HUMM Cascades 2023

Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness Cascades
Princeton, British Columbia - 2023

PROBLEM:

Bad news I'm afraid, because HUMM Cascades is postponed to 2024. Postponing an event is a very difficult decision to make, and we really hate doing it. We wanted to let you know as soon as possible after exhausting our options, because we know you need to book your days off well in advance.

Here's what has happened: The Princeton and District Arena (a.k.a. HUMM Cascades Headquarters) sustained extensive damage during the atmospheric river back in November 2021. The Provincial government, after much negotiation, finally agreed to fund some renovations as part of the disaster recovery plan for Princeton. The renovations, including getting a new roof, are now scheduled to start in June and continue through the summer. They are taking no event bookings for the year. We weren't made aware of this until late in mid-December 2022 when we called to confirm all was set for 2023.

We quickly started work to sniff out every possible option to secure an alternate venue available at the right time. Despite a lot of feedback from the townspeople to help with the search of possible venues, and a lot of time spent trying to negotiate restrictions, accepting them would have greatly hampered your full HUMM experience. Changing to a later date is also not feasible as the Arena puts down their ice during August. In the end, we have no venue for 2023.

Keep HUMM on your radar, though. Your patience will be well-rewarded next year. We'll see you back in 2024 at the Arena with polished facilities and brand new areas to explore! I'll be doing a lot of reconnoitering, looking for even more great riding so you have a bigger area to explore, and some more 5+'s for the crazies that like them!

We'd love to see you at the CanWest Travellers Meeting too (July 13-16), loads of great riding in the area, and there's always the Mini-HUMM to keep your skills sharp!

Keep on riding safe. Sharpen those off-road and navigation skills for 2024! We're also looking forward to 2025 and beyond, so if you know of a great riding area in southern BC, with a suitable venue close by, please let us know.

We HAVE notified everyone on the HUMM Updates List OR that has previously ridden the event.

What the HUMM is all about

The 6th Canadian HUMM is happening in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia. The first HUMM was held in 2007 in Spain, and has also been held in Morocco, the Appalachian Mountains and Arizona USA, and here in Canada!

A unique 2-day motorcycle orienteering / navigation challenge, the HUMM has also been described as an off-road motorcycle scavenger hunt. There is no set course, so you make your own adventure! Winning demands strategy, teamwork, riding and navigation skills and pure fun! "The best 48 hours of my life! (apologies to my wife!)"

The Cascades is a major North American mountain range, extending southward from British Columbia through Washington, Oregon and into California. Per Wikipedia: "...the Canadian Cascades are extremely rugged; even the lesser peaks are steep and glaciated, and valleys are quite low relative to peaks and ridges, so there is great local relief."

Grant Johnson is personally wrangling the points for this event, supported by Al Brooks, Mark Tonner and others with loads of input from local riders to find all the really cool spots you'd never find on your own.

Grant says the area features: "Roads and trails of every level, from highway smooth gravel to gnarliest single track you could ever want. Snow capped peaks and deep cool valleys, mountain-top lakes and open forests. This is riding nirvana!"

If a picture is worth 1000 words, how much is a video worth?! Check out the official HUMM event trailer, then read on!

Thanks to Molly Stack, our awesome video editor, and to Ken Delathouwer and Virginia Lane, Scott Chisholm, Andrew Thompson and Michael Klopp, Ilija Perić, Patrick Trahan, David Hodgson, & Ashley Moule for amazing video clips!

What is it?

Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness (HUMM ©2006) is an off-road, competitive, motorcycle navigation challenge for teams of 2-4 bikes. Events are 2 full-days of riding, and the most fun you can have on two wheels ;-) The HUMM is much copied, but has been running since 2006 in Spain, Morocco, Canada and USA.

"The best day's riding ever!"
"Ranks among the top ten 'best fun' biking experiences!"
"The best 48 hours of my life! (apologies to wife!)

Choose one of FOUR challenge classes for your team to participate!

1. MAP SINGLES - Single-cylinder bikes navigating with a compass (no GPS);
2. MAP MULTIS: Multi-cylinder bikes navigating with a compass (no GPS);
3. GPS SINGLES: Single-cylinder bikes navigating with a GPS or satnav;
4. GPS MULTIS: Multi-cylinder bikes navigating with a GPS or satnav.

Does your team have a combination of singles and multis? Choose the ONE challenge class your team will ride in and experience the unique pros and cons of each bike type.

