Heckler's Rock: The Final Heckle - Video

Oct 7, 2016
by Mike Levy  
Video by IFHT

For a lot of people who attend Crankworx, Whistler's annual two-wheeled mountain bike fest, the event is about two things: mountain biking (obviously), and partying. And while there are sponsored and organized parties happening in the village bars every night of the week-long event, the pirate gong show that is Heckler's Rock is one celebration that has long made both the Crankworx management team and Whistler Bike Park nervous.

Heckler's Rock is just off the side of the Canadian Open downhill track, and its wide open location under the chairlift makes it the ideal spot for rowdy fans to congregate together and have a good time, but the 2016 ''Rock'' may have taken things too far. Public intoxication, blow-up dicks taped to sticks, and a massive number of partygoers, some of whom were launching beer cans and rocks at riders passing overhead on the chairlift led to the police making a trip up to Heckler's Rock to shut things down. As a result, it's rumored that Crankworx officials are going to re-route the Canadian Open downhill course for 2017 to bypass the controversial feature.

Is their decision justified, or are they being the fun police?

I'm of two minds when it comes to Heckler's Rock. On the one hand, I don't want to see anyone nailed in the face by a full can of beer (they should catch it before it hits them), and the Crankworx officials have good reason to be concerned about someone being injured up there, be it a drunk spectator or an innocent bystander. But while I'm not the kind of guy who'd be half-cut, half naked, and fully sunburnt while chucking things at people, the sight of a rowdy party on the side of a hill during one of the most anticipated events of the year puts a smile on my face. Sure, you could say that true race fans would be found on the side of the course cheering on competitors instead of mobbing under the chairlift and chanting 'YOU f*ckED UP,'' over and over again with a blood-alcohol level of 0.25, and you'd probably be right. But Crankworx isn't really about racing, and I'd argue that it's not even about the slopestyle competition; it's about a ton of riders together in one place to have a good time. I'm pretty sure that a few of those people that passed over Heckler's Rock on the chairlift weren't having a good time, but it looks as though most were into it just as much fun as the drunks below them. Regardless, it sounds like 2016 was the Rock's final year.


So, tell us what you think: did things go too far this year? Or would Crankworx be overreacting by shutting down Heckler's Rock?

Is Crankworx right to bypass Heckler's Rock in 2017?

While Crankworx has every right to close down Heckler's Rock, especially due to obvious safety and legal concerns, do you think they should?



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224 Comments
  • 480 14
 This year Hecklers rock was out of hand. It wasn't a good natured party rock like past years, it was a shit faced mob hurling things at bystanders, professional racers, and generally being a bunch of a*sholes. Drinking, cheering and getting naked = good. being belligerent and throwing full beers at racers and bystanders on a chairlift is unacceptable. This is why we can't have nice things.
  • 183 7
 Nailed it. The early years were novel and entertaining. Unfortunately, the people that show up later because they hear a party is going on, tend to have no clue about moderation and knowing where the limits are. Typical of any festival, trend, or favourite campsite. Innovators and freethinkers come up with something awesome... it gets attention....then the morons show up and a handful ruin if for the majority, leaving the "authorities" no choice but to shut it down.......................way to go guys, way to go.
  • 88 4
 Yup.
From what I've heard there's reports of people being hit with D cell batteries - thats not heckling.

Bring in security for next year to monitor the area, any dickhead caught throwing anything at riders/lift users should be banned for a season.
  • 34 7
 That looked like a shitty gathering of pigs. Too bad one bad year can ruin everyone's fun for good...
  • 11 17
flag DHDH (Oct 7, 2016 at 11:42) (Below Threshold)
 @cerealkilla: Damn fat fingers. Meant to up-vote that.
  • 11 5
 Yeah, it was really quite scary on the lift!
  • 74 8
 The USA expects Canadians to be the good face of North America! Did we allow too many guys up from New Jersey this year?
  • 72 2
 Nothing wrong with partying hard but when folks minding their own business are getting abused - that's crossing the line. Shut it down for a year, set a new expectation, and bring it back for 2018.
  • 13 0
 Humans always be loving a good thing to death.
  • 26 3
 I watched MSA this year in the big rock section "Les Dalles" and I was impressed that the crowd cheered, not jeered, every rider coming through. Louder for more popular, local, or Canadian riders, but the crowd remained really positive. I don't understand the need to go negative on riders who are out there busting their asses and taking way more risks than most.
  • 21 3
 "This is why we can't have nice things."
  • 85 8
 @jasdo: It's not the Canadians that are the problem. Spend some time in Whistler and you'll know what I'm talking about.
  • 123 4
 @theedon: O jeez just say it "it's the Aussies"
  • 49 3
 @theedon: Yeah, your right, its the AUSSIES.
  • 20 3
 @theedon: I wish that were true. There are jerks in every crowd. I've seen plenty of bad behavior from locals.
  • 25 2
 @jasdo: those were mostly bloody Aussies! Aussies + alcohol, no wonder shit got out of control.
  • 59 1
 @rideonjon: not even offended by this.

Really don't know what it is about young drunk Australians in a group overseas, they seem to cause headaches.

