Bike to Work week is coming up- May 27 to June 2. It’s a community event happening across the province, including in Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton, that promotes clean air and a healthy, low-carbon lifestyle. We can all get behind that, right?

Get your team together – even a one person team works! – and commute by bike at least three days out of the seven for a chance to win awesome prizes, including a cruiser bike from Comor Sports, leather panniers from Corsa Cycles and a Giro helmet from Bike Co.

Teams can register online and get more information here: www.biketowork.ca.

Crankworx Whistler’s preeminent mountain bike photo contest, the Deep Summer Photo Challenge, has confirmed its roster of five pro photographers to compete in the August 14 slideshow competition, and has again opened the doors for the sixth contender with the Pinkbike Deep Summer Wildcard Search. This year’s show promises more variety and a broader perspective from photographers with expanded boundaries through the Sea to Sky Corridor from Squamish to Pemberton.

“The Deep Summer Photo Challenge is a crowd favourite at Crankworx Whistler every year,” says Crankworx General Manager Darren Kinnaird. “We decided to give the photographers and their teams a broader boundary to work with, while still including a percentage of their show from Whistler and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. We are thrilled to have the talent we do on the roster for this years’ event and can’t wait to see who the Wildcard Challenge on Pinkbike.com will bring to the table.”

The five pro photographers set to storm the Whistler Mountain Bike Park and create a slideshow to be shown on Wednesday, August 14, are:

• Scott Markewitz 
• Harookz
• Garrett Grove 
• Nicolas Teichrob
• Bruno Long 

The Pinkbike Deep Summer Wildcard Search will determine the sixth photographer to join the competition.  See Pinkbike.com at this link for details and dates for the Pinkbike Deep Summer Wildcard Photographer Search.

The Deep Summer Photo Challenge will take place under the stars at the spectacular Whistler Olympic Plaza again in 2013. Priority seating and close sightlines to giant HD screens will be on offer with a number of ticketed seats available for $5. The area beyond the ticketed seating will be available for spectators to take in the Deep Summer Photo Challenge free of charge.

The photographers will rally their chosen athlete teams to embark on three days of intense shooting and editing commencing Saturday, August 10. Slideshows will be handed in by the end of the day Tuesday, August 13. Then on Wednesday, August 14 a massive crowd will experience deep summer in Whistler through the lenses of six elite mountain bike photographers with first place taking home $5,000, second place $3,000, and third place $2,000.

RSVP for the Deep Summer Photo Challenge at facebook.com/crankworx and stay tuned to www.crankworx.com for upcoming news. Connect with Crankworx through Facebook.com/crankworx, Twitter.com/crankworx or Instagram.com/crankworx.

The Deep Summer Photo Challenge at Crankworx Whistler is proud to be presented by SCOTT, Pinkbike and the Bearfoot Bistro.

August 9-18, 2013, the world’s best downhill, slopestyle and enduro riders will migrate to the Whistler Mountain Bike Park for the 10th Annual Crankworx Whistler. Crankworx Les 2 Alpes will take place July 6 – 14, 2013 and is the only Crankworx event to take place outside of North America. High-summer’s convergence of all things freeride, Crankworx is a 10-day festival of epic endurance, supreme flow, monster air and vertical-dropping riding. A time-tested stage for gravity-fed mountain biking, Crankworx has forged the future of freeride, launched careers and raised up a spectacle out of dirt, sweat and cheers. Feel the impact. Embrace the amplitude. Experience the awe that is Crankworx Whistler 2013.

I started going to mom and baby yoga. I figured that it would be the best way to shock my post pregnancy body to exercise, a great way to meet moms and connect with my baby.  Every Monday morning I join Annie and about ten other moms at the Yoga Studio in Squamish (there is also a Wednesday afternoon class) for an hour of interaction, communication, physical activity and encouragement with my baby. It’s where chattarunga doesn’t mean phone a friend and shi-vassana isn’t my quiet bathroom time out.

