Gaby (Ronen’s fiancée) came up with the idea that he needed to go to Whistler for a weekend of downhill mountain biking to celebrate his birthday. That’s a pretty nice girl for a guy to be with. Very cool.
It seemed like a very short trip but I agreed to go. It was going to cost a bit of money but riding at Whistler and especially as a celebration should not be missed. Also, it’s been too long since I got some of the Canadian kind. Sometimes, just get in the bus.
It was a small group; me, Windy, Ronen, Gaby, and Phil. Just big enough for economy of scale but not too crazy to manage. We had fun with some A and B grouping.
To save any hassle, and because 4 of us only have hardtails at the moment, we rented the cheap Commencal FRS downhill bikes that are at the mountain. They worked OK. I brought my nice pedals to use as they work better than most commodity stuff. We found the bikes to feel quite tiny and old fashioned compared to our trail bikes. This was a neat test to see what is going on out there and how our bikes are different. Both Ronen and I used large sized bikes. I would have been even happier with something longer. I miss having a DH bike.
Due to a lightning hold, we only got a few runs on Friday morning. Then the mountain was shut for the rest of the day. We rode all Saturday and Sunday before heading back to Vancouver that night. I was tired.
Ronen pancaked on that last singletrack section of A-Line on Saturday. He got lucky with just a tweaked ankle. He missed the last few runs of that day but got to do blues on Sunday.
Hands down favorite trail of the trip was Too Mushroom. It seemed to have been fresh cut for a Crankworks race but still had that raw feel that was pretty wild and a hoot to ride. So much loam and tentacle roots running everywhere. Nutty, loose riding. I got a few runs down Goat’s Gully as I like but my arms really started to run out on Sunday so that came to an end before I was ready.
It was fun to be pretty in pink and the best dressed on the mountain over the weekend. My polka dot kit got all the comments. The women LOVED me. The men wanted to BE me.
This was a strange trip as we only saw one bear the whole time. Usually, we’ll see dozens. S/he was a healthy bear and it was fun to watch from the lift the walk through the busy freeride area without a care in the world.
I will say that Ronen now rides faster than me everywhere. I just can’t sustain and run out of gas quick. He’s killing it.
A personal win was that I rode Whistler with flat pedals. Full boost, giving no fucks. It’s taken a few years to learn to do this but this was the final test. I can now use SPD or flat pedals in any condition. Old dog, new trick.
Late Sunday night, in Vancouver, We ate at 小酒馆 Tasty BBQ and Beer Bar in Richmond B.C. near the airport. This place was a trip and had some great food. We were the only gringos in the place. I just wish we were with someone that knew the menu well to get us to the stash!
