Whistler Bike Park: Summer 2011

Certainly everyone that I know has been waiting for Summer here in Whistler; sunny days, extended play in the Whistler Bike Park, and relaxing by the lake after a day on the bike.

It’s been a very positive six weeks since the Whistler Bike Park opened for 2011. Originally planned for a “worst case scenario” opening with only 2 trails as a result of the huge amounts of snow received during Winter, the Whistler Bike Park ended up opening with 8 trails. Fast forward to today and the whole Fitzsimmons Zone is open, with occasional closures to tidy up the trails, or rebuild wooden structures around the place.

Notable changes in the Whistler Bike Park include a new drop on Schleyer – the signature wooden drop underneath the chairlift has been removed, while the rest of the trail has seen a few minor changes. According to Whistler Bike Park Manager, Brian Finestone, “Schleyer was rebuilt to keep up with the times. Sketchy slippery wood to wood drops are losing popularity and the new natural drop is a much better line.”

The “big GLC drop” has been turned into more of a GLC stepdown now, with dirt covering both the rock at the top of the drop, and the wooden downramp. Again, Finestone comments “The GLC drop had new material added to the lip and landing to replace that which was eroded away. You can actually go way bigger on both drops as well as plop off the end, the new incarnations make for better riding for more people.” Opinions on the change are divided, but that’s part of the game with building trails – you simply can’t make everyone happy.

Samurai Pizza cat has had a few roots chopped out allowing a lot more speed through the top section. Some like the change, others hate it. As usual, Karate Monkey has been buffed out – the berms in there just don’t last that long with the amount of traffic that it sees. Devils Club has also seen a few changes with some wood removed and tree roots chopped out. For those hitting up Easy Does It, there is a brand new, enormous bridge that has replaced the broken one that crosses over A-Line. I’m told that a few other trails have been buffed out too, but haven’t had a chance to ride in the bike park since injuring myself a little over a week ago.

Summer seems to have avoided Whistler so far. We’ve had a few sunny days here and there, but on the whole the weather has managed to stay quite mild. Despite the lack of sunlight and warmth, trail crew worked their hardest to open Garbanzo Zone. Reports so far tell me that it’s very soggy up there at the moment which is to be expected. Trail openings are limited, but in this part of the world “limited” means 9 trails. I imagine there will be rolling closures and openings as trail crew work to combat water run off and damaged wood work – the snow really took it’s toll on the trails this year!

All in all, the start to this season has gone a lot better than many people thought it would. As a result of the lack of sun, the trails on the lower mountain are mostly tacky and in good condition – plenty of hero dirt days on the mountain so far!

For more up to date information on the Whistler Bike Park, check out their official website at http://www.whistlerbike.com.

Huge thanks to Logan Swayze of Bike Park Photos for the awesome photos in this post. If you’re riding in the Whistler Bike Park this Summer, check out your trail side and bike camp photos at http://www.bikeparkphotos.com.