During class we incorporate babies into our practice.  Our class begins with ‘checking – in’ time, where new moms meet and introduce their bambinos.  Once everyone is settled, we start with a gentle massage – valuable tool for reliving wind and other digestive problems and a great way of interacting with baby – followed by relaxing breathing exercises, slowly progressing to more dynamic practices such as flowing warrior and abdominal exercises.  Most of the babies are under seven months of age and there are some lucky gals whose babies easily weigh almost 20 pounds.  Imagine throwing an extra 20 pounds into the mix?!?  Your face will quickly turn purple! 
 After some yoga for moms (while babies relax on the mat in front of you), the fun postures for two begin. Typical postures include; spin rolls, with babies resting on knees or staff pose, with babies rolling along the outstretched legs.  Babies love postures for two, hearing them laugh and giggle makes my lack of flexibility and coordination trivial.  The practice is always concluded with plenty of time for relaxation and connection with baby – most new mums appreciate the chance for a little rest.

Karin and Rosie at the Yoga Studio. Photo credit: johnleeimages.com

The yoga is focused on post-natal strengthening exercises, particularly focusing on pelvic floor and lower back strengthening, as well as breastfeeding positions. Several postures can help to ease some of the discomfort common in the post-natal period, such as bridge pose or butterfly pose, both strengthen and tone the reproductive system, so even if you’ve never done yoga before, the post-natal period is an ideal time to start.

Whether it’s motivation you’re looking for, time with baby, or something to do in Squamish while you’re stocking your pantry with supplies, check out Annie’s class at the Yoga Studio (theyogastudiosquamish.com). She will whip you into shape, all while offering peace, love and encouragement.

Namaste.

Nadia Samer photo courtesy Whistler Blackcomb

Dirt in the valley and snow on the mountain tops sets the stage for Whistler Blackcomb’s annual Crud 2 Mud Downhill, a “transition season” event that combines the end of the ski and snowboard season with the start of the downhill mountain bike season.

Those brave enough to tackle the Crud 2 Mud course can do so on their own or in teams. The fun begins when the athletes strap into bindings at the top of Whistler Mountain and race their skis or boards down to where the snow meets the mud.  At this point, quad muscles already burning, winter gear gets swapped for summer gear and competitors jump on their bikes and race down the Whistler Mountain Bike Park trails to Whistler Village.

“Spring time in Whistler means we get the best of both worlds; we can ski and bike in the same day,” says Whistler Blackcomb Events Supervisor Sebastien Fremont.  “The Crud 2 Mud course is shaping up perfectly with all of the hot weather we have seen and is definitely going to put Whistler’s best multi-sport athletes to the test.”

Registration for the Crud 2 Mud Downhill is open until 2pm on Saturday, May 25, and is available online, in person at Whistler Blackcomb Guest Services, or by calling 1.800.766.0449. The event is recommended for strong intermediate to expert skiers/snowboarders and mountain bikers. The event is open to males and females ages 13+ and is $55 for individuals or $80 for teams of two. Whistler Mountain Bike Park lift tickets are not included in the registration cost but can be purchased at a special rate for the event of $31 (Adults) or $28 (Youth/Senior) at Guest Services.

Due to the nature of the event, and the ever-changing snow conditions, there will be a mandatory meeting for all participants at the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC) on Saturday, May 25 at 6pm where the event format will be discussed and course will be announced. Full-face helmets are mandatory for the mountain bike portion of the race, protective padding is strongly recommended, and costumes are encouraged.

The GLC will host an après celebration and awards after the event at which all are welcome. For more information about the Crud 2 Mud Downhill, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, and other events at Whistler Blackcomb visit whistlerblackcomb.com/bike.

Building on the popularity and feedback from the last three years, Whistler Outdoor Photography Workshops is pleased to announce the dates for a Fall Whistler Outdoor Photography Summit, September 26-29, 2013. This year’s summit is in conjunction with the Whistler Arts Council and Out of Bounds Backcountry Photo Contest, a premier photo exhibition with a $1,000 cash prize.

“Photography in Whistler and the outdoor activities that we love go hand and hand just like the athletes and the equipment they use on the mountain. Documenting and sharing our adventures with others inspires us to be out in the mountains even more.” – Director Blake Jorgenson

Details:

• Full Advanced Course: 3 days of shooting and instruction, 6 evening lectures/presentations over 3 evenings – $900 (includes breakfast)
• Full Intermediate Course: 3 days of shooting and instruction, 6 evening lectures/presentations over 3 evenings, – $750 (includes breakfast)
• Evening lectures x 2: $10 per lecture, $15 for both or $50 for all 3 nights.

