Adventure / Dualsport Gathering
Canal Flats, BC
July 25-28 2024
Feed Your Moto Adventure Passion
The WANDR is a 3-day Adventure and Dualsport Motorcycle gathering that includes 2-days of off-highway Moto-Navigation as well as a friendly and inviting Basecamp with camping, dinners, and evening camaraderie. Think Moto-geocaching with an amazing evening camp atmosphere! (you can also stay in nearby accommodation). You have access to over 100 QuestPoints scattered within an 80km radius. Choose anything from easy gravel to gnarly single track. Create your own ride while finding these fun and challenging QuestPoints in some of the world's most scenic mountain riding.
Join the Tribe. Enjoy the Vibe.
Find Your Tribe. Meet other interesting riders, share stories and create friendships.
Evenings of Camaraderie with like-minded folks.
Vendors with the gear and accessories that make your ride better.
Offroad Riding Clinic (to be confirmed). Improve your skills.
Demo Rides (to be confirmed). Try out the latest. Give your next bike a try.
Includes 4 Nights of Camping! Thursday through Sunday night. Camp with your RV or tent or stay in a condo/hotel in Fairmont 15 minutes away.
Includes Saturday Pizza Night. This was a hit last year, so we're keeping it! A great way to connect with other riders and forge new friendships.
Includes Sunday Dinner This final celebration is always a hit!
Prizes and Giveaways. Moto gear, swag, etc.
Don't Know Anyone? Don't Worry!
You'll find we're a friendly bunch and you'll quickly feel at home!
Endless Riding for All Skill Levels
Southeastern BC has some of the best riding in the world. Ranging from twisty pavement in the valleys, to wide-open logging roads to technical riding on 100-year-old mining tracks.
Whether you're a newcomer on a big adventure bike or a hardened offroader on a plated dirt bike, you'll have a blast!
People come out for many reasons. Some love the competition and want to shoot for the standings. Others are out to enjoy the riding and finding the spectacular places that the WANDURO navigation app reveals to them.
Relaxed or Radical. It's Up to You
Because there are no set routes, you choose which QuestPoints™ to go for, in what order you'd like to find them, and the difficulty level you want to ride. So you'll only occasionally see other riders and you won't be eating everyone's dust.
Some of What You'll See at WANDR2024
A video that Trent shot while he was out scouting for next summer.WANDR2024
If you're not a seasoned rider, don't worry, this is one of the harder trails and there are tons of easier ones to keep you busy for the weekend!
Videos From Previous Participants
Two Ways to Enjoy Riding the Area
Either way, you receive access to a "Quest" on the Wanduro navigation app that includes over 100 Suggested QuestPoints™ scattered throughout 20,000 km² (7800 square miles) of terrain.
1. Ultimate Ride (All Skill Levels)
If you appreciate a fun and friendly competition and want the excitement of going for the points, this is the ride for you! Top-scoring ride-groups will also get cool trophies that are hand-made of rocks from the very mountains you're riding in. Top-scorers also receive items donated by our sponsors ($30-$40 value).
If you participate in the Ultimate ride you will need to choose to be categorized as either a single or multi-cylinder ride-group. If your group has a mix of single and multi-cylinder bikes, you can choose whether you want to be categorized as either single or multi-cylinder and work with both the advantages and disadvantages of having a mixed group.
The Ultimate Ride is appropriate for all skill levels. Remember, you choose the QuestPoints you want to ride to, so you determine the challenge. Because the more technical QuestPoints take longer to get to, you could potentially make up for it by getting to more of the easier ones. (nobody has actually tried that strategy yet, but we'd love to see it!)
2. Adventure Ride (All Skill Levels, but more casual)
This is for folks looking for a more relaxed, recreational riding weekend. You still have access to the WANDURO navigation app and QuestPoints, but without the leaderboard, recognition, or prizes. It's up to you whether you use the app to enjoy finding the Questpoints, or just head out and explore on your own, or some combination of the two!
Recognition
After the Sunday evening dinner, we'll recognize Ultimate riders and groups in various categories. Trophies and prizes go to the top three ride-groups in both the multi-cylinder and single-cylinder categories. Other categories include the attendee from farthest away, the "die-hard" group that continued riding despite adversity, best rider spirit, and more.
Worried About the Riding Difficulty?
Don't be!