Bikes need not be dedicated off-road specials but need to have a vague predilection for the dirt. So GS Adventure yes, Electric Glide in Blue, no. Knobby tires a plus AND RECOMMENDED, but by no means essential FOR Levels 1-3.

Each team gets the same map and a checkpoint booklet on Day 1. Each checkpoint gets its own page with a clear description of its location and a map reference. Crucially, the booklet is not a roadbook. No two teams ever take the same routes, there is no course as such. So you're never following a string of riders down the same dusty course!

The FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions, Difficulty Levels and MORE!

More detailed answers to your questions - CRUCIAL INFO - READ IT!

HUMM Cascades 2023 Event Schedule

Day Zero - July 7, 2023

• Arrive on site at the Princeton Arena
• Check in with event HQ. Check-in will be open from 1:00 to 18:00
• Welcome drink before briefing
• 18:00 - Event briefing and questions answered
• 19:30 - Dinner in town

Day 1 and 2 - July 8-9, 2023

• Maps and Booklets with all the check points will be handed out to you at 08:00 on Day 1! You can ride from 08:30-17:30 on Day 1 if you want, or use some time planning your route and preparing your bike. There is loads of room to do your planning.
• Start / Finish Riding Time: 08:30-17:30 Saturday, 08:00-17:00 Sunday.
• The score sheets are collected after each day's ride, and the team scores are posted.
• On Day 2 at 17:30 the score sheets are collected for the final time, points totalled and the winners announced and trophies handed out at the HUMM Awards Dinner. A very congenial evening follows!

The HUMM Event Fee includes:

• 2 full days of 100% pure off-road adventure riding in the Canadian Cascades! No stunts, no gimmicks!
• A "HUMM-dinger" of a chance to test your navigation strategies!
• An exclusive HUMM technical t-shirt - great riding shirt and as it's ONLY available to HUMM participants, it says you're VERY cool!

• Team Map and HUMM Points Book

• ALL First, Second and Third place Team Members in each class get a keeper Trophy (subject to sufficent riders in the class)!

Trophies at HUMM Monashees

• Access to support and recovery services in case of breakdown or accident out on the trail or on the road. Our support and recovery team can provide first aid and transport to the nearest suitable facility as well as basic field repairs and motorcycle recovery. This service is provided on a 'best efforts' basis. See Registration Terms and Conditions for limitations.
• Sunday evening Awards Dinner
• Bragging rights for participating in THE premier navigation challenge
• And of course, knowing that you're participating in a quality, well run event sanctioned by the Canadian Motorcycle Assocation!

Rules of the HUMM (since 2006!):

1. You must ride in a team of 2, to a maximum of 4 people, (minimum 2 bikes) so be sure to put together your team before registering as we need the names of all team members. If you cannot find someone to team with, go ahead and register for the event, note that you do not have a team partner, and we will match you with someone with a similar bike and riding skill level as best we can. Several past winners were matched up by us!



2. Prizes will be awarded in 4 classes (subject to sufficient entrants):
   • Map Class
     • Singles
     • Multis
   • GPS Class
     • Singles
     • Multis
   
   

   Mixed off-road teams have the good and bad of each class to deal with, so can choose which class to be in.

3. Two-up teams are ok, but there must be another vehicle in your team. We don't want solo bikes out alone.
   
4. Team mates must ride together at all times! If you separate for any reason other than one bike is broken down and stopped or one rider is injured, and the other rider is going for help, you will be disqualified.
5. No GPS allowed in the Map Class! You will be given a set of Event Map(s) and an Event Points Book. You may carry a smartphone, but are NOT allowed to use the GPS function. You may carry a GPS with map data of the area for emergency use only. It will be sealed in a tamper-proof plastic bag before you check out to ride. If the bag is opened for non-emergency purposes before returning to HUMM base, your team is disqualified. No other paper or digital map(s) of the event area other than those provided by HUMM organizers. Except for your GPS device (for emergency only), no laptops, tablets, or other digital devices that are capable of storing other map information.
6. Special Rules for GPS Class! GPS or smart phones with GPS capabilities are allowed in this class, but we aren't supplying GPX co-ordinates, since we don't want it to be too easy. ;-) There are rough coordinates in the book! As with the MAP class, you will be given a set of Event Map(s) and an Event Points Book. No other paper or digital map(s) of the event area other than:
   a) paper maps provided by HUMM organizers, and
   b) electronic maps already loaded onto your GPS or GPS-enabled smartphone. No laptops, tablets, or similar devices.
7. Start / Finish Time: 08:30-17:30 every day. You must check out and check in. Late returns lose points - really late returns lose lots of points! All team members must return together.
8. Each checkpoint has a points value based on how far it is from the hotel combined with the degree of difficulty, scenic vaue and fun factor! The HUMM is all about spending several days navigating your way around the mountains and seeing as much great scenery as possible.
9. Obtaining checkpoint info from another team is grounds for disqualification. In the event of a dispute or challenge, a photo at a checkpoint that matches the photo in the HUMM book will be required to verify the team has been to the checkpoint. Photograph EVERY checkpoint!

