Whistler Opening Day Report

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”-Carl Reiner

Opening day. It started as a whisper and morphed into an online yell as riders got themselves worked up about the first spin of the lifts in Whistler. The question on the lips and in the hearts of the die hard gravity addicts was, would the park be ready for their planned opening weekend? Once it was determined that, yes, some trails would be clear the conversations moved to what would be open. 

  A-Line was the trail of the day and the Rock Drop is one of the classic airs on the trail.

For anyone who is a snow slider this winter was a blessing from Mother Nature herself. Constant, huge dumps of snow buffetted the mountain, including a stretch in December when in one week the area received sixteen feet of snow. For mountain bikers it proved to be worrisome as they fretted about how long it was going to take for all of the snow to release it’s icy grip on the trails. The second snowiest winter on record had a choke hold on the valley until recently.

  Bikes loaded and ready for the first lift access laps of the season.

As soon as the Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival (winter’s Crankworx) wrapped up the trail crew jumped into action. A dedicated group of guys armed with shovels and machinery started clearing the deep snow that blanketed the trails. Brian Finestone, head dude of the Whistler Bike Park, had promised to have two trails open and ready to ride for the May long weekend. With a helping hand from the weather this turned into twelve trails as the sun and rain assisted the trail crew in cleaning up A-Line, B-Line, Crank It Up, Heart of Darkness, Ho Chi Min, Crack Addict, Devils Club, World Cup Singletrack, Samurai Pizza Cat, Monkey Hands, Hornet and the Boneyard section of the Canadian Open course.

  No lift lines meant scan the pass and go, no waiting.

Opening day has almost a religious vibe for those who have dedicated their lives to the sport – because the Whistler Bike Park is Mecca. A cathedral to celebrate and rejoice in. The run-off from the snow becomes holy water to anoint one’s self with. One crew of fellas was so wound up for the first day of operations that they spent the night camped out by the lift in their gear just so that they could claim first chair. 

  Mason Mashon digs into a tasty A-Line berm.

Whistler/Blackcomb pulled a sweet little surprise out of their hats this year. Opening the Bike Park on the Friday before the long weekend was like a gift to all of the locals as well as anyone who called in sick to travel up for the day. Unlike most years, the highway was not awash with vehicles overloaded in bikes and the lift-lines were not just manageable but non-existent. You finished a lap and just jumped right back on a chair. 

  Riders were taking advantage of all the air time the Park has to offer.

Normally opening day is a gong show of epic proportions as everyone and their mom descends upon the village, swarming the lift en masse and clogging up the whole works. The usual result is epic lines and accompanying mazes and congested trails. It’s enough to make you perch on the GLC patio and watch the action through a pitcher.

  What better way to end a lap than the GLC Drop. Pin it!

Trail conditions were variable. They ranged from slightly damp to sopping wet mud-holes with the occasional dry spot in-between. Huge props must be given to the trail crew for their massive effort in clearing the snow from the trails. Though the top half of the lower part of the mountain was nothing but white there were enough options to keep everyone happily ripping along. The most popular trail seemed to be A-Line as guys and gals were determined to log as many air miles as possible. Over the past couple months most riders had probably been getting in at least a bit of riding, whether it was cross country or shuttle laps. One thing you can’t experience elsewhere is the manicured goodness of an A-Line tear. Littered with berms and perfectly sculpted tabletops it is hard to get off this trail at the start of the year because it feels so good to be spending so much time in the air.

The manicured trails proved to be in the best shape as well, lacking the rocks, roots and steeps of the more natural trails, water drains off better so they are far less sketchy than the greasy, mud covered gnarlieness of say….Crack Addict. This is not to say that no one was attempting the tech. Many of the local hotshots were out slip-sliding around on the steep and deep (mud) along with a handful of misguided folks who would be spotted now and then attempting to walk their bikes down a trail that was way over their heads.

Blue skies, wet trails and minimal traffic made for a great start to the 2011 Whistler season. For everyone that missed Friday the lifts are spinning every day now. Get your butt in gear, bike tuned up and spend some quality time ripping laps with the help of a chairlift.

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