It's not all Aussies, but there's a fair amount that give the rest a bad image.
  • 18 2
 Watching the video reminds me of stag dos. When you're part of the roudy bunch it's great harmless fun. To everyone else you just look like agressive dickheads.
  • 4 6
 @ryancrawcour: still, the Canadians may not be able to where their flag patches on their backpacks when in Europe now. Aussies giving them a bad name.
  • 12 6
 @OzMike: Throwing shit at random bystander, especially on a lift should be lifetime ban and/or prosecution.
  • 8 10
 So it was full of downhillers who think PB is a bible?
  • 4 0
 @psyickphuk:
Football fans, or Friday/Saturday night on any given high street.

On another point , those Ritchey stems were f*cking huge !
  • 3 2
 @cerealkilla: Man, as someone who moved to Calgary in the early 2000's that exactly describes the red mile. At first it was a big, positive-vibe party. By year two it was people driving in from out of town to look for a fight and sexual assaults. This is why we can't have nice things, people!
  • 3 0
 @OzMike: Hey OzMike,it wasn't meant to be an offensive comment.The Aussies i know are nice people,BUT i've been out in Whistler and witnessed this BS before.
  • 6 0
 Totally agree. I travel and have lived abroad and wonder why we as Canadians aren't allowed to drink in parks, at the beach, etc, and well, this is the reason... Fcking boorish louts.
  • 10 0
 @jasdo: Canadians don't have accents like that. Americans either.
  • 46 0
 You know the spectators on the rock have changed when Tippie is up there doing an interview and nobody knows who the guy is. The guy is a legend of mountain biking and got no respect at all from that crowd. If you're at Crankworx to watch any kind bike event and you have no idea who that guy is, you best just leave the rock, the mountain, the event entirely, and go be a drunk ass someplace else. No respect.
  • 17 3
 I'm glad chainsaw wasn't around for that...what an embarrassment to the sport. His runs down there was historical. #longlivechainsaw
  • 1 0
 e: damn, doublepost
  • 12 0
 +1

some beers, chainsaw revving, some taunts, some cheers, some nudity = all good and fun. Throwing stuff on riders = foot in the ass.
  • 2 0
 @ruckusrider74: summed up perfect!
  • 2 0
 @theedon: I had my honeymoon in Whistler during the ski season, and had the fortune to share a lift with the most rare of rare things (one step away from a dodo) an actual lady born and raised in whistler, possibly the first person I came across in the first few days that wasn't Aussie, British or American!
  • 6 2
 @rideonjon: Yup, no denying it, its the Aussies.
  • 1 2
 @piman: or a gathering of shitty pigs?
  • 3 0
 I rode the lift though there the previous year, Glad I did not ride there this year with my 10 year old son, throw beer cans at my kid and I'm gonna be pissed. Feel bad for all the lift riders that were there to have good time and ride to have the day screwed lime that. Cowards thrown beer cans a pepole on lifts that can do anything back.
  • 2 0
 @jbravo: Yes its possible to have a bunch of people together to cheer! I would rather see a few security guards at hecklers rock and maybe rename the section as "fan rock" and keep it positive like MSA. I brought my wife and 10 year old to hecklers rock for the experience but when my ten year got hit in the head with a half full beer we had to leave. Unfortunatley the naked guy up the pole appeared as we were heading out and my duaghtrer and wife got a glimpse and may be permantly scarred from the experience! Not what I had in mind thats for sure.
  • 4 0
 @johan90: I think the only nudity I saw was male nudity. No thanks...
  • 10 17
flag STINKY-MINTY-1 (Oct 8, 2016 at 13:35) (Below Threshold)
 I would be honoured to get knocked out by Eddie masters lobbing a can at my head, I understand the safety concerns but if you don't want to be in danger, are you even a ????-C-klet rider? #longlivetherock
  • 2 0
 Ive always dreamed of making the trip to whistler to witness hecklers rock and all that BC can offer a true die hard Bike Fan yes it should be rowdy as fuck that what makes it legend but its now been ruined by idiots who took it way too far and i wont get to witness it maybe if they controlled it a little but then how do you police that when its something that should be seen as out of control.. But Safe
  • 4 3
 @johan90: we all know that this years Hecklers rock just turned the heat to 10. From 9. It's like Julbord at Bilia. One year Anton spreads vomit all over the toilet while Jocke grabs Kristinas tits, but everyone's happy on monday. But year after Mats gets on the table and starts pissing all over the sil buffet. Tipping point is not called "climbing over the edge" for a reason. Last year seemed to have had all the ingredients necessary for sht to go like this year. Who the F. expected that crowd to contain itself, since it used to get so much "good press"
  • 4 0
 Yup. There's fun and then there's the out of control mob of assholes we see in this video. Looks like a bunch of tools who need to relive their frat party days.
  • 3 9
flag kingtut87 (Oct 9, 2016 at 14:45) (Below Threshold)
 @ruckusrider74: I wasn't far from Tippie and everyone knew who he was and got exactly the reaction he wanted. Too many old timers here forgetting what it was like to be young and care free.
  • 8 1
 @kingtut87: I my be old but young and care free sure is not throwing beer cans at people. You think that's ok behavior ?
  • 2 0
 I was up there from start to shutdown. I actually had a decent stump to stand on the entire time and witness everything go down. Two things, most of the ruckus was caused by city-folks and non-Canadian hecklers. Most of them didn't even know there was a race going on! Also, this was probably my 5th hecklers rock. and definitely my last. Even my last crankworx. It used to be a great festival... They should take a year off, re-plan let heat come down, maybe even visit other festivals in terms of organisation and planning and then they should bring it back. It felt like it was their first year. Not only hecklers rock was a shitshow, but slopestyle, riders were doing their final run and they were still doing interviews with randoms and cutting ryan niquist halfway thru to show jeep commercials, and not really presenting riders like they used to.
  • 2 0
 @mr-eric: Haha oh dear, an expletive laden comment isn't the best way to show off your maturity or your intelligence.

