Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Updated: Man found dead on Whistler mountain bike trail identified as longtime local

Police say the mountain biker found on Thursday, Aug. 10 'appears to have died from a tragic accident'

Family has identified the man found dead on a local mountain bike trail Thursday as longtime Whistler resident Brannen Maloney. 

In a release, Sea to Sky RCMP said police initially responded to a call reporting the sudden death of an adult male on a local trail at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Aug. 10.  

Whistler RCMP issued a tweet at 12:25 p.m. Thursday asking the public to avoid "Kill Me, Thrill Me," a black diamond route on the west side of Highway 99 northeast of Green Lake, while emergency services worked in the area. 

“Our hearts go out to the family of the male who appears to have died from a tragic accident while mountain biking on one of the more challenging trails in the area," said Insp. Robert Dykstra, Officer in Charge with the Sea to Sky RCMP, in a statement. 

Irene Ryan Maloney told Pique her son spent 11 years in the Sea to Sky after moving north over the border from his hometown of Libertyville, Ill. 

He was working on building a trail in the area where he was found, she said in a Facebook post. 

Maloney reportedly spent summers working as a whitewater rafting guide in Whistler, doubling as operations manager with Hokkaido, Japan-based backcountry tour operator Rising Sun Guides

Police said the deceased mountain biker was not reported missing, but reportedly failed to return home after heading out for a ride on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Foul play is not suspected.

Victim services are available to assist anyone affected by the incident, Dykstra added. 

Check back for more as this story develops.