I confess that I'm a little worked this morning. Not an unpleasant variety of fatigue - more an achey reminder of a high velocity weekend. Despite a surprising late season snowpack the Bike Park at Whistler is now open for play. Last year left an indelible mark on all the freeriders and downhillers who made the trek up hwy 99 and the resulting hype has been infectious.

A solid pack of nsmb team and staff riders packed our full face helmets and joined the rippers chomping at the bit in the line-up for the chair.

I was surprised to see how buffed the trails were. A-Line had a few muddy sectiions that will need some work but overall the trails were hard packed and smooth. A-Line was by far the most popular trail but Ho Chi Min, Hornet and B-Line were also open and buffed.

Riders who produced their nsmb BroCards saved $10 on day tickets or $50 on their season's passes. Everything went off without a hitch.

I heard of some riders risking their tickets by poaching Joy Ride and the reports were glowing despite pockets of snow. Whistler has burly plans for the Bike Park this year including another lift (the Fitzsimmons Express chair) which goes no higher than the gondie but increases lift capacity by 50%. It won't be as stinky either. Trails in the works include The Epic (5000 vert!), B-Line II and Double Black Trail. I'm looking forward to checking them out in the coming weeks. Check the Whistler website for more on the freshies.

Whistler hired Danger Dan to infect the mountain with his special brand of nuttiness.

Dan has built a complex of ladder bridges and platforms that vary in width from 6 inches to about 18 inches and they rise as much as 8 feet off the deck. I'm hoping Dan will build some lower, skinnier stuff for riders like me who like it narrow but not so high.

One of the highlights of the weekend for us was meeting some new friends on the hill. We did some runs with Greg Lawrence and the Stumptown Boys from Oregon, Scottie Bigg and the lads from Huckerz.com,. We even had a run following Andrew Shandro, (at half speed he was still tough to keep up with) Danger Dan and Tony from The Lovenest.

Paddy Kaye of Joyride Productions dreamt up a little race to ease the transition from snow to dirt for Whistler's talent pool. Strap on your skis or your board and then rip through the Spring slushies until the snow runs out. Then jump on your bike and give your burning thighs something else to do for the last 1000 vert. You could either race solo or as a team. Chris Colbeck with his awesome skills on snow and wheels schooled the mens side of the field solo.

NSMB team riders Katrina Strand and Colin Miller did us proud with gutsy performances. Colin, who is still waiting on his new DH rig, did the race on his .243 racing hardtail. He and his partner, extreme skier Johnny Law, managed 10th in the team category - the top hardtail finisher to be sure. Katrina is a snowboarder but she decided to strap on some skis for the snow section "just for fun" and then ripped her Kona down the rest of the course narrowly missing the podium with a 4th place finish.

Team nsmb crashed at the Coast Whistler Hotel. Nothing gets between Colin and his .243.

The hotel was spotless and comfortable of course and they also accept dogs - Marley was pleased about that. His unobstructed view of the driving range gave him something to bark at as well. More importantly to us, if your bike is clean you can bring it up to your room.

Not only does the Coast Whistler Hotel boast an outstanding location and awesome facilities (hottub, pool and sauna after riding!)- they also accept the nsmb BroCard. Call them at 1-800-663-5644 to find out about the deals and to book your trip to Whistler.

My favourite thing about riding Whistler is the way the learning curve ramps. On my first run I was sketched out by the speed. Three runs later I was getting my bike in the air and actually kicking out the back end and turning the bike in the air to prepare for the next corner. Don't get me wrong; you wouldn't have been able to see any of this had you been riding behind me but I could feel it and that's all that's important. My point is no matter how energetic you are it is impossible to compete with the amount of vertical you can amass in a day of lift accessed riding. A close second on the favourites list is sipping a beer and watching the bears from the GLC or the Long Horn - just your average day at Whistler.