You know nothing about me, what I do for work, where I'm from, how much I earn, if I was sober or wasted on the rock.

Maybe you should get your shit together and come back when you can string together a more reasonable response?
  • 1 1
 @brncr6: I didn't say that it was to throw things and people, in fact I was pretty disgusted that it happened. The comment above was some mild trolling on my part, but most of the comments seem to be from people who weren't there or heard stories 2nd hand. It was rowdy, cans shouldn't of been thrown but for the most part it wasn't as out of control as a lot of people seem to think. Yes, it could be better managed and definitely better self policed, but shutting it down completely would be an over reaction Imo.
  • 2 0
 @kingtut87: No, it's just that you don't need to be there to know that something is completely over the line.
  • 2 0
 @DrPete: There's a great video at the top for those who weren't there.
  • 2 0
 @PanCascadian: And it showed me all I needed to see.
  • 2 1
 @DrPete: If you say so, but it wasn't representative of the whole crowd by a long shot. There were plenty of people of had a couple of beers, enjoyed the heckles but didn't throw anything, weren't aggressive to anyone and still had a good time but felt that the throwing of shit was out of order. Trash was generally packed out or put in to the trash bags the vollys had. The chair with tiny kids on it that I saw didn't have anything thrown (thank goodness) and a chant of 'family fun' went up. It wasn't all twats.
  • 3 0
 @kingtut87: It doesn't matter that most people weren't doing anything, and if you are going to make the argument that Whistler should back off and let people police themselves you probably shouldn't mention the multiple failures of this supposedly friendly fun-loving group to police themselves.
  • 209 26
 Just ban alcohol from crankwors and sell weed to people at half price. That would be just great. Hecklers rock would turn into lovers rock. Riders would have to go through a cloud of smoke and spectators would sing and say: gooo goo mon, wooow you did greaaat mon, wowowohohohooo, did you see thaaaat? Good luck maate, looove yaaa. People would be hugging, listening to dub reggae. It would be fantastic
  • 26 4
 oh damn i agree.
  • 86 3
 @stokedcheech420: yeah no shit...
  • 23 2
 @bentplate: I never would have noticed had you not pointed that out. Thank you sir, I needed a good laugh.
  • 8 2
 Waki might have a point. We finally agree Smile
  • 9 8
 Since we have a peaceful mood, let's send positive vibes to a fellow troll @properp, who's on Florida being fkd by Matthew. Hold on there buddy! Hope everything's fine with you and your buddies & family
  • 8 7
 Hand out MDMA to everyone then it really would turn into a sausage fest
  • 30 1
 Relevant Bill Hicks quote:

BH: "If somebody's loud, obnoxious, & being an a*shole at a sporting event, are they high, or getting drunk?

Crowd: DRUNK!

BH: Good, we all know the truth.

