Crankworx Whistler 2018

Photo not indicative of the conditions during my trip. For a few hours one evening clouds rolled in, however it was mostly hot, dusty and very dry.

Still buzzing from spending six days at Whistler Bike Park through Crankworx. It was my third time riding Whistler, and the best yet. We saw bears, bike pros, and bike YouTube stars (I met Seth Bike Hacks and Matt Jones!). According to my app, I descended 65,000 vertical feet. That's huge! That's over two Everests! I rode a mix of trails, from the sweet jump/flow lines to gnarly double black tech. Top of the World trail is a must do for anyone visiting Whistler, and while the forest fire smoke clogged the view, the trail was amazing. It's incredible being up in the alpine, riding a bike, and hydrating from fresh, glacial run off.

Some of my favorite trails were the brand new ones on the recently developed Creekside Zone. The tacky, breaking bumb free, endless berms of South Park and Insomnia were sick. I also rode Delayed Fuse, a loamy technical black, and loved it.

Check out the video from the trip.

The other reason I went to Whistler during Crankworx was to race. I had the B-Line race, and I was invited to the Fox Air DH down A-Line. I practiced hard for B-Line and had high hopes of placing well, though I knew the Whistler kids were going to be tough to beat. Unfortunately, during my race run I caught up to the kid in front on me (despite the 45 second gap) and couldn't pass him due to the nature of the trail at that point, and had to follow him and his dad to the finish line. I ended up 15th out 50, not bad I suppose, but I possibly could have been top 10 had I not been blocked. But that's racing, as they say. For the A-Line race, I was just stoked to be there. I was possibly the youngest racer out of everyone, and my class had kids two years older than I, not too mention the fastest Whistler groms. I ended up top 30.

Whistler is truly the best place for riding. Between the quality of the trails, the variation, and scene (you never know which pros might be on the lift with you). I can't wait to go back.