There is plenty for all skill levels. And remember, you choose the difficulty level you want to take on by which QuestPoints you select. We've had retired couples on matching VStroms without much experience on gravel have an absolute blast. If you have any questions about the terrain and difficulty, please get in touch at info@yugenex.com .
It's Your Ride
Remember, all of the riding is considered to be "on your own." Once you leave the BaseCamp, you are an independent rider choosing to ride your own ride with your group. Whether you choose to find QuestPoints, do your own exploring, or whatever else you do is up to you. You are entirely responsible for your own actions once you leave BaseCamp.
We will, however, have volunteer first aid in the area as well as folks who may be able to help you recover a disabled motorcycle on a "best effort" basis.
Riders' Reactions
Sustainability
As with any activity in undeveloped areas, we must keep our impact to a minimum. We take this seriously. This is how we do it:
- QuestPoints are located on active and inactive resource roads (logging/mining/etc.), and well-established motorized-use trails. There is no off-trail riding or bushwhacking.
- QuestPoints are in locations not normally accessed by other recreational users.
SPONSORS
These are the outstanding organizations that give back to the moto community. And we're proud to have them on board!
They not only understand what it means to experience the freedom of the outdoors, but they also jump in and support the sport so that riders and adventurers can enjoy it to the max. They understand that being part of the riding community is a two-way street and they step up to support events like the WANDR. They do this so that they can meet you face to face and help support opportunities to enjoy the amazing fun and camaraderie that this sport provides.
These folks deserve your support.
Gold Sponsor
Dean from BFD Moto is with us again this year as our Gold Sponsor. Welcome back Dean and the BFD team! We look forward to having BFD's presence at the event and maybe having a BFD team entered in the Ultimate class!
Bronze Sponsors
We welcome Jackson from Veridian Cruise as a new sponsor this year. He's come up with an innovative cruise control system for adventure bikes that he wants to show you. We're sure you'll love it!
Back again are Barry and the crew at Valley Moto Sport. It's great to have this cornerstone of the Okanagan motorcycle scene in our sponsorship team again this year!
Ian and his team from Riders' Edge Suspension in Vernon will be back again this year. He's been coming out consistently (except when he's off at the ISDE competition with the team supporting his son Owen). We'll let him off the hook for that! He's also been threatening to host a suspension clinic this year where you can learn how to make the most if it for your bike, style, and ability.
Backroads Mapbooks has generously provided 90-Day Free Access to the BRMB App for all WANDR participants! So you can try it out for the rest of the riding season. We all know BRMB Maps as the best adventure maps in the business and we're proud to have them on board again this year! And, by the way, the app is outstanding.
Media Sponsor
Canada's top Motorcyle Magazine! Once again Gwen and Emily from Motorcycle Mojo have offered to be the WANDR media sponsor.
Supporting Sponsors
Brad from Jackknife Brewing in Kelowna signed up to ride the event and then had the bright idea of bringing some beer along to share from his brewery. So we have a beer sponsor this year!
Cycle World Calgary is a first-time sponsor this year and they've donated some great prizes. We're proud to have them on board!
Become a Sponsor. Connect With the Passionate Core.
The WANDR is the event in Western Canada for connecting with the passionate core of the Adventure, Dualsport and Enduro community. The people that come out to the WANDR are passionate, responsible, enthusiastic riders and are often the influencers both online and offline within their riding communities. Contact us at (403) 875-8500 or by email at info@yugenex.com and we'll promptly send you a sponsorship package containing a variety of ways that you can make a one-on-one connection with this tribe of passionate moto-adventurers. Join us in promoting the sport. You'll be glad you did!
TRAILS & TERRAIN
The Canadian Rockies and Purcells are amongst the best riding terrain in the world. And they are riddled with 1000's of km of logging roads and old mining tracks. You can experience deep valleys, desert, rain forest, glaciers, and lakes all in one day.
Riding Difficulty Levels
We want everybody to have fun on their rides, from a beginner on a big adventure bike to an experienced rider on a plated dirt bike. The QuestPoints™ are all rated using the following difficulty rating:
0 Paved
1 Easy gravel
2 Gravel requiring more focus. Potholes, loose gravel, slippery sections, rocks.
3 Offroad with challenges. Slippery, rocky sections. Sticks, puddles, mud.
4 Offroad with serious challenges. Tough, but you can usually make it through using your feet or getting off and pushing.
