[Secret Squirrel]

I'll be there for 4 days or so starting the 19th.

If you want a free beer on Friday or Saturday (21st or 22nd), look for the biggest guy in the lift line riding a clapped out orange Rotec RL9/black 888 w/ a jersey that reads "Mule-Train".

 

[Da Peach]

If you guys do meet up, it will look like a scene out of a mad max movie.

 

[FlipFantasia]

Damage Inc at GLC afterwards was mental, couple of hours in that mosh pit has me feeling like I got hit by a whole fleet of buses.

quote of the weekend, my body hurts all over and I'm trying to piece together last night.....

 

[Steve M]

quote of the weekend, my body hurts all over and I'm trying to piece together last night.....

ahah you were in the circle too? I was the biggish guy in a black fox shirt with shaggy hair. Weren't that many people in there, I probably put you on the floor or vice versa at some stage!

 

[FlipFantasia]

ahah you were in the circle too? I was the biggish guy in a black fox shirt with shaggy hair. Weren't that many people in there, I probably put you on the floor or vice versa at some stage!

yeah, I don't really remember much, I was told by a number of different people today though that I was really really drunk....super fun birthday weekend, I love this town!

 

[mullet_dew]

yeah, I don't really remember much, I was told by a number of different people today though that I was really really drunk....super fun birthday weekend, I love this town!

Was that you with the birthday hat on your helmet?

 

[FlipFantasia]

Was that you with the birthday hat on your helmet?

nope, can't say it was

 

[Jason4]

Was that you with the birthday hat on your helmet?

That was Matty. He found it in his room when he got to town and managed to keep it on his helmet the entire weekend!

Everything except for the insane lift line was great this weekend. I'm looking forward to Dirt Merch and Angry Pirate opening up but I guess that gives me another good reason to look forward to next weekend.

 

[bullcrew]

All this riding and no one has a pic!!
Hook us monkies up,,,,,,,,,,

Lets see some goods from this weekend....

 

[Jason4]

I wasn't about to stop to take out my camera. The group that I stayed with had 4 or 5 helmet cams between 7 riders though. I'm sure something will get posted soon enough. You might try watching for something on the Freehub website.

 

[mandown]

I've got pics and vids on my Facebook page. I will link up here shortly.

 

[bullcrew]

I wouldnt stop either being between the lines and adrenaline and just plain killin it... But sitting on this side of the fence I feel inclined to bother you guys! LOL

Sitting here watching the kids while the wife and all her GFs are in Cancun I have to look forward to something....

 

[Sam B]

All this riding and no one has a pic!!
Hook us monkies up,,,,,,,,,,

Lets see some goods from this weekend....

Kevin did some filming with a vHoldr and you can check it out on the Transition Facebook page. Transition Bikes on Facebook

Fork view of the new 180mm Fox fork.

 

[bullcrew]

Nice vids looks pretty cool mounted to the frame when he flatties the horizon levels out lol...
Looks like good dirt...

 

[FlipFantasia]

definitely best first weekend conditions ever, if anything its already too dry, which is really weird considering the snowline is still pretty much at mid station.....forest fire already burning south of squamish at brittania....could be a sketchy fire year again...

 

[Floor Tom]

6 weeks on Thursday and I will be there for the rest of the season. I cannot wait.

 

[CBJ]

definitely best first weekend conditions ever, if anything its already too dry, which is really weird considering the snowline is still pretty much at mid station.....forest fire already burning south of squamish at brittania....could be a sketchy fire year again...

Wow T-shirts and dust on opening weekend not bad. 6 years in a row but then children has gotten in the way. I will be back eventually

 

[mandown]

I did a blog post about my weekend, and I thought I'd share it here.

http://monsterthompson.blogspot.com/2010/05/whistler-weekend.html

I'm quite pleased with the weekend. It was just over two weeks ago I made the decision to head to Whistler for opening weekend, and the choice was riddled with concerns: What will the weather be like? How long will the lift lines be? Do I really want to just ride the lower half of the mountain? His many of those trails will even be open? It was a decent chunk of cash to throw down for a two day adventure; $300 for the flight to meet my buds in Seattle, $50 each way for shipping my bike, gas money to drive to Whistler from Seattle, condo rental, parking in the city, lift ticket fees, resort town food prices, and taking two days of vacation time. Well, after all that, it was worth it.

Here is what ruled and why:
Alaska Air - Cheaper bike shipping rates and minimal packaging restrictions when compared to other airlines.

Buds who will pick you up, drop you off and give you a bed: Thanks to Jason and Tina's parking and transport service. Thanks to Jim's taxi, and Rand and Nicole's bed and breakfast with airport shuttle service. Also a big thanks to those who rode with me, because riding alone sucks.

