AIRprentice 2008 - Day One

Words by Stuart Kernaghan. Photos by Stuart Kernaghan.
Date: 2008-07-19


Day one of AIRPrentice 2008 started out in the usual style - riders congregating at the base of the Whistler Bike Park ready to rip it up and earn a spot on the nsmb.com team.

I shot a bunch of photos during the day. Here's a selection to give you a taste of what happened. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner on Sunday night, and Cam's full report at the beginning of next week.

- Stuart


The boys headed up the hill, and sessioned the four-pack of jumps near the start of A Line. It was quite the procession - look on the left side of the pic for the whole train of riders.


There were plenty of impressive moves, including this sweet bar hump...


... and this no-footed can.


Not everything was picture perfect, though. Believe it or not, this no-footer DIDN'T end in disaster.

From the tables at the top of A Line, we went over to Crabapple Hits, and made the nsmb hopefuls session the big hits at the top of the trail.


Speed was definitely the name of the game, and more than a few riders found themselves getting a whole lot of air. You had to be quick with the camera to get a shot in some cases.


Thankfully, the guys understood that style is just as important as speed, so they were throwing down some nice tricks as well.


A big chunk of the nsmb staff and team were on site to watch riders send it, including Cam (left) and marketing guy Pete Roggeman (right).

Several runs down Crabapple wore everyone out, so we headed to the Bike & Bean for a quick BBQ lunch on the patio. From there, it was back out and up to the Boneyard for sick tricks.


The jumps needed a bit of work, so out came the shovels, rakes, and the big hose.


While some of the guys were fixing the big double in the middle of the Boneyard, the rest of the crew headed up to check out the ski jump. There were a few sketchy moments until people got their speed dialled, and then it was on.


One of the great things to see about the contest was the competitors cheering on their fellow riders, especially when they landed something sweet.


This move on the quarter pipe earned serious props from the audience...


... including these jokers sitting on the ramp leading to the overgrown road gap.


nsmb rider Ian Nelson throwing a clean x-up off of the ski jump.


As is often the case, these types of competitions attract spectators and guys who wish they were part of the show. Norco rider Dylan Korba decided to show the AIRprentices how it was really done with a back-flip onto the ski jump. The first attempt didn't end so well when he over-rotated and the bike went scooting away from him.


Attempt #2 was much more successful, and Dylan actualy landed it. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stay on top, and ended up stacking before he got to the down-slope of the jump. It was still a hell of an effort, and the crowd went nuts.


It was seriously hot in the Boneyard, and the boys did their best to stay cool. Seems that the quarter-pipe provided good shade.


By this point, the jumps were ready to go, and the AIRprentices took turns sending it over this big double. The smart ones kept on going down the hill, with one or two guy even going as far as the satellite dishes.

So there you have it - the first day of competition at AIRprentice 2008. There were a few spills, but no one had to be carried off the hill. The quality of riding was a little hit and miss, but that may have had something to do with nerves and the heat.

Day two is going to be a big day on the hill, with runs down Garbanzo and more laps on the bottom, and that's when these guys will have to pull out the big guns. Hopefully, one of them will stand out. It's a pain in the ass for those of us judging when there are several good candidates.

That's it for me tonight. I'm off to the official AIRprentice BBQ at the Ticket2Ride chalet. Hope there's a cold beer waiting for me...

- Stuart Kernaghan