BH: I have NEVER seen people on pot get in a fight- because it is f*cking IMPOSSIBLE. - "Hey buddy!" 'Hey what?' "Hey." 'Hey." End of Argument.
  • 10 1
 I read somewhere that Waki has good comments 1 in a 1000. I've seen 2 in 2 days. nice work!!!!!!
  • 10 1
 @chickenlassi: Waki just comments whatever he wants without looking for votes, and whether he's down or upvoted, its always entertaining.
  • 141 12
 canada should send some meatheads over to aussieland during the austrailian open of surfing and get them to hurl bricks at the surfers and spectators. keep it fair.
  • 10 5
 this. this is an amazing comment!
  • 26 7
 @stacykohut, I would rather see that on Australian Open of Tennis... if you are about to sht on someone, do it on the person that will get offended most... throwing beer during a major Tennis event is like shouting "vagina" or "knob" in the church.
  • 24 4
 I'll supply the bricks.
  • 1 1
 Ahhh haahhh well played sir
  • 6 0
 So what the only people that were throwing bottles was the AUSSIES ? Canadians would never do that would they ?
  • 13 8
 @soldenreturn: No it was not only the Ozzies. It was the first time that Australia cooperated with New Zealand.
  • 5 1
 Yeah I agree....something about "Aussie" drinking culture-drink heaps and become obnoxious arseholes. Anyone who saw footage of the Malaysian Grand prix the other weekend will no what I mean. If there is one thing worse than an obnoxious Aussie drunk arsehole it is an entitled rich obnoxious Aussie drunk arsehole. They should have lined the c*nts up against the wall and shot them while the ones at Hecklers should have been ejected out of the park. You should try living here-its the same. But I guess we are what we are.
  • 1 0
 @cosby: as a fellow aussie that has never been to Whistler and wants to o I fukn hope it wasn't us being that disgracefull... what a joke
  • 2 1
 to be honest, Aussies would just join in.
  • 2 1
 It's so heart warming to see a situation where it's not Polish or Russians being called obnoxious drunks. Irish are smiling as well...
  • 7 0
 @cosby: 'we are what we are'? where do you live cosby? I'm pretty sure I live in Australia and that kind of behaviour is definitely not normal. I did live in Whistler in 2003 for the summer season. We couldn't figure out why there was a bit of hostility towards us until a Canadian mate told us that a bunch of bogan Aussies went through the town on Australia Day (I think) and smashed a bunch of stuff up. They were not mtbers, they were snowboard/ski dregs left over from winter, and we didn't come across anything like that the whole 2003 season.
Either way, sorry Canada, most Aussies aren't like these fkn idiots. Feel free to round them up and drop them out of a helicopter if it happens again. Do us both a favour.
  • 43 3
 Ofcourse Eddie Master is in the middle of it!
  • 18 6
 Wouldn't it be great to say you were pegged by a beer can thrown by a drunk world cup racer
  • 12 2
 I wonder what his sponsors think? Any publicity is good publicity?
  • 10 1
 @CaliCol: I suspect they probably knew what they were getting into from the start
  • 3 2
 @sampolicky: Yes!!! It would be an honour!!
  • 40 2
 who honestly thought throwing cans at people on the lift was even close to a good idea? people these days wasting good beers just to wreck things for everyone. Retards.
  • 7 1
 and the amount of f**king cans thrown.....
  • 4 3
 Group mentality. Plus they can get away with it. Like that women who took a half full/full beer can to the goddam throat. I'll admit I laughed, but no ones ever gunna know who threw that beer... So combine this with being slightly drunk and also being male and you have a disaster on your hands lol
  • 41 7
 A bunch of tourist dicks, ruining it for everyone, all in the name of 'having fun'.

Probably the same pissed up dicks who get wasted in The Longhorn & end up trying to feed the bears, encouraging them into the village, who end up getting shot because they are too humanised.

Basically, dicks.
  • 67 12
 the words you are looking for isn't 'tourist dicks'............... its 'temporary foreign workers'.
  • 21 6
 @stacykohut: Yep - exactly what I meant.

Dare I say it, mostly from the southern hemisphere.

I guess that's why the locals call them Shozzies (sh*t ozzies).

Hecklers Rock used to be cool.
  • 7 23
flag timbud (Oct 7, 2016 at 11:44) (Below Threshold)
 I'm sure ISIS have something to do with it as well Rolleyes
  • 9 6
 @stacykohut: seems like it's usually the spoiled kids, doesn't matter from where. I've been to aus and there are nice normal people there, very much like canadians. How did they get to canada and can afford to party it up all summer in expensive resort towns? minimum wage isn't that answer, thats for damn sure.
  • 3 1
 @makripper: They just get work visas and come over its not that hard. Almost every ski hill in canada is filled with them and its not because they are all rich kids. Aussies just like to get rowdy.
  • 4 0
 Also i didn't see any "kids" in that crowd unless you talking about the ones on the lift getting beer thrown at them.
  • 1 5
flag jaycubzz (Oct 7, 2016 at 15:07) (Below Threshold)
 @nismo325: i call people i dont like "kids", so yeah, plenty of "kids" on the rock

its like "bud". i mostly use "bud" as a demeaning term, and it works.
  • 3 4
 @jaycubzz: 'bud' or 'buddy' is fightin' words in good ol alberta.

now in onterrible, its like 'dude' or 'bro'

lol.
  • 9 1
 @jaycubzz: I like bud. I mostly use bud to get a good night's sleep, and it works
  • 3 1
 @makripper: minimum wage is plenty to live it up and get pissed in Whistler. Staff accommodation is like $350 a month. Beer is cheap in the liquor store. Drugs are even cheaper. You don't need to be a Rick kid to party hard in Whistler.
  • 1 1
 @stacykohut: berrrrrttaaaaaaaaaaaaa bud
  • 6 2
 @jaycubzz: you hear that red deer is getting a new zoo?




yep, they are just gonna put a fence around edmonton.
  • 3 0
 @Trinket: The Aussies who did that should have their passes and maybe visas revoked. But dare I say it, a pom giving anyone else shit for idiotic drunken (or drug fueled) behaviour is pretty comical.... Half that mob are probably related to you Wink
  • 2 0
 @stacykohut: aawwwwcomon we hate drunken fackwads here too!!☺️ I'm pretty sure there are some cool Aussie transplants in the kootenays that are actually there for the biking and skiing.
I've been planning a ski trip to Hokkaido and have heard it can be over run with Australians. I wonder if they are the Whistler kind or the Rossland kind?
  • 44 22
 Why is every MTB media source (vital, dirt, PB jut to name a few) even trying to justify the actions of those f*ckwits up on the rock that day? That "highlight" video should never be published. Throwing rocks, beer cans, injuring other users of the mountain simply trying to ride the lift, I don't care who you are, thats unacceptable behaviour, you should be ashamed PB.
  • 19 10
 click bait.

