By Andrew Mitchell
The Whistler Mountain Bike Park will officially close on
Monday, Oct. 9, after more than five months in operation, but not before riders
get one final chance to show off their skills.
For the fifth year running the bike park will wrap up the
season with the Harvest Huckfest, a weekend of competitions targeted as much to
the casual weekend rider as to the top local cross-country, downhill and
freeride talents. Both sexes and all ages, starting at 13 years old, are also
included.
There are four Huckfest events this year, twice as many as last
year, and the closing date has been moved back to coincide with the annual
Turkey Sale and Thanksgiving weekend and celebrate the turn of the seasons.
“It’s always been a real grassroots event, so we’re
experimenting with new events and new concepts that we hope will appeal to
people this late in the year,” said Rob McSkimming, vice president of business
development for Whistler-Blackcomb. “At this time of year it’s always a
challenge, people are pretty event-ed out, so we tried to come up with stuff
that was a little different, more on the fun side than the competitive side of
things. We also wanted to be as inclusive as we could be with the whole
mountain bike community, rather than just one side of it.”
With the recent rain McSkimming says the park is in better
shape than it has been all season.
“We got off to a late start, just because it was such a great
finish to the ski season. It was a little slow getting going, getting the snow
off the trails, and we opened a little later, and it took us longer to get the
trails in shape,” he said. “Lately it has been just awesome, there’s a little
more moisture. Late in the summer the trails were not in great shape just
because it was so dry, but now the park is in the best shape of the year, and
we’re doing really well on the weekends.
“Huckfest will end the season with a big, massive bang, with a
few fun competitions and a party. It’s a chance to really celebrate the season
and… with the Turkey Sale, to celebrate that whole transition from summer into
winter.”
Air Dome Jump Jam — Friday, Oct. 6
Open for the first time this season, the Air Dome at Base II
features a series of wood ramps and stunts, as well as one of the biggest foam
pits in North America, where riders can safely practice new tricks.
Training takes place all day, and the competition runs from 5
p.m. to 9 p.m. Riders will be organized into heats, and will have 45 minutes to
squeeze in as many jumps as they can. Five of the top jumpers from each
category will move into the finals later in the evening.
The Groms (ages 13 to 15) will run from 5 to 5:45 p.m., the
Junior category (16 to 18) from 5:50 to 6:35 p.m., the Male Open group from
6:40 to 7:25 p.m. and the Open Female group from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m., to be
followed immediately by the finals featuring the top-20 riders and the awards.
Riders can register on-site, but pre-registration is
recommended at Whistler-Blackcomb Guest Relations or by calling 1-866-218-9690.
The cost is $25, and helmets and leg armour are mandatory.
Earn It/Burn It — Saturday, Oct. 7
The Earn It/Burn It race is a team uphill/downhill competition,
loosely based on the Squamish GK Ripper. Each team of two should have one
cross-country rider to go uphill and a downhiller to come back down a preset
course, and the win will go to the pair in each category with the lowest
combined time.
The course is yet to be finalized, but the exchange point will
likely be well up in the Garbanzo area by the Express Way Containers. There
will be a mass start at the bottom of the mountain, so getting a fast start is
crucial.
There are categories for juniors, male, female and co-ed teams,
as well as a junior/senior category.
The cost is $50 per team, and you can register from 10 to 11:30
a.m. at the base of the mountain, or pre-register at Guest Relations in person
or by calling 1-866-218-9690.
The uphill starts at 12:30 p.m., and awards are 5 p.m. at the
GLC.
The Air Dome Party and Movie Premiere — Oct. 7
Whistler-Blackcomb will be hosting a party and movie premiere
on Saturday night at the Air Dome. The first show is at 5:30 p.m., is all ages
and costs $10. The second show is at 8:30 p.m., is licensed and costs $15. DJ
Vinyl Ritchie will be on hand to entertain.
The movie (BOB, STILL WAITING FOR MOVIE INFO).
Super D — Sunday, Oct. 8
The Super D is an individual event that includes climbing and
downhilling, with a course that should take riders about 15 minutes to
complete.
The course will likely start at Olympic Station, head up
Express Way to Too Tight before heading back down to the Fitzsimmons Chair.
From there it crosses up and over to B-Line and After Atlantis to Karate Monkey
and World Cup Singletrack. The next uphill follows the Oly Road to the B-Line
crossing, and follows B-Line down to Devil’s Club, Lower Easy Does It and
Longhorn, then Monkey Hands and your choice of the GLC drops or ramp. Lighter
cross-country bikes should probably take the ramp.
Race categories include Junior Male and Junior Female (18 and
Under), Male and Female (19 and Over) and Master Male and Female (35 and over).
The course will be open to train on all day Saturday, and
registration for the second annual Huckfest Super D runs from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30
a.m. on Sunday at the base of the mountain. Pre-registration is at Guest
Relations. The price is $25.
The start is a 10:30 a.m. and awards at 6 p.m. at the GLC.
Slopestyle — Sunday, Oct. 8
One of the most popular Huckfest events will be the second annual
amateur slopestyle, which takes place on the existing jumps and stunts in the
Boneyard at the bottom of the bike park.
All riders will get two judged runs, with the best run
counting.
There are categories for Groms (13-15), Juniors (16-18), Open
Male (19 and Over) and Open Female.
You can pre-register to compete at Guest Relations, but there
is a mandatory day of event registration from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 10
a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Training will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, and the competition
gets underway at 1 p.m. at the base of the mountain. Awards are at 6 p.m. at
the GLC.
The cost is $25 to take part.