5 Offroad where you'll need momentum and skill to make it through. Potentially problematic if you lose it.
There is plenty for all skill levels, so if you want to concentrate on easier trails, you'll be busy all weekend. And if you want to just ride harder trails, there's plenty of that as well.
APP, NAVIGATION & QUESTPOINTS
How you navigate is up to you (GPS, Maps, etc.), but it's the WANDURO™ smartphone app that unlocks the QuestPoints for you.
The navigation is at least half the challenge and it's the riders that can combine great teamwork, navigation, and riding that usually do the best!
You start with a detailed topographic map of the area as well as an 11x17 printed overview which shows you the general location of all the QuestPoints.
The app also lists all the QuestPoints along with their point value. Most teams spend some time with these resources to plan their strategy before riding out. And these strategies are all over the map! Here are some possibilities:
- Go to the most scenic locations.
- Ride the most difficult QuestPoints.
- Randomly find QuestPoints with no strategy whatsoever.
- Get to as many QuestPoints as possible.
Once you get close enough to a QuestPoint, the app provides you with Dakar-inspired navigation aids to get you to the location. It could be on a mountainside above you accessed by a series of switchbacks. It could be across a river requiring you to go upriver to cross a bridge and come back down the other side. It will be up to you to figure out how to get there.
Once you reach the QuestPoint, the app will give you further instructions to verify that you were there. It may ask you to name the mountain that is above the lake, enter the number of a QuestTag or other question that verifies that you made it.
BIKES
You're good to go on anything from a VStrom to a plated dirt bike. As long as it's road legal and fine for gravel roads, it is up to you what you ride! As long as you're comfortable with at least gravel roads and easy double-track trails, you'll be fine. And for the die-hards, there will be plenty of gnarly stuff to keep you busy all weekend.
Your bike must be registered, plated and insured for on-road use because there are sections of public road you'll need to ride on to get to the trails and forestry roads. At a minimum, bikes will need:
- road-legal plate, registration, and insurance
- spark arrestor
"I COULDN'T BELIEVE
THE SIGHTS I SAW
ON MY BIG BIKE"
RIDING GROUPS
To use the WANDURO app to find QuestPoints and tally your points in the Ultimate ride, we require you to ride in groups of at least two people, but no more than four people. If you simply want to ride out and explore on the Adventure ride there are no requirements but we still recommend you at least pair up.
If you do not have a group, you can sign up as a solo rider and connect with other solo riders to form a group or you can connect with a group that's looking for another rider.
Groups can indicate whether they're looking for or willing to consider having an appropriate solo rider join them.
There is a Facebook group where solo riders can connect with groups and vice versa.
Passengers (pillions) are welcome as long as there is still a minimum of 2 bikes in the group.
We highly recommend groups of 3 or 4 people, that way if a person or motorcycle becomes disabled, one person can stay behind with the immobilized rider and the other can go for help. Each group should have some first aid and trailside motorcycle repair experience. Even more so if you are in a group of two.
GET READY TO RIDE
SCHEDULE
Thu July 25
BaseCamp Activities
Registration Open
Vendors Open
Self-Guided Riding
Fri July 26
BaseCamp Activities
Registration Open
Vendors Open
Self-Guided Riding
App Orientation session
Sat July 27
QuestPoint Navigation Riding (Adventure & Ultimate)
Self-Guided Riding
Late Registration
Late Orientation
Vendors Open
BaseCamp Activities
Pizza Night
Sun July 28
Questpoint Navigation Riding (Adventure and Ultimate)
Self-Guided Riding
Vendors Open
BaseCamp Activities
Celebration Dinner
Prizes & Giveaways
LOCATION & VENUE
Canal Flats, British Columbia
A small community at the end of Columbia Lake, the headwaters of the Columbia river.
From here you'll enjoy both the Rockies and Purcell Range.
The Rockies
Big valleys. Sweeping Forestry Roads. Magnificent Craggy Mountains. East of Canal Flats.
The Purcell Range
Rain Forest, Rivers, Peaks, and Ranchlands. West of Canal Flats.
