Whistler Report #12

My head was swimming all afternoon; a weekend full of more people getting hurt, hot weather scorching body and mind, looming deadlines and the anticipation of a trip to Europe. I took a few quick steps, the mashed thoughts in my head washed away with the blast of refreshing water as I dove into Alta Lake, my tense body instantly relaxing in the coolness, my thoughts calming. I don’t usually let other people getting hurt bother me, but the regularity and severity of friends pummelling themselves of late has me a bit on edge. I guess it gave me pause to remember my own experience a few years ago, and made me realize how far I’ve come since then. The opportunities that came of through the pain and suffering, the strength and positivity I gained, and the friendships I cherish.

  Cool Kids on a hot day. CK’s get out of the park and into the loam.

We take our mobility for granted, and in those instants where choices are made, and things happen, we sometimes come out on the losing end. It’s how we choose to deal with the adversity, how we  push through the hardship that ends up defining us as we look back. Three people I know well dodged some very big bullets on the bike in the past couple of weeks  No one wants to think about what could happen if things go wrong, but they do happen, and they can change lives. That change doesn’t have to be a negative one. These challenges, or ‘new normal’ as a good friend once put it, can provide us with valuable perspectives on who were are, how lucky we are, and how we should value our lives, our goals and our friendships.

   Seb relishes actual dirt out in the Whistler Valley.

Unexpected injuries can push us towards achieving goals we didn’t know we had. In times of pain and struggle we reach out for comfort, lean on our friends, and recalibrate our priorities. I learned a lot about myself through injury, and at the time my boss told me it was game changing.  I scoffed, but in retrospect it really was. I still ride as hard as ever, and as much as possible, but I also challenged myself in ways off my bike and pushed myself in new directions and the hard work is paying off. To my friends facing a new normal and the prospect of some long, and  painful recoveries, know that your friends will be there for you. In the grand scheme of things it’s a small painful blip on the rest of your life.  Rest lots, heal strong, and most of all, stay positive! We’re all thinking and rooting for you DW, CM, and KM. Much love and support from your Whistler family.

   Curtis Robinson took some time out of coaching at SGC to race in the Phat Wednesday last week. Even trying to keep it low Curtis styles it out.

The Pump Track Challenge qualifying event tool place under a hot sun and dusty track on Sunday morning. With 23 riders registered, the format was adjusted slightly to allow the riders to get their fastest time as they learned the track. For 1.5 hours riders were able to do as many laps as possible, with their fastest time counting. After that the top 5 riders moved on to the final. Nick Geddes had put in the fastest with a 14.26s but waved it so everyone started the final with fresh times. 10 minutes and 4 laps apiece later, Dylan Wolsky and Nick had put in an identical time of 14.41s. The two then went head to head in a best of 3 final which Nick won. Congrats to Nick, and good luck at the race during Crankworx! Rebecca McQueen was the fastest female on the day, while Nick’s bother Zander was the top Junior, and Addison MacDonald the Groms (13 and under). Thanks to Seb and his events crew, and WORCA for making this possible, sounds like it was a good time.

  Reece Wallace organized Saturday’s Chromag Family Gathering Jump Jam at the Whistler River Jumps. Thanks to Reece for his hard work, and Chromag for dishing out schwag to all the riders throwing down. There was definitely some serious style going around, check out this video for all the radness.

In Phat Wednesday news, last week’s course had many riders scratching their heads. The course of Dirt Merchant and Lower Easy Does It had riders bombing DM into the evening sun, and then tearing our legs off pedalling down LEDI. A few people seemed put off by the pedally nature and were trying to recruit folks for a chainless side pot before the race. 11 people joined in and it was trailman extraordinaire Peter Matthews taking the win. For the Juniors Bryn Dickerson took the victory by nearly 3 seconds, Brook Baker edged out Katrina Strand by only 0.049s to take the Female category. In the Masters group, Bart Brown finally got that elusive victory, and in the Males, Tyler Morland best Tyler Allison by 2 seconds to take top spot, Kenny Smith rounded out the podium in 3^rd.

   New NSMB Team rider Matt Montandon didn’t let a little face smash (with stitches) slow him down any, matt was spinning 3’s, tailwhipping, and throwing down some pretty sweet tuck no-handers.

To be honest, in spite of the good work trail crew has been doing on the Mountain, the rash of injuries, the blown out corners, clouds of dust and the loose babyheads everywhere has kind of turned me off the park. And with regular temps in the 30 degrees Celsius range, time at the lake has replaced time in the park as the must do thing. Tip of the day; Alta lake is MUCH warmer than Alpha! Tthe dry dusty park leads me to trails outside of the park, trails that actually have dirt on them, trails deep in the old growth, away from the crowds. We rode one of those trails on Sunday. An early morning start still had us sweating buckets, but the reward was steep loamy singletrack, even if it was dry and dusty. Take the opportunity to pick up a trail map/guide and go out and explore some of the other goods out there in the valley. Most of them finish really close to a lake, which feels great after sweating your way up. But regardless of whether you like smashing dusty loose laps in the park, or grinding up to remote loamy singletrack, be sure to drink plenty of fluid, take breaks in the shade, and eat lots of food. Stay on top of your game and if you feel yourself starting to get a bit wreckless, take a break.

   Destruction of a berm 101: Aim right for the middle of a big hole, and SMASH!

In other valley news, Richie’s Rally event reg. should be going up on the WORCA site soon, from what I’ve been told. One thing to remember for anyone thinking about this event is that while the descents are timed, this is not a downhill race, and downhill bikes are being seriously discouraged as there is a requirement to get to the top within a certain time. Also remember that the trails that will be used are maintained by the local builders and WORCA and they should be treated with respect. That means, stay on the trail, don’t braid lines, and don’t skid your way down.

I’ve also heard through the grapevine that most of the alpine passes in the Southern Chilcotin are finally open and mostly snow free, so now would be a good time to take in the Wildflowers and get some epic high alpine riding in! Big thanks goes out to Dale at Tyax Air and everyone else who’s worked hard clearing winter blowdown and getting the trails in tip top shape.

   What else can you say about Brandon Semenuk? Crazy style, a pleasure to watch ride. He was spinning some ridiculous moves at the Chromag Jump Jam, here he dumps it, way dumps it!

Well, I’m getting out of dodge for the next week and change, and will be back in time for the mayhem that is Crankworx. I’ve asked Mr. Skid to write next week’s column, but apparently he’s ignoring me, so we’ll see what happens! As for Crankworx, it’s crazy, it’s busy, by the time it’s over you’re really really glad. But in the end it’s a great week of wicked competitions and fun times with old and new friends. The trails aren’t nearly as busy as a lot of people think, and watching the top riders in the world shred your regular trails is always a treat. Hopefully we’ll see many of you out there having fun. Bring cowbells, noisemakers, signs and your lungs. Cheer and scream and have a blast. We’ll see you on heckler’s ridge for the Canadian Open – and of course the biggest slopestyle event there is!!

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Todd seems to be stuck on a theme.  Has anyone had a different experience of the park this July?  Serve it up here…