bill$ need to be paid.
  • 9 2
 @stacykohut: yet when trails and events get closed and shut down because the public believes this is how all MTB'ers act, what will these media outlets do then?
  • 16 2
 @robaussie99: oh i am with ya holmes.

i was just stating why this edit is gonna go viral..........
slow mtb news day, booze and a chance of some tits, yep, thats click bait
i didn't say it was cool or right, i just said what it is.
  • 6 1
 @stacykohut: WB could do a better job policing it's own patrons whether it's a powder day or Heckler's. Problems should be 86ed and passes revoked/denied.
  • 3 2
 I agree. Giving an option in the poll saying 'god forbid people have fun' is a little dumb. Sure, I bet these people were having fun, but the other people trying to ride whistler probably weren't seeing the funny side having beers thrown at their faces. Like that women taking a full beer can to the throat. Not gunna lie, I laughed, but it certainly isn't acceptable.
  • 7 1
 Agreed, the press that hecklers rock gets is part of the problem. Non mountain bikers see the videos and decide to go up because it looks like a huge party.

At the end of the day, nobody wants to stop people having fun, if hecklers could still be controlled, it wouldn't be being removed. The problem has never been people having a good time, its the danger they pose to the general public by throwing things at the lift. Sure there may be a few people on the lifts that think its funny and enjoy the rowdiness. but for the young kids riding the park for the first time with their parents, being chanted at to "suck his dick" and then having full cans of alcohol thrown at you. it just not on.
  • 26 5
 It was way about of hand. I got hit with a half full beer can in the head. Good thing I had my helmet on or I definitely wouldn't have been riding at all that day. It wasn't fun it wasn't cool it was sheer hooliganism. And my twelve year old boy really doesn't need to see dildo's on sticks. The display was narcissism and ignorant definitely not even remotely civilized and good spirited. I also had a beer can thrown at me while I was riding on the trial behind hecklers rock. Not cool. Also people were waking down the mtb trails to get to the rock and they were swearing at me as I was going by as if they were in the right. I was paying to use the trails for riding and they were trespassing. nice. It should definitely be shut down
  • 7 6
 You boy doesn't have a dick? Poor kid. The inflatable dick on a stick was funny and harmless. The cans being thrown were out of order but when you have people on the chair taunting those on the rock it was always on the cards (doesnt mean it should of happened though).

Easy solution, a bit more security on the rock to stop the more outrageous behaviour, putting most people up the gondola instead of the chair and better crowd management from Crankworx, ie make it easy to get up down the hill to spectate. Viewing from the bottom sucks for everything except the slopestyle type events. More planning and less dickheads and we're all good to keep going in future years.
  • 1 0
 @kingtut87: actually 12 year olds really don't need to be exposed to that kind of behaviour. And graphic material. I wasn't taunting anybody. Really don't appreciate disparaging comments from you either. Let's try and keep things civilized.
  • 1 0
 @stinkbat: Apologies, it was a light hearted comment, but I still think most 12 years olds will have potty humour down to a T. While you and others weren't, plenty of others were. In the same way that despite a number of dicks in on the rock, there were plenty of people who behaved within acceptable bounds.
  • 18 1
 As one of the original Hecklers I feel I should chime in here. It was Summer of 2009 when the Canadian Open course was built and we were riding the Fitz looking at this new blind rock feature wondering how the fastest guys in the world were going to ride it? When some of our buddies like Ryan Newton decided to enter the race we were determined to be there to see them face plant or pin it. So a small group of around 10 of us went up with beers to heckle our mates racing the Amateur Category. On the finished their runs they too joined us for beers and to then heckle the Pros. While standing there we decided to also start heckling chairlift goers on the Fitz.

2010 saw a little more organization in the form of a facebook group and some garbage bags for empties. It grew from there...

2013 was the year I realized it was getting out hand. Rob Warner made an appearance on the rock in a wig and half the people around me didn't even know who he was.

2014 when I saw the fence built on the rock. That was the end of Hecklefest for me and Newton also called it quits.

