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104 I bikemag.com<br />
for the record:<br />
this is not<br />
gArett buehler’s<br />
dAy off.<br />
Canadian Mountain Holidays in the Cariboo<br />
Mountains near Valemont, B.C. He still gets<br />
hundreds of hours each year on snow and is<br />
regarded as one of the most experienced and<br />
trusted guides working today. For him, it’s not<br />
a job anymore.<br />
Ernie and his wife had two boys, both of<br />
whom were born with skis on their feet. Now<br />
divorced, he splits his time between guiding<br />
skiers and his home. While many hockey<br />
dads might be driving their kids to the rink, he<br />
would be shuttling Garett and his friends so<br />
they could hurtle down any one of Nelson’s<br />
80-plus mountain bike trails. Back then, he<br />
didn’t really get to see them ride. Now he can<br />
watch all day long.<br />
“The B.C. boys are the best in the world,”<br />
Ernie says. “It takes a lot of dedication, and you<br />
have to love it and not be afraid. It’s pretty wild,<br />
but it looks like those kids know what they’re<br />
doing. They’re a radical group of guys, and they<br />
like to party, too. It’s a good thing for a while,<br />
but he can’t do it for the rest of his life.”<br />
nArrowing the gAp<br />
With a quiet wisdom gathered slowly over<br />
time, Ernie sees similarities between men like<br />
himself, who spend their lives on skis, and<br />
those like his son, who live to ride bikes. He<br />
likes the fact that Garett has chosen a bike<br />
over a pair of skis.<br />
“The skiers are more at risk because of avalanche,”<br />
he says. “It would bother me more<br />
if he was extreme skiing—the avalanche factor<br />
is huge. The crashes are harder in biking,<br />
though. There’s a lot of camaraderie between<br />
these bikers. And they respect each other,<br />
and I like that aspect.”<br />
Even though the age difference between<br />
Ernie and his younger son is 47 years, Garett<br />
can relate to his dad.<br />
“The lifestyle is similar for a mountain-bike<br />
rider and a ski guide.” Garett says. “I don’t<br />
work a job. My dad wants to be outside all<br />
day long. We both like to hang around the fire<br />
then watch TV.”<br />
it’s All About jumping<br />
Ernie’s elder son, Jackson, has talent on a bicycle<br />
as well, and enjoyed a career as a pro
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