Location Map (Click Map to Open)
Driving Hours to Canal Flats from:
| Calgary: 4 | Spokane: 4 |
| Kelowna: 6.5 | Edmonton: 6 |
| Vancouver: 9 | Seattle: 8 |
| Saskatoon: 9 | Portland 9 |
| Billings: 9.5 | Salt Lake City 11.5 |
The Challenge of High Fuel Prices
Yup, it's still a challenge this year. But so worth it to come and ride in this area. One way you can save is by leaving your RV behind and coming with your tent. If there happens to be rain, there's a large covered picnic gazebo and we also have the large onsite community hall for the whole weekend. And let's not forget the HOT showers in the sports complex we're next to.
Make it a Vacation. Bring the Family Too.
If you're coming from farther away, why not make a vacation out of it? The Columbia Valley is a beautiful lake resort area and the whole of southern BC has endless outstanding riding opportunities as well as plenty of fun for your family if you'd like to bring them along too. Everything from whitewater rafting to spa treatments. Give us a shout and we'll give you some insider tips on our favourite places.
Non-riders that are accompanying you get a special accompanying-persons rate.
Venue, Camping and Accommodation
We will be basing the event out of the Canal Flats Civic Centre (map link) and the nearby open area and sports fields. There's plenty of room for RVs and tents around the arena and in the nearby sports fields. There are no hookups, so you'll need to be self-sufficient. There are, however, hot showers and washrooms available in the arena.
Since we have booked the whole venue, camping Thursday through Sunday is included in all tickets.
For the best experience and to be part of all the camaraderie, camp with us onsite! Normally, most attendees choose to camp there to enjoy the atmosphere and camaraderie.
For those that would rather not camp, Fairmont Hot Springs is only 15 minutes north of Canal Flats and has plenty of accommodation options. Canal Flats also has a few AirBnbs. However, there is no reduction in the event fee if you decide not to camp.
Amenities
Both the BaseCamp activities and Camping are in and around the sports fields within the village of Canal Flats. You'll have access to the following:
- Large community centre. Great for getting out of any inclement weather.
- Large covered picnic gazebo.
- 24-hour toilets.
- Hot showers in the sports complex we're right next to.
- A great cafe across the street that does awesome coffee, breakfasts, and lunches.
- A grocery store and gas station a couple of blocks away.
- Fairmont Hot Springs is only a 15-minute drive away along with some more restaurants and a grocery store.
MEALS
Saturday Pizza Night and the Final Dinner on Sunday evening are included.
The cafe across the street can provide breakfasts and lunches. There's also a local pub and a pizza takeout. Other than that, you can prepare your own meals at the campground or eat in Fairmont 15 minutes away.
This Year's T-Shirt Design!
Each participant will get one of these wicked T-Shirts.
We're putting in our T-Shirt order on July 5, so if you want a T-Shirt, you'll need to register before that.
PRICE & REGISTRATION
All prices are in Canadian Dollars (northern Pesos! 😉 ) so for you folks in the US, the equivalent in US dollars is about 25% less!
Once you've submitted the registration form, you should get a confirmation email with your ticket information. If you do not get this email, contact us at info@yugenex.com and we'll sort it out.
What You Get as an Attendee
- Enjoy access to all of the onsite activities at BaseCamp. Vendors, entertainment, and more.
- Access to over 100 QuestPoints for the weekend via the WANDURO™ App.
- Use of our recommended routes for self-guided rides.
- Come and go as you please. Team up with other riders. Ride when you want and then relax or take in everything at BaseCamp whenever you feel like it.
- All four nights of camping with hot showers and heated washrooms.
- Use of picnic gazebo and access to the community centre during the day and evening.
- Saturday Pizza Night.
- Sunday Celebration Dinner.
- Trophies, Prizes, Swag, Giveaways, Recognition. (Ultimate Riders)
- A detailed, high-quality map of the area (1 per group of 2 or more riders. Extras available for purchase.)
- A wicked WANDR™ T-shirt that will look good no matter when or where you wear it! Male and Female shirts available.
- A 1-year, non-voting membership in the Yugen Society of Explorers.
Price
Ultimate:
$345+ 5% gst. $50 discount Early Bird Ticket sold out.
$365+ 5% gst. $30 discount Later Bird Ticket sold out.
$395 + 5% gst. Regular Price Ticket after April 1
Adventure:
$295+ 5% gst. $50 discount Early Bird Ticket sold out.
$315 + 5% gst. $30 discount Later Bird Ticket sold out.
$345 + 5% gst. Regular Price Ticket after April 1
Special Accompanying Persons' Pricing
For non-riding family members and accompanying persons.
What you get:
- Four nights of camping.