Rules of the HUMM Cascades continued... BEAR SPRAY!

Please Note: BEAR SPRAY is MANDATORY for HUMM Cascades - at least 1 per team! We recommend one EACH.

If you don't have your own, with a valid expiry date, you must purchase it. Price is about CDN$60 there, but can be found cheaper. MEC has it for CDN $49.95, but you have to buy it in store. Canadian Tire has it for CDN $49.99 up, also in store only. Amazon no longer sells it as it can't be shipped.

Bear spray tips and FAQ, excellent info from Bear Wise.

Some Carrying methods here.

Fantastic (and entertaining!) video on Safety in Bear Country WATCH IT!!!

For USA registrants, be aware that bear spray may not be legally taken across the border.

Facilities for a Fantastic Event

HUMM Cascades 2023 is based out of Princeton, a town in southern BC around 3.5 hours east of Vancouver. It lies just east of the Cascade Mountains. The Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers converge here, so there's lots of water to play in!

Staging for this event will be at the Princeton and District Arena. You will check-in at the Arena from 1 pm on July 7, teams will leave from the Arena on both July 8 and 9, and the Awards dinner will be catered at the Arena on the evening of July 9.

Al Brooks takes a break from tag wrangling to enjoy the views in the Cascades near Princeton, BC

Princeton has all the facilities we need for a fantastic event! There's a variety of reasonably priced accommodation options, from camping to inexpensive hotels. There are lots of restaurants and shops, including a large supermarket for self-catering and a hardware store if you need to fix something.

Obviously, the off-road trails are fantastic, but there's lots of other things to do! If you'd like to bring your non-riding significant other and family, Princeton is a great place for rejuvenating body and mind.

Possible activities include hiking, river rides, golfing, fishing, kayaking, lounging on the beach, swimming, canoeing and panning for gold! There's a self-guided walking tour of Granite Creek Ghost Town and Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary and Nature Reserve to explore. When all that tires you out, there is a local spa to relax in! Start at the Town of Princeton's website to explore.

Hotels / Motels

Start your search here.

We like the Ace Motel (formerly the Ponderosa) - inexpensive and centrally located. The Evergreen Motel and the Sandman are good and there's a number of others.
NOTE: The Castle Resort is NOT recommended, sadly it's gone down hill... BUT EXPECT to be in good shape and open in time for the 2023 event!

Camping

Princeton Exhibiton Grounds!

We have a VERY special deal just for us! Camping for RV's and tents, only $18 a night! This is right in the Exhibition grounds, and only two minutes from the arena we're based out of. Toilet and shower facilities. Pay cash at SIGN-IN in the arena when you arrive. Make a note when you register, or reply to your registration email to let us know you want to use this facility so we can make appropriate arrangements. NOTE: They do not have a paved area for parking – everything is either dirt, gravel or long grass.

Princeton Municipal RV Park and campground
Call Toll free: 855-295-7355

Book online at campgroundbooking.com

"The Princeton RV Park consists of 73 rv and tent sites located right beside the beautiful Similkameen River with easy access to the Highway 3 in either direction.

The park situated in a well balanced mixture of trees for shade sites and open areas for sites and other activities. All the sites are well serviced with 30 Amp power and water plus a central facility for showers, flush toilets, ice and much more. We are pet friendly as well. For those that need to stay in touch with their traveling colleagues or family at home the park has both WIFI and Internet Connections."

Princeton Golf Club RV Park
Reservations Recommended – Please phone for reservations during office hours Monday-Thursday 8am-2pm. 1-888-295-5123 ext 3

Local Provincial Campgrounds include:

Bromley Rock – located along Hwy 3, is 15 minutes on a bike to the arena. 250-548-0076

Otter Lake – located in Tulameen, BC, 30 minutes on a bike. All campsite reservations must be made through the BC Parks reservations system.

Recreation Sites include:

Martins Lake – Princeton Summerland Road, 7 minutes on a bike.

HUMM Refund Policy