The real Hecklefest ended in 2013!
  • 20 4
 There's a difference between heckling/having fun and hurling rocks/beer cans at riders or people on the chairlift.
  • 18 5
 eh hecklers fucking sucks anyways. first time i went to crankworx i was like wow omg so kool look at those guys they party so hard. Now it's just the dirtbags who show up to parties where everyones way younger then them. That video just shows how much the shit sucks. And now we have kids who were there throwing shit commenting at the bottom of this page. Lotta you guys smell, look and behave like ass. Hecklers could've been cool until you idiots turned it into a gathering of the fucking juggalos. Fuck off.
  • 11 1
 I'd say the video pic is a good indicator of the stupidity happening on its own. The easy answer would be to put some race marshals and or security there to keep things within reason. On the other hand maybe its time for a course change. mix it up a bit. Skiers don't get the same course every year why should bikers?
  • 7 0
 They had a Marshal right there. Poor bastard. The chat over the radio trying to get a course clear, marshal 1 check, marshal 2 check. Get to that marshal and nothing...
  • 6 0
 Race marshalls can't do anything, they're volunteers. You need crankworx staff up there and bike patrol to pull names and passes if it gets seriously out of hand. We marshalled up there last year and it was a gong show. It just depends on what your limits of fun are...
  • 2 0
 @DHdavey: Its been an obvious on going problem so they should have paid CW staff ior better a couple of cops or WBP paid staff. Its a simple solution to not let the drunken twits who can't handle their liquor spoil the fun for everyone else.
  • 13 3
 I don't even have to watch the video to answer: it's been out of hand for years, and quite frankly a bit embarrassing. Unless you love the bro scene (not most people) and yelling / pressuring others into doing things (including women), then it's a cringe-worthy scene.
  • 19 7
 It's all the Ozzies. Revoke their visas and deport the lot of them! hahahaha Seriously tho LET'S BUILD A WALL AND MAKE AUSTRALIA PAY FOR IT. I'm serious you guys.
  • 7 2
 When I was in Whistler, a Canadian guy punched me in the face in Maxx Fish for sitting in his chair (it was a bench sort of thing, you could sit about ten people there). Punched me while i was sitting down. There's drunk dickheads from every country
  • 9 0
 Maybe just let people with passes up and if they're firing shit at the chairs ban them but not the Rock.Pretty sure half the people up there this year dont even ride bikes bunch of fuckwits ruined it and will probably get it band for good throwing all sorts of things at kids on the chair. Top job to those scumbags.
  • 1 0
 *banned
  • 17 0
 Revoke their work visas.
  • 9 2
 I was there, everything's good until stuff gets thrown at folks. Second lift up and im being pelted by all sorts of shit!! still got cuts on my shins from the rocks being thrown.Just amazed how fast it went sideways.
  • 7 2
 At this stage there are 635 people saying "god forbid people have some fun" ... that was well beyond "fun".
I'm glad they shut it down.
The "hecklers" in that video should banned from Crankworx and Whistler.
There's no place for behavior like this.
  • 10 2
 Bunch of Jaffa "locals" ruining it for everyone.
  • 14 2
 bunch of 30 year olds acting like 16 year olds. suuuper cool.
  • 14 4
 @lyophilization: I guess you haven't been to Whistler before. That's pretty much a requirement.
  • 7 2
 Beer cans and other trash ending up in the woods = LAME. I'm sure the recycling/trash guys did a good job, but if people that wasted can't be responsible enough to pick up after themselves, boot them off.
  • 7 2
 No doubt they made the right call. People couldnt ride the chair lift safely, its fucking embarrassing for the whole sport. Maybe it will come back ome year without the asshole douchebags who ruin
  • 2 0
 ...everything. Stupid phone.
  • 5 1
 I , for one, sent this to the proper government agencies in hopes of tightening the Visa requirements for incoming visitors and discouraging those visiting from not adhering to our cultural sense of respect for people and nature.
  • 5 0
 Throwing a full can of beer at someone is assault with a weapon. If someone hit me with a beer can and I was able to clearly identify the person I would do something about it.
  • 3 0
 I've been thinking about this thread a bit tonight. There are some bad apples in every crowd. You can expect Aussie day to be a bit twisted (breaking stuff is uncool). In Whistler neighborhoods there are Aussie houses that throw ragers from time to time. However, Whistler has a lot of Aussies -- It's true. Most are absolute pleasures to deal with. There are a number of long term Aussie residents, many I'm sure have citizenship. I hope that locals recognize this and that visitors reading this thread don't assume that if you have Aussie accent in Whistler you're prone to hooliganism.
  • 5 2
 Right now at 185 votes yes and 184 no. There should be an added option of keep hecklers rock but ban drinking or have security keep things under control. This even has been going a long time and just this year it came to this(that I heard of). Its great fun but when you have a full can of beer hucked at your helmetless head that is sketch. Didn't realize it got so outta hand. Second ride up the chairlift we got hucked a beer at us, but not 4-5 like the video showed.
  • 4 0
 I've heard it's been getting bad for a while, it's not just this year. I heard rumors that in addition to the stuff mentioned above, they were ripping women's shirts off, as well.
  • 1 0
 @groghunter: Yeah I heard that shirts were being ripped off. I haven't experienced the beer can throwing every in my 4 years going. But i could see as it gets more popular more of those occurrences will start to show up.
  • 4 1
 Waki is right on this one.....Yep, one more good reason to legalize pot in Canada...only thing worse then a rawdy drunk is a crowd of them. Feel good story for me is seeing the idiot that threw the beer can at the Jays game outed by the next day...not even sure is he was loaded when he threw it.
  • 4 1
 You see the same thing in the winter with braindead "lifties" who spend the whole season mountainside and hardly even ride...just there to party (I say braindead to clarify that I don't mean ALL lifties - some are fantastic people). Personally, I can't stand the mentality. I'm always up for a party...but when you make it your lifestyle over something more substantial (like biking or skiing) you've gone WAY too far.

