Tonight's Toonie Ride (Thursday, June 17) is a tour of Lost Lake and a bit of Blackcomb sponsored by the Whistler Cross Country Connection and Whistler Cooks Catering. The sign-on is at the Lost Lake parking lot/warming hut at 5:30 p.m. with the ride getting underway at 6:30 p.m. The after party is at Lost Lake.
You need to be a member of WORCA to take part and memberships are available online at www.worca.com.
The June 24 event is sponsored by ...cole la Passerelle, Creekbread and Escape Route - a special event to celebrate St-Jean-Baptiste day - a holiday in Quebec that has a long history but recently has come to recognize the province's unique culture. ...cole la Passerelle, Whistler's all-French school, lobbied hard to get this date at WORCA's date-fixing meeting in February to celebrate with the community.
The race starts and finishes in Creekside, with a climb up to the top of Tunnel Vision, a descent to Kadenwood road and then another climb to the top of the Big Timber descent.
...cole Passerelle is going to be incorporating a few French lessons into the ride and after-party at Creekbread, and there will be French-Canadian music at Dusty's in Creekside at 9 p.m.
WORCA trail day June 19
This Saturday, June 19 the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association is hosting a trail maintenance day, this time doing some work on the new Train Wreck access trail that will connect to older sections of the trail that have been broken up by the highway realignment.
Crews will meet a 9 a.m. at the Millar Creek Café in Function Junction. Come prepared to work for up to three hours establishing a new access trail. Working gloves and water are mandatory, and participants should consider bug spray, a snack, suntan lotion, work boots and other gear.
Volunteer trail days have been busy so far this season, re-establishing a trail from the bottom of Nesters into Cut Yer Bars and a new connection to Roll Yer Bones, roughing in a new line that bypasses an eroded section of Trash that will make it easier to ride the trail in both directions, and more.
WORCA is looking for sponsors to help cover the cost of hosting trail events, providing food and refreshments to volunteers. Visit www.worca.com for more details.
Zeglinski tops in Alpentour
Whistler's Dr. Cathy Zeglinski has found her niche in mountain biking, taking part in some of the longest and toughest stage races in the world.
From June 3 to 6 she took part in the Alpentour Trophy race in Austria, a race known for its huge climbs. She won the first two sections and held onto the leader's jersey until the final stage, but still placed second overall in the women's sport class.
Half of the women's field did not finish the race.
"We started the first day in very cold, rainy conditions in full winter gear (tights, headbands, booties, etc.) and the race was rerouted from the original plan to include two laps of the same course as the snow prevented a safe race at the higher elevations," wrote Zeglinski. The sun came out on the second day and stuck around to the end, to the relief of all the riders.
"The scenery was spectacular but I had my head down, eyes crossed just surviving the wickedly long (up to two hour straight uphill) climbs."
Zeglinski is racing in the Test of Metal this weekend, and then will represent Sea to Sky in the upcoming seven-stage B.C. Bike Race along with Brandi Heisterman - one of only two local teams competing this year.
WE Pass deadline nears
The Resort Municipality of Whistler is accepting applications for the next round of WE Pass (Whistler Elite), free passes to use Meadow Park that are available for athletes training at the provincial and national level. The deadline for this round of passes is June 30.
Athletic organizations in Whistler are allotted a set amount of WE passes each year based on enrolment. Athletes are approved by a panel.
If you have never applied for a WE Pass or require more information or an application, contact smozes@whistler.ca.
New kayak series looking for paddlers
A group of Squamish-based kayakers are looking to start a weekly series of Kayaking Toonie Races, with the first event taking place on Saturday, June 26, which is organized by the Squamish Paddling Club.
The event takes place using ocean kayaks on Howe Sound, and a handful of rental boats will be available.
Registration takes place at 5 p.m. at the Squamish Adventure Centre parking lot, followed by a one hour "Kayak 1010" orientation for new paddlers from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. The race starts at 7 p.m. and goes from the Mamquam Blind Channel to Nexen Beach and the Squamish Terminals and back - a distance of roughly 7.5 km. There will also be a short course of roughly 5 km.
All paddlers much purchase insurance for $9 and the entry fee is $2. There will be an after party at Howe Sound Inn and Brew Pub.
For more information visit www.squamishpaddlingclub.com.
Rowing Club members head to regatta
Members of the fledgling Whistler Rowing Club are sending seven competitive rowers to the U.S. Rowing Northwest Regional Masters Championships at Lake Stevens from June 25 to 27.
Coached by Craig Pond, the head coach at UBC, the Whistler team includes Maureen Harriman and Nori Doobenen, former members of the national team, and veteran Diane Ziff who has ample experience and success at regatta competitions. Other team members are Jane Frazee, Ritchie King, and Janice and Greg Grof.
Rowers will be competing in their age groups in singles, doubles and quads.
For more information on the Whistler Rowing Club contact Diane Ziff at dianeziff@shaw.ca.
Beaver Pass temporarily closed
The Beaver Pass trail on Whistler's west side is temporarily closed to the public. B.C. Hydro does work in the area, including regular clearing of trees and brushes under the hydro lines. The work will be underway through the summer, although the majority of work will take place over the next month.
Escape Route to demo stand up paddleboards
Although it's rare that someone finds something new to do in the great outdoors, the growth in popularity of stand up paddleboarding has been nothing short of incredible. Originally started by longboard surfers, SUP is now a fixture on the open ocean, lakes and rivers, and just about everywhere there is water.
The Escape Route has embraced the sport recently, stocking boards and gear, and is also working with local tour groups in Squamish (Mountainsurf Adventures) and Whistler (Stand Up Paddle Boards of B.C.) to provide lessons and instruction. As well, Escape Route is planning some free clinics for the public on Alta Lake over the summer, complete with wetsuits, paddles and instruction, and has made demo boards available in their store. For more information drop by Escape Route at Whistler Marketplace.
Sailing Club races underway
The Whistler Sailing Club held its first club race on June 2, its second on June 9, and plans to host additional races every Wednesday through to Sept. 1.
All types of boats are welcome to take part in this informal race series, which gets underway in front of the youth hostel on Alta Lake until that facility closes. The cost is $45 per boat for the entire series, which includes a membership in the club.
Sailors meet at 6 p.m. at the hostel and races get underway at 6:30 p.m.
More information on the club and the race series is available online at www.whistlersailing.com.
Information about the club's popular Learn to Sail programs is also available online.
Remote Control car enthusiasts host race days
Whistler Mini-Z enthusiasts - meaning remote controlled cars that are extremely fast and nimble - are hosting regular races in town.
If you are interested in racing your Mini-Z car or want to know more about the sport, contact Derek&sarah@telus.net to find out about the next event. The last one took place this past Sunday.
For more information on Mini-Z racing visit www.mini-zracer.com, or visit www.youtube.com and type in "Mini-Z" to see what a race looks like.
