WHISTLER 2011 part 2/2

So I went to Whistler with the idea that I would only be riding Whistler Bikepark. That was also going to happen, untill I accidentally stumbled upon some off-park trails. My jaw dropped, I began to explore and quickly came to a conclusion; this place is riddled with trails!

Turns out that trail ridng is a big thing in Whistler, and the trail builders are obviously very passionate. There where trails ranging from easy difficulty, to "expert" levels. Make no mistake, some of the trails I got to ride provided more technical challenge than what I rode in Whistler bikepark(!)

I love a good DH session, but im also an absolute sucker for a good trail ride as well. Even tho' the more difficult trails featured drops, jumps, skinnies, stepdowns,  it was rarely true All Mountain, but always more in the lines of aggressive "Trail". Still a ridiculous good time on a bike. The trails where plentifull, varying in lengh and challenge.

Nature is jaw dropping beautiful, and so green, trails almost blend into the nature:

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Moist and humid. You would think that northshore sections like these would be slippery as hell, but they are not. Suck in the fresh forrest air, and enjoy the trail lines in Whistler.

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It was a good mix of rock, roots dirt, and northshore.

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There was some obviously creative and passionate trail builders involved in these trails. Notice the small gaps and step downs:

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The attention to detail and challenge was satisfying; Keep left to ride the easy line, go right and ride the tight skinny. Your choice.

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The rental I went for was a 2011 Giant Regin. A border-line All Mountain bike, with great climbing skills, and competent decending geo. It had 700mm wide bars, while a bit too short for my liking, it was however nice to see that even Giant acknowledges wider bars. One disappointment was the Fox 32 150mm up front; surprisingly under-archiving, its way behind my 36 RC2. I also missed an adjustable seatpost. Big time.

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Evil rocky climb. 2 things the cam doesn't show: 1) How steep it is. 2) My big smile.

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British Columbia is riddled with life. I saw 4 wild black bears, a ton of racoons, squirrels, chipmunks, and even hummingbirds. Here is a shot of a racoon chillin'. Funny fellas:

So that concludes my Whistler report, im working on 2 movies that will depict the 2 distinct riding possibilities in Whistler, the vids will be out in a few months, so stay tuned for that!