile, or 80.5-kilometre, event followed by the 50-km event the next day. The Squamish 50 also offers a 23-km course.
The challenge began as a solution to a problem, explained race director Gary Robbins.
鈥淚nitially, all the races were held on a single day, and it was getting really crowded to be able to do that on the trails,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted to split it up into two days, over the weekend, and as soon as I did that, I just looked at it and thought, 鈥榃hat are the chances that someone would sign up to run both distances, 130 kilometres of trails over the weekend?鈥欌��
Pretty high, it turns out. The entire event鈥檚 1,350 spots sell out almost immediately when registration opens in November every year. This time, the 50/50 challenge, which has a finish rate of about 50 per cent, sold out in an hour and a half, Robbins said.
50/50 finishers receive a hat each year, with the hat鈥檚 colour correlating to the number of times the runner has completed the challenge,听 鈥淪o you can never win the game,鈥� added Robbins with a laugh. So far, only one athlete 鈥� Lions Bay runner Colin Miller 鈥� has finished the challenge every year, in addition to winning the collective 50/50 fastest time twice.
Though running 80.5 kilometres might sound extreme in its own right, the Squamish 50鈥檚 courses are specifically and personally designed by Robbins to be conquerable 鈥� if you鈥檝e put in the work, he explained.
With its technical terrain and steep, punchy ascents and descents, 鈥淭he course is super challenging, but it鈥檚 also specifically designed to be doable by anybody who puts in the training time.鈥�
In addition to tricky terrain, 50/50 challengers have another issue to consider throughout the weekend: 鈥淪ome of those runners, are literally out there all day on Saturday, and they鈥檙e only getting to bed at maybe 11 p.m. or midnight on Saturday night鈥濃�� not ideal when the next day鈥檚 race kicks off at 5 a.m., Robbins explained.
鈥淎 lot of these 50/50 runners aren鈥檛 getting sleep and recovery between the races, so one of the biggest things for them is fueling during the race and recovery fueling after, in the limited window they have, so when they get to line up on Sunday, they鈥檙e not entirely depleted with an inability to continue.鈥�
If travelling 50 kilometres on two wheels sounds more appealing than two feet, the Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s 50 mountain bike race might be the event for you.
Squamish鈥檚 biggest mountain bike race, returning June 15 and 16, for its third year, draws about 700 bikers annually to rip through the local trails.
The event fills a void left by the Test of Metal race that ran for over two decades, explained Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s 50 organizer Dwayne Kress.
In addition to its namesake 50-km race, the event also holds a 35-km race the following day. In addition to accommodating less experienced bikers, the 35-km event also facilitates the Sp鈥檃kw鈥檜s Challenge, another multi-day stage race.
The 50 is a bit more of a 鈥渂urlier course鈥� that includes a few more 鈥渢echnical features鈥� than Sunday鈥檚 鈥渇lowier鈥� race course, Kress explained. 鈥淭he 35 goes a little bit easier on you after the 50. Fifty kilometres is a lot on a mountain bike, especially in Squamish. The course that we鈥檙e working with, there鈥檚 a lot of up and down.鈥�
Competing in an event like the Sp鈥檃wk鈥檜s can be an incentive for athletes to push themselves and attempt something outside the limits of their comfort zones, he added.
鈥淐ertainly you鈥檙e going to have to get in some longer rides as you build up to this event 鈥� but sometimes the excitement of riding new trails carries you further through fatigue than otherwise.鈥�
When it comes to Squamish activities, sometimes limits have to be found and pushed slowly鈥攆or example, we鈥檇 advise against attempting to free solo the Stawamus Chief鈥檚 Grand Wall the same day you strap on a pair of climbing shoes for the first time.
That鈥檚 where events like the Treeline Women鈥檚 Climbing Festival come in. Now in its third year, the women鈥檚-only festival offers a safe, supportive space for climbers of all skill levels to celebrate their passion and come together as a community, while progressing their skills and pushing past their comfort zones.
Each year, about 100 participants come out for two days of climbing clinics led by knowledgeable female guides, during which they work on skills like learning how to climb outdoors, or learning how to fall safely.
Having that support, not to mention a cheering squad made up of your fellow climbers, often helps participants push past cruxes or terrain they鈥檝e struggled with in the past, explained festival founder Katie Hurley.
鈥淚t gets super frustrating when you鈥檙e trying to work through these things on your own or with people who aren鈥檛 giving you the right information. Doing these clinics, where you鈥檙e working with a guide that鈥檚 just there to help you get through it 鈥� you鈥檙e really getting that one-on-one attention, and it鈥檚 super exciting when you get that and then finally get the move. When you鈥檙e a climber, it鈥檚 one of the best feelings ever,鈥� she said.
Whether it鈥檚 climbers or kiteboards, those spending time in Squamish this summer can expect to see many athletes reaching new heights.
During 碍颈迟别颁濒补蝉丑鈥�s annual Big Air competition, those heights can reach upwards of 20 metres above the ocean鈥檚 surface, explained event organizer Steve Tulk.
Although kiteboarding is a relatively relaxed sport, especially for beginners, 鈥淪ome of the tricks these high-level athletes are doing I would consider extreme for sure,鈥� Tulk admits. 鈥淚t鈥檚 basically like steering the boat and wakeboarding behind it at the same time.鈥�
The annual kiteboarding competition, taking place this year on Aug. 22 to 25 at the Squamish Spit, attracts pros from around the world to take advantage of Squamish鈥檚 steady winds, as well as Canadian athletes fighting for the Canadian Freestyle Championship crown.
In addition to big air and freestyle 鈥� where athletes perform wakeboard-style tricks like rotations and inversions 鈥� KiteClash also hosts a 鈥榢itecross鈥� competition, following a similar format to its ski or snowboard counterparts. With up to 16 competitors at a time, 鈥淚t can get pretty crazy, pretty hairy out there 鈥� there鈥檚 tangles, occasionally,鈥� Tulk said.
Thanks to the Spit鈥檚 setup, spectators can expect a show throughout the four days. Onlookers are, 鈥渓iterally within feet of the competitors during the competition,鈥� Tulk said. 鈥淒uring the big air portion of the competition they鈥檙e almost jumping right over top of the spectators. It鈥檚 pretty amazing.鈥�
Disclaimer: This is just a handful of the wide variety of 鈥榚xtreme鈥� outdoor sports events taking place in Squamish in 2019.
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