Blister’s been making an annual pilgrimage to Whistler for a few years now — in fact, my first task as a Blister intern not so long ago was editing this video from our 2014 trip:
Now we’re looking for interns once again, and this year instead of just editing footage, I’ll be riding and shooting with Blister’s Bike Editor, Noah Bodman, reviewer Marti Bruce, and a few other fine folks.
For the uninitiated, Whistler is arguably the best bike park in the world. (But really, there’s not much argument here.) It has a bit of everything for everyone, and our timing looks like it might line up just right for some perfect brown-pow shredding.
We’ll also be venturing out of the bike park to feast on some of the best trails in the region that (*gasp*) we’ll actually have to pedal to the top of. While Whistler’s lift-accessed trails get the most attention, there is some phenomenal riding outside of the bike park.
We’ll be testing and writing reviews of trail and downhill bikes from Devinci, Trek, and Rocky Mountain, and checking out some accessories and protective gear from Fox, Pearl Izumi, Spank, IXS, Race Face, Leatt, and Dakine. So stay tuned for First Looks, Flash Reviews, and Deep Dives throughout the week.
Last time I rode with Noah, we survived the E-fat-tandem-bike hell of senseless innovation that is the dark underbelly of Interbike. This time, there won’t be any amoeba-shaped pools, long evenings lost in gigantic casinos, or the general sense of confusion that comes from wearing Chacos on the Las Vegas strip. But I’m sure there will still be some hucking to flat from Noah just to understand refined suspension leverage ratios, and some intentional crashing on my part, just to test the effectiveness of my knee pads.
If you’re in Whistler give us a holler, we’ll be here all week.