Mother Nature: Thanks for the glorious weather and holding off on the scheduled rain for a few days. Also, thanks for the bounty that is the mountain.

Droid: Great for wifi web and email access over the border. Also great for entertainment on long flights and drives. Best of all, good for pictures and videos of the good times and the easy uploading to share it all.

Whistler Trail Crew: Nice job kids! The conditions were stunning and the trails flow better every year. Crank It Up is a great warm up run, with tons of fun little boosts and turns; It has grown nicely since my last trip, two years ago. Heart of Darkness is fun swoopy berms into rooty goodness, though it could get like rush hour on the freeway in there at times. Ninja Cougar and Karate Monkey have some nice rooty twists and turns though the woods, without quite as much steep and gnar as the black runs; a good place for those learning the hill, or looking for a warm up. A Line's jumps are growing, but still manageable, even for a low altitude bar humper like me; the berms were pristine on day one, but were alredy showing braking bump chatter by the end of the weekend. Also, does anyone else feel the rock drop landing moving closer to the lip? Schleyer is same as it ever was... pure awesome. Detroit Rock City was fantastic, with much of the upper mountain gnar crammed into a lower mountain run, including that big ol' rock roller to test your fear of heights. Upper Joy Ride was stunning, with a few gnarly rock rollers, including that long nasty bit that boosts you out into the woods like white lightning out of a black snakes ass. And Lower Whistler DH was just so damn DH-ish, from the wide open speed sections, to the steep rock faces, and into the tight techy tree switchbacks.

Nicolai bikes: The UFO ST is an eye catching ice breaker, and it rides as good as it looks. The frame is stiff, well built, and the geometry is comfortable. It tears up corners, boosts hips and lips, and is capable of more than I can dish out. My only issue with it is the single pivot design that inherently causes the rear wheel to hang up on roots and square edges at slower speed: the solution, of course, is to just give it more gas.

Maxxis Minnion DHF Tires: The stick on everything in that park, even the wet rocks.

Marzocchi 888 WC ATA Forks: I've hear they aren't magical for everyone, but mine rocks for me. I kept it in 8" mode the whole time and it reliably soaked up bumps and kept the front wheel steering true. The thing even saved my bacon on a few over-shot jumps (nothing like flat landing the second table in the A Line 4-pack and coming away with all your teeth and functioning wrists to make you appreciate good suspension).

Deity Dirty 30 Handlebars: 30 inches long, white, and easy on the wrists. With damn fine customer service, Deity has a customer for life (just hurry up with the new pedals).

POC Body Armor: The Bone knee/shin and elbow/forearm pads are fantastic. The fit well, though they are a bit on the snug side and did slide down a bit from my initial placement. However, once they found a resting place, they stayed there and happily protected me from all the crashes I didn't have, with no noticeable restriction of my movement.

Saint Brakes: Dear Shimano, thank you for making this trip fantastic. These gargantuan stoppers were the MVP of the trip. For the first time ever, I had no concerns about being able to stop under any conditions, no matter how steep, loose, or hot. I found myself willing to let it all hang out in areas I once rolled timidly. Oddly enough, I found that going faster put me in better positions and, despite the satisfying performance they offered, I was less inclined to use them.

I've got vids and pics I will post shortly.

Ahh, what a treat to huck your meat. Until next time.

...eveidently "fantastic" is the word of the day.

 

[mandown]

vultures, here ya go.

pic one is my low altitude bar hump on ALine.
pic two is Detroit Rock City... mmm, tasty!

 

[kazlx]

I have always heard good things about flying Alaska with bikes. I have to say they are one of my favorite airlines.

P.S. I'm jealous.

 

[UiUiUiUi]

vultures, here ya go.

pic one is my low altitude bar hump on ALine.
pic two is Detroit Rock City... mmm, tasty!

yaaaay for pixies

now give us the video footage

really looking forward tomy staythere this year

 

[mandown]

i'm having trouble linking to it from my phone and my office computer won't let me get to youtube directly. hold for tech support.

 

[rigidhack]

I came off that rock roll on Rock City with an ok amount of speed, but forgot about the step up right afterwards. Although I managed to almost stop before I got to the next rock, it was the only time I came off the bike all day.

That fire above Brittania was raging when I drove by. Huge flames easily visible form the road.

 

[mandown]

yeah, if you don't know that kicker is sending you up to a rock landing, i can see the potential to nose into or 50/50 the landing.

 

[FlipFantasia]

That fire above Brittania was raging when I drove by. Huge flames easily visible form the road.

apparently out now

 

[ZoRo]

anybody be there on Wednesday? I'll be riding the Yeti hardtail (2010 DJ) with white and blue TLD Pants and a gray and blue shirt

Hope too see some monkeys at the park (haven't been there since 2004!!! STOKED!!)