Whistler Now Triple Extra Large

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park, the international leader in downhill mountain bike parks and trails, will launch an additional 2,200 vertical feet of terrain on Whistler Mountain this Saturday, June 26. The [L=http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/bike/garbanzo/]“Garbanzo Zone”[/L] features four new hand-built single-track trails and extends the park into the Whistler Mountain subalpine. Expansion in the Garbanzo Zone is a response to rapid growth in the popularity of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park where visits have increased by 500% since 1999. Increased terrain will mean shorter lift lines, more space on-hill for riders of all ability levels, and access to a greater diversity of trails.“We decided to grow into the Garbanzo Zone because the popularity of our park is sky-rocketing,” said Rob McSkimming, Managing Director of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. “With new technology, freeride downhill mountain biking is becoming more accessible, and more people are getting into the sport. There’s no other park in the world that comes close to what we have in Whistler, and those who love the sport or who want to break into it are coming here to ride. The Garbanzo Zone will spread riders out on the mountain, and will provide expert and advanced riders with yet another unique downhill experience.”

With more advanced and expert riders heading into the Garbanzo Zone, riders of all abilities will have more space on the lower mountain, including beginners and intermediates. The Garbanzo Zone will also give bikers a chance to experience riding in the subalpine, with different scenery and a cooler temperature than on the lower mountain.


“Our new terrain has a distinctly different flavour and feel from the trails on the lower mountain, and the two complement each other beautifully,” Rob continued. “The Garbanzo trails are much longer than trails on the lower mountain, the views of surrounding peaks are more spectacular, the forest is mostly old growth fir and hemlock, and the trails have an ‘old school’ single-track feel. A top to bottom trip will take riders through several geo-climatic zones and different riding experiences.”

The six season passholders who have ridden the Whistler Mountain Bike Park most this spring will be the first to ride the Garbanzo Express Chair to the new terrain.


“Many of the people who ride in our park also play a role in the development of our park, and we want to show our appreciation for their dedication and energy,” Rob commented. “We’re saving the first six chairs this Saturday for the season passholders who have gained the most vertical since the park opened in May – some of whom have ridden over 200,000 vertical feet.”

The addition of the Garbanzo Zone will make Whistler Mountain Bike Park the largest in North America, and the most visited in the world. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park features single-track, cross country, downhill, stunt and freeride specific trails, and five skills centres for riders of every ability level.

Visit Whistler Blackcomb on the web at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.