Mountain Biking the Annapurna Circuit - Bikepacking the World鈥檚 Biggest Pass, a Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival presentation, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. at Centennial Theatre. Tickets and info: .
Elladee Brown embodies a freewheeling spirit.
Have mountain bike, will travel 鈥� that鈥檚 the North Vancouver resident and world champion medallist鈥檚 mantra.
Even if that means pushing a bike for three days straight at the tail end of a 17,769-foot trek to the top of a Nepalese mountain pass.
Brown and three female riding buddies, Kelli Sherbinin, Jaime Hill and Leslie Kehmeier, conquered the world鈥檚 highest pass 鈥� the Annapurna Circuit 鈥� on bike last April.
What they came home with is some 鈥渁stounding footage鈥� the foursome will share during a Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival talk at Centennial Theatre on Feb. 23.
Around every corner of the 230-kilometre mountainous journey in the shadows of Everest a breathtaking landscape would come into view.
鈥淚t鈥檚 otherworldly for sure,鈥� says Brown, of Annapurna, defined by its six prominent peaks.
Freeze-dried foods weren鈥檛 on the menu for the 10-day adventure through the remote reaches of Nepal.
Brown and her biking posse would stay in tea houses along the route, which eliminated having to trek with a tent and stove on two wheels. The riders were fuelled by home-cooked meals 鈥� flavourful and rich curries, stews, and dal bhat 鈥� at the tea houses.
Pringles and Snickers also served as a fuel source, and a comfort from home.
鈥淵ou definitely still have to eat well because you鈥檝e got a lot of energy output but you have to be flexible too,鈥� explains Brown.
The downhill parts of the unrelenting Annapurna Circuit are a short-lived relief. Most of the rough and rocky trek involves long paths that go up and then down.
No pain, no altitude gain is a lesson well earned.
鈥淔or eight days, you鈥檙e basically climbing, climbing, climbing,鈥� attests Brown.
Along the way, the rolling quartet would encounter people coming back down from the mountain pass.
Eyeing their bikes, many astonished hikers remarked: 鈥淲hat are you guys doing? How are you going to get your bikes up and over this thing?鈥�
As the mountain bikers gained elevation, the terrain changed and the air became thin and dry.
鈥淭here was lots of terrain that was totally un-rideable 鈥� where you鈥檙e kind of taking your bike for a walk,鈥� says Brown.
The last three days of the trip, their bikes were essentially rolling luggage.
Pouches attached to their bikes contained supplies to keep Brown and her crew prepared for disarming climate changes along the path 鈥� hot jungle temperatures to -10 C at the top.听
Kehmeier captured stills of the unparalleled scenery, while Brown took some video footage 鈥渇rom just pulling my iPhone out, anywhere and everywhere.鈥�
The intrepid mountain bikers will each helm a segment of their talk at Centennial Theatre, as the photo slideshow and footage is narrated through four sets of eyes.
鈥淚 think really for us the goal of the festival is to expose (mountain biking treks) to people in the hopes that they鈥檇 want to take it on,鈥� says Brown, who was an early adopter of the sport.
At the age of 14, when Brown moved to Whistler with her mom, she had no choice but to try mountain biking.
There was a fledgling scene up there in the mid-1980s and Brown was poised to make her mark.
鈥淚 met my tribe, so to speak,鈥� recalls Brown, of falling in with the mountain biking crowd as a teenager.
Whistler was a ghost town in the summer, before shredding the trails became a far-reaching attraction. 听听听听听听听听听听听听听
It was a newspaper ad for a local race that led to Brown鈥檚 career as professional mountain biker.
鈥淢y mom cut it out of the Whistler Question. She had seen me riding a lot that summer, so she cut that little ad out of the paper and said: 鈥楬ey, there鈥檚 this race coming to Whistler 鈥� you should enter it. You鈥檝e been riding a lot 鈥� you might have fun.鈥� She was right.鈥�
It was a grassroots mountain biking race, recalls Brown. Competitors wore T-shirts.
Brown finished last, but couldn鈥檛 be deterred. She took that summer to get in shape.
From there, Brown started putting up decent times against some well-known U.S. mountain biking pros.
She earned a spot on a specialized team based out of Colorado and made the high-altitude state her home base 鈥� training at 7,500 feet above sea level.
For a decade, Brown was a fixture on the UCI race circuit in the 鈥�90s.
The former national champion and world championship medallist came away mostly unscathed from the pro side of the sport 鈥� just a separated shoulder Brown sustained while competing at the X Games in Colorado.
Her wife and fellow pro rider, Tara Llanes, wasn鈥檛 so lucky. Llanes was thrown over the handlebars, onto her head and then her back during a race in Colorado in 2007.
She is now paralyzed as a result of that accident but not dispirited.听
Seeing the rich lives that people with spinal cord injuries lead, including her wife who is now a Canadian wheelchair basketball player and Paralympian, has taken some of Brown鈥檚 fear away.
The couple has toured around Europe together on the train system. Llanes has even learned how to go down an escalator in her wheelchair.
Closer to home, Llanes is involved in adaptive mountain biking on the North Shore, including helping to create a purpose-built, wider-width trail on Seymour to accommodate the specialized bikes.
It鈥檚 no accident that Brown laid down roots in this outdoor recreation mecca shortly after laying eyes on Mount Fromme.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a mountain bike town essentially, and everybody kind of gets it,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 cool to see how we have really integrated with it, whereas a lot of other places have had a lot of collision.鈥�
Brown has been involved in the industry in all facets 鈥� including as racer, brand ambassador, and sales rep 鈥� for 30 years.
But it鈥檚 the adventure and exploration side of mountain biking that keeps her moving.
鈥淭ruthfully, I love to do these big epic adventures,鈥� she says.
Brown鈥檚 next big mountain biking trip will be this spring in Croatia where she will ride for 650 kilometres along the Adriatic Crest trail and explore the rugged side of the country.
After eight days, Brown will board an all-inclusive mountain bike cruise and island hop in the Mediterranean for another eight days of unbridled adventure.
鈥淚t sounds really cool,鈥� she says.
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