- Access to basecamp areas including vendors and entertainment but not demos, clinics, dinners, and presentations.
- Saturday and Sunday dinner is optional and you can pay for it onsite.
Adults 18+: $95 + gst
13-17 yrs: $35 + gst
12 yrs and under: free
Prices do not include 5% Canadian GST sales tax.
You get to be part of all this for about the cost of a weekend of golfing or skiing!
Cancellation/Refund Policy
Early Cancellation
If you cancel on or before July 1, 2024, we will refund you everything except the $50 Yugen Society Membership.
Late Cancellation
After July 1, 2024, until the start of the event, you will get a 50% refund.
Accompanying Persons Tickets can be canceled at any time up until the start of the event for a $10.00 handling charge per ticket.
If We Cancel the Event
If we have to cancel because of an act of God, force majeure, government action, or other situation beyond our control including but not limited to forest fire, flood, strike, war, epidemic, and quarantine that prevents the event from taking place:
- We will announce this cancellation after the Early Cancellation deadline.
- We will roll your payment over to next year's event and
- You may decide to cancel your ticket any time up to the early cancellation date of next year's event. In this case we will refund your payment less $95 to defray some of the costs incurred in putting together this year's event.
- If you cancel your ticket after the late cancellation date of next year's event, you will be subject to next year's refund policy for late cancellation.
If we cancel the event for reasons other than mentioned above, you receive a full refund less the $50 Yugen Society Membership
COVID-19 Contingency
In 2020 we were forced to eliminate the base camp activities and group camping due to social distancing rules. We offered a refund for that portion for those that still wanted to attend and allowed people who did not want to attend due to the Covid situation to roll their registration over to 2021.
Amazingly, more than half of the registrants still decided to come out and we had an amazing event!
In 2021 we were forced to cancel the whole event due to Covid restrictions.
So here's how it sits in case of Covid restrictions:
If we need to eliminate the basecamp activities, camping, and final dinner we will lose much of our sponsorship support because they will receive less benefit without the ability to have a presence at BaseCamp. We can, however, provide a partial refund for that portion and still go ahead with the suggested rides and QuestPoint Navigation portion of the WANDR.
If we have to eliminate basecamp activities, camping, and final dinner
- Accompanying person tickets will get a full refund.
- Adventure and Ultimate Tickets holders will have two choices.
- Come out for the riding and QuestPoint navigation and receive a $100 discount.
- Roll over your registration to the next year and
- You may decide to cancel your ticket any time up to the early cancellation date of next year's event. In this case we will refund your payment less the $50 Yugen Society membership.
- If you cancel your ticket after the late cancellation date of next year's event, you will be subject to next year's refund policy for late cancellation.
If we have to alter the event in other ways due to COVID or other reasons
We will figure out something reasonable as the case arises.
Other Logistics/Requirements
Medical Insurance
If you're coming from outside of Canada, make sure that your medical insurance covers expenses in Canada. Many standard policies do not and you will need additional travel medical insurance. Do your research and insure yourself accordingly.
Waiver
All attendees will be required to sign the release of all claims and waiver of liability.
ULTIMATE RIDE REQUIREMENTS
If you want to participate in the Ultimate ride and have your QuestPoints tallied and included in the rankings and qualify for prizes, you must follow these requirements.
- Groups must have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 bikes.
- Groups must ride together at all times. If you separate for any reason other than sending someone to go get help for a disabled bike or rider, your group will be removed from the rankings.
- Start/Finish times are 09:00 to 17:00 every day. All group members must return together. Late returns lose points.
- Getting QuestPoint info from another group results in both groups being removed from the rankings.
- We REQUIRE that each group have at least one emergency signaling device such as SPOT, InReach, Satphone or EPIRB. Rent one if you don't have one.
- Each group must have at least 1 canister of bear spray.
- Each group must have a first aid kit.
- Each group must have at least 1 smartphone capable of running the Wanduro app. We highly recommend more than one in case one has a problem.
- Bikes must be registered and insured for on-highway use and have a spark arrestor.
- In the event of a dispute, a screenshot of the WANDURO app showing that you've reached the QuestPoint, or a photo that shows that you were at the QuestPoint is required to verify that you've been there. The decisions of the event organizers are final.
Yugen
Yugen Society of Explorers is a registered British Columbia society dedicated to enabling people to enjoy the great outdoors.
