Adventures at the Pump Track

This blog post is brought to you by Alisha. Photos by Alisha.

Date: Sometime in July 2010
Scene: The dining table at the Brio House
Characters: Luke Garside - The Bike Rider, Troublemaker #1; Alisha - The Token Girl, Troublemaker #2; Zach - The Grumpy Canadian.

The three of us were sitting around the table in the Brio House, wondering how we could spend this sun-shiney afternoon. With no less than 9 bikes in the bike room, the answer was fairly obvious. But when you're living in Whistler, and you have a bike, you are not limited to a simple 'bike ride'. Should we take the downhill bikes to the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, should we take the XC bikes to one of the many XC trails in the area, should we take the commuters to the docks for a swim, or should we go to the Pump Track?

Luke had recently received a new bike for his birthday, and I was told it was 'super fast and light' - which is key for a pump track bike. (apparently).

So we were off. The Pump Track is accessed from the Valley Trail in Alta Vista and is a perfect little spot right next to the lake (that being said, everywhere in Whistler is pretty much perfect)

Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones who had this great idea on this particular afternoon, but with Whistler being such a friendly place, we were open to sharing the space. The Grumpy Canadian, however, was less impressed, and thought that yelling and shouting and waving his arms in the air would get rid of them. Full credit to him - it worked, and we had the place to ourselves.

The unwelcome guest

Luke

Late afternoon sun, Whistler, mates, and a new bike - pretty much a perfect afternoon



The Grumpy Canadian



I give it a go. Let's be honest, I wasn't all that prepared with my flip flops, short shorts and complete lack of coordination. Some may say this is why I broke my wrist a few days later. They're probably right.

Luke getting some air

Luke



The Grumpy Canadian taking The Iguana for a spin. The Iguana was our house commuter bike, passed down like a legend through the endless chain of travellers coming and going in Whistler*. Who would have thought it would be an excellent pump track bike!



I left Whistler in December 2010 to head back to the "real world" (I don't recommend it; it's rubbish) and of all the things I miss the most about the place (the mountains, the sushi, the vibe, the sake margaritas) the thing I miss the most is being able to do things like this, on days like this, with mates like this.

*This is actually a lie. Alman rode it home drunk one night and we all agreed we could keep it.