Session A passes; first week a success.

Words by Cooper Saver

Camping at home is the way I’ve started to describe my lifestyle as of the passed week. Like I stated in the last blog; who would have thought that working with Camp of Champions in the place that I already live would change my entire perspective of riding and life in Whistler itself. Rewarding, interesting, and obviously fun are some factors that come to mind when I look back on the awesomeness that was Session A of camp!Now that a full session has passed, I can really piece things together and look back at what really happened in the week that made every camper’s summer the best yet.

A quick warm up on B-Line to Ninja Cougar, and then another on Crank It Up before hitting Dirt Merchant to A-Line, followed by a mouth-watering lunch at the GLC, leading up to some kick ass shredding up Garbanzo. All while studying and practicing the daily lessons and techniques expressed by the most suitable selection of guest pro coaches. Everyday from 10am to whenever the campers loose feeling in their hands and legs, it’s game on. That’s basically the brief overview of most days on the hill. Plus, the dialed conditions make for prime shredding. The weather has been rainy at night and sunny in the day to keep it tacky and cool. And keep in mind that’s only on the hill, there’s a lot more besides mountain!


This brings us to the later afternoon, where campers get to kick back at the compound, or even go for a group ride down to the dirt jumps or airdome.


With this strictly fun schedule everyday, everyone is bound for some improvement. The one thing I’m most stoked on about the first week of camp was watching all these people improve. During the first day, we went to a skills center on the hill to determine abilities. Some campers were a little sketchy and stiff, but on the last day it seemed like I wasn’t even fast enough for them! It’s amazing how even just having the crazy number of trails and riding hours at your fingertips can boost your ability. The coaching seemed mellow and relaxed, and the focus was on fun. But even so, each and every rider progressed more in this week than most people do within seasons. I was really happy to see some of the most timid riders of the first day just huck the biggest drops on Schleyer only 3 days after they arrived. Keep in mind that half of these riders hardly even get to ride many trails where they come from! Even after watching these campers progress and observing the pros do their coaching, I’ve realized that I’m also improving my own riding and haven’t noticed it happening. It just goes to show…


Having been on the inside end of camp for this first week, I’d say the most important thing to do is take it easy! Take it easy was definitely one of the most used terms within the bike camp during Session A and I also believe that it’s forever stuck in Greg Watts’ and Andrew Taylor’s vocabulary. But it’s true; when you have an entire week of that much riding constantly, it’s important to start slow and pace yourself. With an entire summer ahead of us, we need to be reminded to relax whenever possible. It can get tiring!


The last day of camp was definitely a summer highlight. We had a big BBQ at the compound for the entire camp, and then all the bikers got together by the airbag and mulch jump and had our little goodbye meeting. In typical COC fashion, this included the give-aways of many free products such as Spank rims and Chromag seats. Andrew Taylor even gave away one of his brand new Marin hardtails to a lucky camper who showed substantial improvement. So we finished our burgers and watched some of the campers show off their new gear and the extra motivated guys try and land their first backflips before going home!





So there you have it! Give it up to Session A! I never knew how much effort gets put into running this show until I signed myself up. Casey headed home today for a busy month of competitions, but Banshee’s Jack Fogelquist and Mike Montgomery showed up along with Ryan Berrecloth. Alan Hepburn and ChoCho are also sticking around. We now also have two rippin girls, (I know, chicks in mtb?!) Katie Holden and Whistler's Beth Parsons. AT and Watts had so much fun during Session A that they are going to stay for another week. On top of this stacked lineup we have the Llama Cycles crew all the way from Montreal hangin' out and riding with us for the entire session. I guess someone’s gonna win another dialed bike…


Big thanks to everyone, this is only the start. Session B orientation is tonight and I can’t wait to meet the new crew. Once again, round of applause to Mike Crane for the frequent photos and Eric Peterson for the sweet edits.

Stay tuned….Camp B coming in hot!

ps. Check out our latest uploads to see the guest pros try out some of the slopestyle course, some sick stuff awaits...