June 22, 2006

WHISTLER MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK OPENS GARBANZO ZONE JUNE 24

 

Garbanzo Express Chair will open additional 2,200 vertical feet to ride.

 

WHISTLER, BC, June 22, 2006 – The Garbanzo Express Chair will open for the 2006 downhill mountain biking season on June 24.  With an additional 2,200 vertical feet to ride, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. 

 

The majority of the trails in the Garbanzo Zone will open with early season conditions. "Original Sin and No Joke have been cleared by hand and we plowed Freight Train with a machine," says Tom Prochazka, manager of the Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Bike Park. "Our patrol crews have been shuttling Duff Man and Lower Freight Train and they are stoked. Get ready to get dirty!" 

 

With the opening of the Garbanzo Express, riders can expect shorter lift lines, more space on-hill for riders of all ability levels and access to a greater diversity of trails.  The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is also now open from 10am to 8pm every night.  As of Saturday the Whistler Gondola will begin summer operations for sightseeing to Whistler's peak as well as for bikers to access the Park along with the Fitzsimmons Express Chair. 

 

In the rest of the Park, crews have been hard at work.  John Cowan and Richie Schley have finished the Biker X which opened to rave reviews, while machines have been working on completing the lower section of intermediates' favourite Crank It Up.  For beginner downhill mountain bikers, Easy Does It has all new super-smooth berms and the Magic Bike Park at the base of Blackcomb will begin operations on Saturday for the biking pleasure of "never-evers" and kids.

 

"The Park keeps getting better with extended hours, a bigger and better Boneyard, and new trails. Our crew is constantly pushing the envelope to deliver an unmatched experience," says Prochazka.

 

Riders can get on the mountain more with the new Triple Play Card. The card offers three days in the Park for $99CAN or $89USD. Each additional day is $33CAN, a savings of $12CAN per day based on regular season rates. Riders can also go directly to the lift by attaching the Triple Play card to their credit card.