Whistler's woods have a very distinct look to them. The sub alpine forest extends from an elevation of approximately 3000 to 6000 vertical feet. Considering the Whistler Village sits at 2200 hundred feet, we were probably riding at a peak elevation of perhaps 3500 feet. This forest type typically has poorer, less developed soil and is generally covered in snow much earlier in the fall than the lower elevation rainforest and stays buried well into the spring and early summer. Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir dominate, with some scrubby cedars scratching out a living where they can. That mix of poor soil and rocky ground seems to encourage a slick grid of roots to protrude from the trail. On our ride, the greasy levels were through the roof and it made for loose and sketchy riding. As we pinned down the rock strewn pitches, I cheered on my Kona Process 111, a machine that lets me do pretty damn fun stuff. With 4 inches of travel, twenty niner wheels, Sram XO brakes, Hans Dampf tires, a reverb seat post, and geometry that raises your spirits, there is no excuse to not shred. Not long ago, trails like this would've been total 'DH' runs. The fact that the four of us had pedaled up there on 30 pound (or less) bikes is just too rad. We are truly at the pinnacle of mountain biking right now, it's never been better.