Instructors:

• Blake Jorgenson
• Jordan Manley
• Scott Serfas
• Paul Morrison
• Eric Berger
• Guest industry speakers TBA

Now in its fourth year the Whistler Outdoor Photography Workshops is back with a new four day long summit. This year there will be two separate workshops for intermediate and advanced photographers. There will also be an evening lecture series open to the public to learn and be inspired by world class photographers and industry leaders. They will be sharing their best images and the stories of how they were created.

The Whistler Outdoor Photography Summit will focus on the entire process of documenting, exploring the outdoors and capturing amazing outdoor visuals. The day courses work on being out in the field learning how to manage, direct and communicate with subjects to bring the photo to life in all types of conditions. Each day includes in classroom editing, reviewing, image processing and hands-on software instruction. Following the success of last year, the nightly seminars can be attended in conjunction with the full course or on their own.  There will be two seminars each evening from Thursday to Saturday with a final presentation dinner on Sunday.

The Photos

01  Mugs waiting to be fired.
02  Work looking up at me from inside the kiln.
03  My kids.
04  Completed work.
05  My work studio.
06  Me at work.
07  My pin board in my studio with my old drawings.. something I would like to re-visit again some day soon.
08  Collection of my work in progress. 

The Questions

What neighbourhood do you live in?
I live in Alpine Meadows.

What do you do and where?
I work as a potter out of my home studio on Drifter way.

What are you working on & where can we find your work?
I am currently working on a series of clay bears and Naked raku vessels for the BC Gallery of Ceramics on Granville Island as well as preparing for the IDS interior design show this September at the Vancouver convention centre.  I am also working on building up stock as I am looking forward to another great season at the Whistler Farmers market this summer….that is where you can find me every Sunday from June till September.

Robin O'Neill photo - Africa Yoga Project

Have you ever let a friend have the first fresh powder turns in front of you, or give up the last slice of Fat Tony’s beef & blue cheese pizza to a stranger at 3.29 am?  While it may very well have pained you to be so generous at the time, it also made that other person’s day.

Let us put that concept into action on a passionate, empowering scale:  one would apply for a grant, receive funding to become a trained yoga/swim/mountain bike instructor, and instead of paying back the grant would travel to regions with underprivileged youth and teach them the benefits of these extracurricular activities.  The benefits of paying our passions forward is that we can empower youth in the process by engaging them in their local communities through sport and activity.  Help me get this concept up and off the ground by voting everyday for Passion Forward at thisisyourplanet.com by June 3. We can show the world Whistler is awesome in a whole other realm.

By, Mandy Rousseau

A poster from an early Loonie Race (late 1980s). These weekly summer rides still run to this day (although inflation forced them to be re-branded “Toonie Rides” a few years back) are now massive social events, often with hundreds of participants.

So the Whistler Mountain Bike Park opened for the season yesterday! Mountain biking has quickly grown to become Whistler’s most high-profile summer attraction, but even before our ski lifts began shuttling fat-tire types up Whistler Mountain Whistler already had a well-developed biking scene. It’s just that hardly anyone knew about it.

For a little perspective we dug into our archives and consulted a copy of the 1993 publication “The Whistler Handbook.” In an article titled  ”The Trails Are World Class But Few Know About It – Yet” local artist, sign-maker, and former editor of the Whistler Answer Charlie Doyle had this to say about the local mountain biking scene in 1993:

“Mountain biking in Whistler today is like skiing was twenty years ago. In those days the skiing was every bit as astounding as it is currently, but it hadn’t been dubbed “World Class” yet… All we had was the best skiing in the world and hardly anyone outside the Lower Mainland knew or cared anything about it.” Just to be clear, Charlie wasn’t complaining about this lack of recognition.

The article describes how Whistler decommissioned logging roads formed the backbone of the local trail network, frequently re-cleared by rogue bike enthusiasts to provide smooth climbs and trunk roads servicing an ever-expanding network of single track routes.