I think it's true that half the people in the video probably don't even ride. Just there to for an excuse to act like goons. I'm all for some camaraderie but the scales obviously tipped way too far in favor of stupidity last year. The worst part is it gives our sport a bad reputation in the process.
  • 4 1
 Throwing things at people on the lift, especially kids. That's a bit too much. Disrespectful of the area and people on the mountain. I always thought it was a cool idea "Hecklers rock" but overboard now with drucks . Guaranteed it will be shut down now, Wizla won't want to deal with the liabilities.
  • 3 2
 Especially since they got bought by Aspen this year.
  • 6 0
 @groghunter: Vail Resorts.
  • 3 0
 I've seen this scumbag "look at me" attention-seeking behavior at other venues at mtb and snowboard events. Not sure why a complete lack of respect for others is viewed as "fun". Maybe they're just pissed that they aren't good enough to be in the race themselves. If there's a victim either verbally or physically, you're not fun. You're just a douche-bag surrounded by other douche-bags.
  • 7 2
 It ran its course and is played out. All that's left is to put a fence around it and charge admission.
  • 2 1
 yep, all good things come to an end. And this was an ending, right there.
  • 7 1
 When one person shits......we all wear diapers....
  • 2 0
 To Management - sell heckler wristbands for the rock next year, sell beer, profit. OR Sell the right to sponsor the rock and have them manage it with your guidance. The rock is a "feature" in itself and an additional spectacle to the race for non-hecklers. You'll likely find the middle ground and still turn a dime.
  • 3 1
 I agree with 99% of the anti-aussie comments. Most Aussies tell me to leave Australia if I'm ashamed to be an Aussie so I did and moved to an amazing Country called Canada. Then I got into mountain biking and now I can't escape the anti Aussie taunts because where there's a nice place to party, the douche bags will come. I do what I can for the mountain bike community and Canada in general but then I get told to leave because I'm assumed to be just another douche bag Australian. I understand why but man it sucks being hated just because of where I'm from.
  • 1 0
 Most Aussies tell you to leave Australia if you are ashamed for not getting drunk and throwing full beer cans, batteries and shit at people? Did you try just telling them to f*ck off? Sounds like you knew some f*ckwit Australians mate... Positive side, you got to move to Canada, enjoy!
  • 7 2
 Can we just talk about that next level technology at 5:10?!?! I've made a single but gotttt damn I need to quad up.
  • 4 1
 Ive gotten tickets for drinking in public during crankworx but throwing half full cans of beers at strangers for no reason on the lift is just fucking stupid,even if it makes you laugh watching the video after the fact
  • 7 1
 Plus...that's a fucking waste of beer
  • 6 0
 Such a fun hilarious tradition ruined by people being idiots!
  • 4 2
 Take it away for a season. This year was wrong! Re-route for next Crankworx and then route it back to the rock in 2018. A fresh crop of Hecklers will be in town and I suspect a fair bit of self-policing by the "old-hands" would take place.
  • 4 1
 Having fun is like freedom of speech. Say what you want until you infringe on the rights of others. Having fun doesn't mean you get others feel annoyed/angry/hurt in the process. That's being a dick.
  • 4 1
 i was there and the shit just got way outta hand , some kid on the lift got cut with a can, i watched an empty bottle of spirits get thrown ...... really these are the fanny's that closed Hecklers....
  • 1 0
 Hecklers destroyed Hecklers
  • 2 0
 As soon as I saw this article I thought to myself "I bet it was a bunch of Australians...". Seems like I was right. Even worse is drunk Aussies in the ski fields of Japan - home of the most polite people in the world. Ashamed to be Australian, I was.
  • 2 1
 I love checking out videos of events I've been at or competed in for another perspective. Always cool when you see your self in a video.... This is not one of them.... Stoked I was down in the rowdy tech bit, far away from this madness.
  • 6 0
 It's strava's fault
  • 5 1
 wheres the voting choice for "put security on the rock and promote responsible partying"
  • 1 0
 Did my 2 seasons in whistler 2010-12, lived in UK for a few years, working in bars and clubs, every time there's a fight or any sort of problem, there's a drunkin Aussie involved.
It gets to the point where you don't want to say your an Aussie. It's f*#kin shameful.
I think the young fellas think they have a reputation to uphold as larrikins but it's gone way beyond the larrikin stage.
Of course every country has their bad seeds but Aussies take it to another level
  • 4 0
 "ton of riders together in one place to have a good time" is cool...being drunk a**holes at everyone else's expense isn't
  • 5 0
 Bunch of assholes with no respect... well, time for change...
  • 3 2
 This year was out of hand for sure. Not just at Cranworks though - weird old environment all winter season and different from previous years. Whistlers becoming the San Antonio of Ibiza with scumbags just looking for trouble - mashed off their heads on whiskey or class a's. 9.5 out of 10 it's an Aussie. Real shame.
  • 8 1
 unfortunately I think our tourists both share the same problem and its embarrassing. My mates work in hostels in sydney and 9 out 10 times someone is yelling and being a drunk idiot they are british backpackers.
  • 1 0
 @i-ride-things: Haha very true. Pot, kettle, black.
  • 4 0
 Was that one guy who busted in on the interview doing his best Bubbles impression or is that how all of us Canadians speak?
  • 4 1
 Doesn't matter where the send the riders, hecklers will find a new patch. Anyone who threw stuff at people on the lifts should be banned, straight up!
  • 2 0
 I was watching hecklers from a distance. Nothing wrong with a bit of a party but once people start throwing their rubbish everywhere and aiming cans at people it looks bloody disgusting!
  • 4 0
 I personally would be stoked to get thrown a fresh full can of beer riding the chair lift.
  • 1 0
 The results of the poll are about the same as the current run for the White-House: Two head-head groups; one supporting the crazy, no-future, bozo-like behavior and the other the opposite...and a bunch of undecided people that would vote for the "I-don't-care-I-wouldn't t-win-anyway" candidate. Smile
  • 3 0
 Don't shut down Heckler's Rock! It's a big part of the race and is a tradition. Just put security up there to keep the rowdy crowd down to a minimal !!!!!!
  • 1 0
 why not making the access restricted then ?? : fenced area, with a ticket system to limit the access. I think Management should look at a solution to soften the issue, rerouting and avoiding Heckle will just move the issue somewhere else and will "kill the spirit"
  • 1 0
 I really wish Whistler would do a better job of keeping foot traffic off some of the other trails during the Canadian DH.

