Thursday, 7/2/09 at 12:53 PM
by Tara Llanes
by Tara Llanes
Big Bear vs. Whistler
What is the difference between Whistler now and Big Bear then? Wow….ALOT!! Big Bear, California has been the site of numerous races. Not only Norba Nationals, but major World Cup races, Fall Classics, and even the first ever Women’s Only Weekend. Big Bear was somewhat the epitome of mountain bike racing. They had the organization, the courses, and the spectators. Big Bear is a cool little town of about 6,200 that sits at about 6,750 feet and Team Big Bear figured out early on that to make some profit in their off-season, which was summertime, that they should start holding mountain bike races.
Big Bear was actually one of my very first mountain bike races ever! I grew up in Orange County so I guess you could say it was and still is my home mountain. The fact that so many mountain bike companies are based in Orange County or even Los Angeles means that Big Bear was where you would often go to do your testing and use a chairlift. They were some of the first to throw the hooks on the end of the chairlifts so you didn’t have to carry you’re bike on your lap to the top.
When races came to town mountain bikers took over. You could never find a spot in the parking lot and had trouble even booking a room at the local hotels it would get so packed. And don’t even get me started on getting downhill practice! Even though there were hooks on the lifts there were only two and they were quad lifts so it took some time.
The courses back then were progressive. Team Big Bear would think ahead and ask some of the riders their thoughts on how it should be. Sometimes they listened…sometimes they didn’t, but they put in the effort. The courses were long and pedally enough to hurt and yet downhill enough to really put your suspension to the test. If you won on a Big Bear course you knew you had done well.
So what’s happened? Where is the organization, the courses, and the people? Well, the mountain is still clearly there and so is the organization albeit with a lot fewer races to organize. The courses unfortunately were beginning to be a problem. The BLM or Bureau of Land Management had the opinion that we were ruining the mountain. With the amount of riders coming down the hill and the fact that we were burning in the courses with the braking and accelerating they felt that we were tearing things up. Once that started to be more and more of an issue we had less and less races up in Big Bear until we had no more. It’s so crazy to think back and know that Big Bear used to be the first race of our Norba National race season and that we would always race there to now where I can’t even think back to the last time I raced there.
In this day and age things have progressed and so many new resorts and mountains have figured things out. Now Whistler, BC is the place to be! When I say that I don’t just mean to go race, but I mean the perfect place to take the family. You can go out and ride with your kids, have sushi for dinner in the village, and the next day go to the day spa and it’s all right there at your fingertips.
The Whistler Mountain Bike Park has 46 runs and over 250 km (155 mi) of lift-serviced, downhill trails. The park has runs for every kind of rider. Beginners can cruise along banked trails through the forest. Intermediate riders can tear up twisty single-track and experts can fly down steep rock faces nasty root-strewn lines and tons of drop offs.
They really understand the different level of riders and how to cater to those needs. The park is home to three skills centers: an easy-riding green, a tight-twisting blue, and a double black with drop-offs. There's also a Biker-X racing course; jump, drop-off and slope-style parks; and a jump farm. The 8,400 sq ft Air Dome has a foam pit, resi-ramp and trampoline — the first facility of its kind in Canada.
And if you did want to race there is always the annual Crankworx Festival where you will find the best mountain bikers in the world. That’s what it’s all about these days are festivals where you can ride, spectate, and enjoy riding from all aspects. Whistler Mountain has got it figured out!
It’s about an hour and a half drive from Vancouver International Airport and there are plenty of brand new hotels or condos to stay at with some of the best restaurants to eat at after a full day of riding.
These days Whistler Mountain is the black of mountain biking where Big Bear was (at least in my opinion) back in the late nineties and there are numerous other mountain in the states that are taking notice. It is a great thing for our sport and I can only hope that it keeps growing in the way that it is fun for the whole family!!
Big Bear was actually one of my very first mountain bike races ever! I grew up in Orange County so I guess you could say it was and still is my home mountain. The fact that so many mountain bike companies are based in Orange County or even Los Angeles means that Big Bear was where you would often go to do your testing and use a chairlift. They were some of the first to throw the hooks on the end of the chairlifts so you didn’t have to carry you’re bike on your lap to the top.
When races came to town mountain bikers took over. You could never find a spot in the parking lot and had trouble even booking a room at the local hotels it would get so packed. And don’t even get me started on getting downhill practice! Even though there were hooks on the lifts there were only two and they were quad lifts so it took some time.
The courses back then were progressive. Team Big Bear would think ahead and ask some of the riders their thoughts on how it should be. Sometimes they listened…sometimes they didn’t, but they put in the effort. The courses were long and pedally enough to hurt and yet downhill enough to really put your suspension to the test. If you won on a Big Bear course you knew you had done well.
So what’s happened? Where is the organization, the courses, and the people? Well, the mountain is still clearly there and so is the organization albeit with a lot fewer races to organize. The courses unfortunately were beginning to be a problem. The BLM or Bureau of Land Management had the opinion that we were ruining the mountain. With the amount of riders coming down the hill and the fact that we were burning in the courses with the braking and accelerating they felt that we were tearing things up. Once that started to be more and more of an issue we had less and less races up in Big Bear until we had no more. It’s so crazy to think back and know that Big Bear used to be the first race of our Norba National race season and that we would always race there to now where I can’t even think back to the last time I raced there.
In this day and age things have progressed and so many new resorts and mountains have figured things out. Now Whistler, BC is the place to be! When I say that I don’t just mean to go race, but I mean the perfect place to take the family. You can go out and ride with your kids, have sushi for dinner in the village, and the next day go to the day spa and it’s all right there at your fingertips.
The Whistler Mountain Bike Park has 46 runs and over 250 km (155 mi) of lift-serviced, downhill trails. The park has runs for every kind of rider. Beginners can cruise along banked trails through the forest. Intermediate riders can tear up twisty single-track and experts can fly down steep rock faces nasty root-strewn lines and tons of drop offs.
They really understand the different level of riders and how to cater to those needs. The park is home to three skills centers: an easy-riding green, a tight-twisting blue, and a double black with drop-offs. There's also a Biker-X racing course; jump, drop-off and slope-style parks; and a jump farm. The 8,400 sq ft Air Dome has a foam pit, resi-ramp and trampoline — the first facility of its kind in Canada.
And if you did want to race there is always the annual Crankworx Festival where you will find the best mountain bikers in the world. That’s what it’s all about these days are festivals where you can ride, spectate, and enjoy riding from all aspects. Whistler Mountain has got it figured out!
It’s about an hour and a half drive from Vancouver International Airport and there are plenty of brand new hotels or condos to stay at with some of the best restaurants to eat at after a full day of riding.
These days Whistler Mountain is the black of mountain biking where Big Bear was (at least in my opinion) back in the late nineties and there are numerous other mountain in the states that are taking notice. It is a great thing for our sport and I can only hope that it keeps growing in the way that it is fun for the whole family!!
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