Freshlines at Whistler Mountain Bike Park

What’s Going On???? Lower A-line has been overhauled by Marty and his machine this week. This means a smoother ride for you!

The first Phat Wednesday DH race on B-Line was a huge success, despite the inclement weather; 170 racers! The winning time was 3:44.75 posted by Yann Martin. There was a $5 side pot for riders who wanted to race each other chainless, resulting in an arm wrestle and beer-chug contest–and eventual tie–between Adam Billinghurst and Curtis Keene due to a dispute over Billinghurst’s run.

This Wednesday will be the first of the new “Phast” Wednesday series, and of course, that being Canada Day, you can expect a high level of national pride! These three additional races will be on harder courses and are being sponsored by the GLC, so come out and race the trails you love to fear!

Do you think of the bike park as an intimidating haven for the fearless? Do you think you need a bike built like a monster truck to ride it? If you do, we would like to show you the gentler side of the park. There are several intermediate trails in the Fitszimmons zone that are actually better ridden on an XC or trail bike, so there is no need to use any different equipment than you already have. If you don’t believe us we offer the “Sampler” ticket for $27, which is good for 3 runs. Fun trails like Ninja Cougar, Karate Monkey, and Ho Chi Minh are waiting for you…what are you waiting for?

JMcS

Garbanzo is open, Garbanzo is open! One week earlier than planned, at that. I knew that the Bike Park crew just couldn’t wait to crack Garbo, and neither should you. Not only is Garbanzo open but it is in great shape. Every trail is open and the best news of all for those who didn’t get up to Garbo late last fall is that there are three sweet new additions.

Freight Train now continues down to the Highway 86 tunnel. The dream is almost a reality: except for a few short sections, there is a continuous jump trail from the top of Garbanzo to the Village (Freight Train to Dirt Merchant or A-Line). If flowy single track is your poison, you will love what the crew has done to No Joke – now called New Joke. Some of the original mixed with some rerouting and a ton of rock and wood work make this the Garbo version of Angry Pirate. Last but not least, Blue Velvet keeps on growing. The best section of all has been added from the top of the chair to link up to the Treefort. Combined, these three sections multiply the Garbo flow factor considerably – still an area that requires skills, but now suitable for a much broader range of riders.

While Garbanzo is the big news progress continues to made in the Fitz area. Finishing touches are being completed on the final phase of the Crank It Up masterpiece. This section will bypass the unremarkable Singing Pass Road straight shot and add several tables, a ladder bridge and two more wall rides joining Heart of Darkness (or HOD for those who read Brian’s last update) at the water tower. No promises on the opening date but it should be before Canada turns 142.

If you have ridden the Giant Slalom course, you may have found that while great at the top and bottom, the middle was more like an XC course than a GS. Well that is no longer the case, thanks to a new design and some expert machine work. If you haven’t ridden it yet, then get in there!

There is tons more going on as the Park gets into full summer swing . The Phat Wednesday race series begins on the 24th with three additional races this year – nine in total thanks to some support from the apres race headquarters , the GLC. Women’s Nights are back on full force every Monday and Wednesday. Finally, this weekend’s moisture, while not pleasant at that time is exactly what the trails needed.

See you soon,

JMcS

Hey out there all you dirt shredders, we have made some great improvements to the bike park lately, and many more are to come.

Firstly, Angry Pirate has had some awesome work done; rock armouring to enhance flow and some creative bridgework as well. This trail is truly the best it has ever been right now, so set yer sails for Whistler and come ride the Pirate, y’arrr!

Next, for all you interested in racing your buddies head to head in two parallel tracks, we have the all new Double Vision course finished and open. Consisting of tabletops, step-downs, tunnels, dozens of excellent berms and featuring the two “Satellite Dishes” from last year’s slopestyle course, Double Vision is ready for action.

Moving on to Crank It Up, you will notice that there are new rollers before Singing Pass Road: whether you pump, manual or double them, I assure you, rider, it will be very rad! Also, there will be a short new section of CIU available for your riding pleasure very soon. When completed, you will be able to ride right to the water tower on Heart of Darkness without riding on the road, making CIU/HOD a completely uninterrupted trail!

Finally, the Boneyard Slopestyle course is shaping up nicely, with insane wall rides, huge gaps and super cool step-downs. This world class Slopestyle course will not be open to the public until after Crankworx, when it will be made safer (because we don’t want you to die).

Thats all for now, come check it out!