Newcomers to the sport will be surprised to learn how many of these trails had already been built in 1993. Some of Whistler’s bike trails might even  be older than most of the people riding today!

Among Charlie’s suggestions were now-classic trails such as Cut Yer Bars (“offers a truckload of technical drops, obstacles, climbs and slalom descents”), Northwest Passage (“runs like a roller coaster across creeks and big sweeping corners”), the Black Tusk climb (“not to be missed for those who love gut-wrenching climbs”) and a few Westside favourites like A River Runs Through It (“you may never want to leave”).

As an aside, Charlie noted that “the municipal government has yet to be convinced that the bike scene can provide sufficient retail kickback to jump on the bandwagon.” Since that assessment the RMOW has clearly seen the light, as it is widely considered a case study in the positive impacts that follow from local government support for mountain bike trail networks. Interestingly, the first place Charlie suggested for prospective riders was Lost Lake Park, which is now a municipally-operated bike park.

Fast forward 20 years and Whistler’s biking scene is firmly in the situated in the mainstream.  As the trail network expanded, all the accompanying markers of “world class” status Charlie referred to are here as well: overseas visitors, global media recognition, dozens of dedicated bike shops, and media blitzes that are as calculated and labour intensive as the trails themselves.

For more info on the history of local trail-building, check out WORCA’s trail history article, and “Quest for the Holy Trail” run in the Pique last summer.

And for fun, we’ll re-post this classic clip from our archives, showing some sweet mtb action from 1988:

For more photos & stories from Whistler’s past, check out the Whistler Museum’s blog.

The Photos

01  I have skied since I was 2 and most likely wouldn’t live in Whistler if this hadn’t been the case.  This is where I always want to be and despite a fractured tibia, multiple torn ligaments and tendons I had to get a turn in for this shot.
02  My personal studio and workshop in Alta.
03  Off The Wall Kids x Coldsmoke.
04  I came across this living fawn while filming in Merritt, at this young age they are still in the midst of learning how to walk and are taught to lay still and blend with their surroundings. While I snapped photos the mother was trying to bait us away from her young.
05  Surfing in Sombrio with the homies!  Thanks Sauterlee Surfboards for the custom design!
06  Gainer off the tree platform at loggers lake, definitely one of my favourite haunts in Whistler.  I am really against the municipality cutting down all the ropeswings that locals have spent so much time setting up just because people got hurt.  Everyone swings knowing a massive risk is involved, if someone is hurt on a cliff on the mountain are they going to remove that too?
07  Sample of my art.  Message me for custom orders or details.
08  Representing Whistler Alternative Lifestyle magazine Features/Webisodes- http://www.coldsmokeco.com/features/

The Questions

What neighbourhood do you live in?
Alta Vista.

What do you do and where?
I work for myself as a photographer, cinematographer and artist.

What are you working on?
I am currently putting my focus into a video magazine style project dropping as webisodes.  Along with Anna Lengstrand, we are featuring Whistlers Alternative Lifestyle and the people that make it up.  Each video mag will feature an artist, athlete and entrepreneur while portraying them in a unique light.  Our goal is to promote talented individuals and businesses while showing a side of Whistler a weekend warrior or seasonal traveler may never see.

Under the label, Off The Wall Kids, we want to give the people of Whistler a fresh voice.  Off The Wall Kids represent the youthful and young at heart. Anyone who aims to inspire, create and dream is OTWK.  Anyone pushing the limits, making changes in the right directions and never taking anything at face value is OTWK.  With Whistler Alternative Lifestyle video mags we will bring these Off The Wall Kids into the spotlight and share their stories.

Where can we find your work?
Off The Wall Kids trailer and future video mags can be found at http://www.coldsmokeco.com/otwk/

We chose to work with Coldsmoke since they represent everything we are about.  (If you’ve ever heard of Powder Mountain Heli/Cat Skiing you have already heard of them).  Coldsmoke Co. is a lifestyle company based out of Venice, CA with a really sick clothing line of military influenced fashion meets function approach that perfectly suits the environment we surround ourselves with in Whistler.
My personal work/blog- http://www.ericbeckstead.com

OTWK on vimeo: https- //vimeo.com/offthewallkids