http://vimeo.com/12026956
Monday 17 September 2012
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Top of the World
That's where I was this weekend, and that's how I felt too. With Friday & Monday off, there was no other place for me to be than in Whistler. The biking season is fast coming to an end out here, even with the rest of Canada baking in some Indian Summer weather (is that inappropriate to say now?), Whistler on the other hand is a little to high in elevation to enjoy HOT summer weather in September. Yeah, the village might be nice and warm, in the 20's with the sun shinning, but as you creep up the mountain, it get colder and colder and colder. It even snowed up there the other day.
Adam was in Vancouver taking a break last week and visiting me at my place, so I had some company as we packed up Friday morning, and headed out. Man it always takes a longer than you think to pack the car and get moving. But we ended up in Whistler early enough to unload the car, change, and cycle over to the hill for a few evening runs for a few hours. Then it was home to bust out the Costco burgers and Adam's new propane tank for the BBQ. NICE.
Saturday ended up being a bit of a adventure. We got to the base of the hill, were we ran into Duster Dave, a biking buddy of Adam's, who is in Whistler for the summer, originally from California. He was waiting for Brent, another California transplant, and we were invited to join them as they were going to tackle Top Of The World. It's a new run that starts at the very peak of Whistler Mountain. According to Wiki (and they are NEVER wrong), your up at 7,156 feet. There is nothing up there but rock, absolutely nothing grows that high up. And suprisingly, there is even alot of snow up there.
The Trails we did are new this year, and they are limiting the amount of people that use them to just a hundred a day. That may seem like alot, but that's 100 riders, and you get one shot at it, compared to the thousands that are on the trails in the lower mountain bike areas, doing run after run after run. You also have to pay an additional $15 (on top of my season pass) to get to the very top. Once up there, you can see for ever in all directions. It's absolutely stunning.
From the time we purcahsed our tickets in the Village, riding the lifts to the top, biking down, and back to the Village was 3 hours in total. It was an amazing run, with some great guys.
I tried to take some pictures of the day in a life of Eric in Whistler, so this was what Saturday's Top Of The World Run was like.
The day always starts with a good check of your bike. The day before ride has shaken the shit out of everything, so you want to make sure your good to go, chain, cables, brakes, tires, air, fluids and for got sakes, tighten everything back up. It can sometime take an hour or more, depending on what is broken from the day before.
The line ups are not that bad, it's just something you have to deal with. When they are short, enjoy it, when they are long, well, Adam always has some texting to do
From Whistler Village, even as you strain you eyes to see the top, where we are going is still further up than the eye can see (yikes).
In order to get to the absolute top of Whislter Mountain, we need to take the gondola up with your bikes (instead of the chair lift). It's a tight squeeze, and about a 20 minute ride.
Once at the "Roundhouse Lodge" (6,000+ feet up)we get off the gondola, and onto The Peak chair lift for another 1,000 feet up.
like I said, nothing grows this far up.
and there seems to be way too much snow for a biking adventure, but look at the view that is starting to sneek up on me.
It's one of the things I love most about mountain biking. This sport will take you to some of the most beautiful spots on earth, no matter where you decide to get on your bike, you will always be amazed.
,,,
Sometimes the mountain wins, and there is nothing you can do but get off your bike, and climb down.
'
I didn't know there were "Gay Trails", I better go check this out.
The trails we did Saturday were Top of the World, Kyber, Tunnel Vision & Babylon by Bike (which wasn't as gay as we were lead to believe). Brent called his wife about 10 minutes from the bottom, and she was totally sweet in loading her 3 month old baby in the minivan and coming to pick us up. The trails left us about 5 kms out of town, and the ride back would have been painful on the bike, after riding for 2+ hours.
Adam and I parted ways with Brent and Dave, and actually headed back up the mountain for a few more runs. But not before a beer break and some carbs.
Even half way up, the views are incredible. You can see Whistler Village in the back ground.
We tried our best at taking some video, not bad from my crappy old cell phone.
Adam on Frieght Train
Eric doing the step-up on Frieght Train
Me trying to follow Adam on my bike. Not easy with one hand holding the cell phone and your trying to look Adam beside me and the road ahead.