I was there (by the rock) 4 or 5 times during the race (kept doing my own runs). The mayhem ramped up near the end of the event. It was the usual all day, but on my last run is when I saw RCMP at the road gap. Ooops!
  • 1 0
 I've been part of hecklefest for the last few years (and yes, I'm Australian), went up there this yes to spectate and was disgusted and the behaviour of the crowd. I went down and found a nice quiet spot to watch the race. Please don't judge everyone on the stupid actions of a group of a*sholes.
  • 1 0
 Why hasn't the schedule been looked at as a cause? Joyride moved to Sunday which use to be the start of a huge saturday night of parties in the village. Bumping it to Sunday toned down that party, but it's easy to see why this would become a gong show.
  • 1 0
 I was there, and the first pass on the lift they were in a jolly mood. The second pass they were completely out of control. Two of my friends got hit in the face with full water bottles. Not to mention the fact that these cans and bottles are falling down on the race course. While I'm all for a good time, this was just a sloppy sh*t show that had nothing to do with biking. The majority of the crowd wasn't even watching the race, just drinking and throwing things at people on the lift. Lame. Once again, it's why we can't have nice things.
  • 1 0
 Well one undeniably good thing has come of this - in one of the other videos of this party it ends with guys taking shots from a shotski made of handlebars and stems. Brilliant. Building one of my own immediately.
  • 6 2
 This image sum up everything .. www.pinkbike.com/photo/9984437
  • 3 0
 risky click of the day, not taking that bait. I'm at work bro!
  • 3 2
 Monitor the rock better, get security if needed. Encourage a good time, not stupidity. It would be a total shame to reroute the track away from this feature because of drunken idiots.
  • 1 0
 Leave it the way it is, charge the douche monkey f*cktards throwing shit at people with assault, because that's exactly WTF it is & then ban them from the park. Simple as that.
  • 4 1
 Let's be honest, 98% of the time its drunken aussies. Pull ya heads in
  • 1 0
 Good to see you owning up.
  • 2 1
 maybe a little tiny bit too much alcohol this time. Throwing stuff is not so cool, for everything elsewithout death probability, yeah, i'm in.
  • 2 0
 Matt and Sean getting some vid time with the wheelie bar, Hell yeah boys!!!!
  • 9 6
 I found this video hilarious!
  • 1 0
 I think Canadians just have too much fun for Vail Resorts. If they put some yellow jackets in the crowd, they would approve it.
  • 2 0
 The comment at the end was gold
  • 2 0
 Best video I've seen on Pinkbike all year. Great job! @mattdennison
  • 2 1
 Wayyyyy to fucking ruin my bucket list!
  • 1 0
 It look like Whistler by night :\
  • 3 2
 A handful of Bellends ruined it for all
  • 1 1
 scott make a pair of goretex shorts for less than this, been using them for years and they're very good
  • 1 0
 bummer...so now you have to bring a ballbat?
  • 1 0
 Did anyone else notice people are drinking Buckfast!!!!
  • 1 0
 Still funny as **** to watch now
  • 1 0
 Always a favourite watching this
  • 1 0
 Still an awesome watch now
  • 1 0
 Will the rock be open this year?
  • 1 0
 ahhh whistlers auzzys
  • 3 2
 Dude. Just. Dudes chill.
  • 1 1
 They look like a bunch of cunts.
  • 1 1
 Dicks
  • 6 7
 soryforpartying
  • 9 11
 You had to be there
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