It felt really good to return to the promised land of bikes and boards aka Whistler to be able to work on my Bike Park progression. I’ve been missing the carefree environment, friendly atmosphere and all-around fun that goes on in resort towns so it’s been my main mission to return as much as possible.
I scheduled this trip around the Monday night ladies night so I could partake in it with three days of downhill time in the Bike Park. Sunday was my only day to ride with my friend Carrie so we hit up the mountain, warmed up on the trails we knew and then immediately she pushed me to try the GLC ramp. Because anytime you hit a new feature, thinking about it all day is going to be a mental mindfuck. We ended up doing it twice, I had one stall coming up to it the second time but still managed to do it.
With more terrain open, we ended up trying new trails on the mountain. It was my first time to check out a couple trails that I wanna work my way up to (same with Carrie). One of them has the first feature that defines the ability of the trail, here’s a unknown rider taking the required drop to get into it.
We did some blues, some techy greens and then tried my first black at Whistler. Carrie walked me through it so we could see the trail better.
My first ride through Duffman went clean despite two chickening out attempts on the middle rock section, I rode through on the third time and made it out. On my second run, I ended up braking too much and sliding my tires completely off the trail which wasn’t so bad. Then when I borrowed Carrie’s bike to try the harder rock/root section, I ended up getting my first over-the-handlbars crash. It was good, I was a pretzel but I was fine. Just a couple bruises/scrapes but all in good condition. We rode out a couple other trails before ending on Heart of Darkness and calling it a day.
I know snowboard gear but mountain biking gear is something I’m still learning. I got my hands grimy and dirty at the end of the day to clean my chains. Hopefully with some needed handlebar upgrades, I won’t be braking too much on the rock section soon but definitely looking forward to the day I have a legit downhill bike.
After a quick dinner, it was time to head back outdoors (seriously love this place) to play disc golf with Whistler friends. I hadn’t played since my Steamboat days so it was a rough start but I got better as the rounds went on. Forgot how something so good for you (hiking) and free (except for the discs) can be so much fun and relaxing. We brought along beers to make the evening even better.