Adam doing Drop In Clinic
Adam doing the Rock Wall, followed by Duster Dave
Me doing the last two jumps on Dirt Merchant
The only way to finish a day like Saturday was with a giant steak dinner, BBQ'd to perfection, with asparagus, and new potatoes,,, before
Adam was in Vancouver taking a break last week and visiting me at my place, so I had some company as we packed up Friday morning, and headed out. Man it always takes a longer than you think to pack the car and get moving. But we ended up in Whistler early enough to unload the car, change, and cycle over to the hill for a few evening runs for a few hours. Then it was home to bust out the Costco burgers and Adam's new propane tank for the BBQ. NICE.
Saturday ended up being a bit of a adventure. We got to the base of the hill, were we ran into Duster Dave, a biking buddy of Adam's, who is in Whistler for the summer, originally from California. He was waiting for Brent, another California transplant, and we were invited to join them as they were going to tackle Top Of The World. It's a new run that starts at the very peak of Whistler Mountain. According to Wiki (and they are NEVER wrong), your up at 7,156 feet. There is nothing up there but rock, absolutely nothing grows that high up. And suprisingly, there is even alot of snow up there.
The Trails we did are new this year, and they are limiting the amount of people that use them to just a hundred a day. That may seem like alot, but that's 100 riders, and you get one shot at it, compared to the thousands that are on the trails in the lower mountain bike areas, doing run after run after run. You also have to pay an additional $15 (on top of my season pass) to get to the very top. Once up there, you can see for ever in all directions. It's absolutely stunning.
From the time we purcahsed our tickets in the Village, riding the lifts to the top, biking down, and back to the Village was 3 hours in total. It was an amazing run, with some great guys.
I tried to take some pictures of the day in a life of Eric in Whistler, so this was what Saturday's Top Of The World Run was like.
The day always starts with a good check of your bike. The day before ride has shaken the shit out of everything, so you want to make sure your good to go, chain, cables, brakes, tires, air, fluids and for got sakes, tighten everything back up. It can sometime take an hour or more, depending on what is broken from the day before.
The line ups are not that bad, it's just something you have to deal with. When they are short, enjoy it, when they are long, well, Adam always has some texting to do
From Whistler Village, even as you strain you eyes to see the top, where we are going is still further up than the eye can see (yikes).
In order to get to the absolute top of Whislter Mountain, we need to take the gondola up with your bikes (instead of the chair lift). It's a tight squeeze, and about a 20 minute ride.
Once at the "Roundhouse Lodge" (6,000+ feet up)we get off the gondola, and onto The Peak chair lift for another 1,000 feet up.
It's one of the things I love most about mountain biking. This sport will take you to some of the most beautiful spots on earth, no matter where you decide to get on your bike, you will always be amazed.
,,,
Sometimes the mountain wins, and there is nothing you can do but get off your bike, and climb down.
'
I didn't know there were "Gay Trails", I better go check this out.
The trails we did Saturday were Top of the World, Kyber, Tunnel Vision & Babylon by Bike (which wasn't as gay as we were lead to believe). Brent called his wife about 10 minutes from the bottom, and she was totally sweet in loading her 3 month old baby in the minivan and coming to pick us up. The trails left us about 5 kms out of town, and the ride back would have been painful on the bike, after riding for 2+ hours.
Adam and I parted ways with Brent and Dave, and actually headed back up the mountain for a few more runs. But not before a beer break and some carbs.
Even half way up, the views are incredible. You can see Whistler Village in the back ground.
We tried our best at taking some video, not bad from my crappy old cell phone.
Adam on Frieght Train
Eric doing the step-up on Frieght Train
Me trying to follow Adam on my bike. Not easy with one hand holding the cell phone and your trying to look Adam beside me and the road ahead.
Adam doing Drop In Clinic
Adam doing the Rock Wall, followed by Duster Dave
Me doing the last two jumps on Dirt Merchant
The only way to finish a day like Saturday was with a giant steak dinner, BBQ'd to perfection, with asparagus, and new potatoes,,, before
and after
The rest of the weekend was just as amazing. Great runs down the mountain, beers, food, almost wiping out, laughing about your sketchy landing, or bragging about finally landing that jump "just right".
I have more video from the GoPro, but the file sizes are HUUUUGE and I'm having trouble uploading. To be continued,,,
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