This year’s Fall Freak Out features the Camp of Champions Big Air Bag which will allow riders to throw down crazy tricks with a painless landing. Festival goers can hit the jump and air bag free with a donation to the local food bank.

The Islander Lager Year Ender Bender race will be held on the middle and lower Helter Skelter trail at 2pm on Saturday (register at the Tread Shed 12:00-1pm for just $5, includes a frosty beverage)and a final Island Series Jump Jam will be hosted by pro biker Jordie Lunn on Sunday at 3pm (register at the Tread Shed for $15 from 11am-1pm).

There will be activities for all ages, including a kids bike safety course hosted by Mountain City Cycles, kids bike race and bike decorating contest, face painting, Islander Lager Patio Party and a BBQ in the Alpine courtyard, and sales on bike gear and learn to ride packages at the Tread Shed. Women ride for free and men pay just $25 during this weekend of celebration for the biking community.

Big Air Bag quote from Camp of Champions website-”When you ride hit a foam pit you use most of your energy simply getting out of the foam. With a Big Air Bag, if you land on your wheels you can roll right out of the bag and ride away. If you don’t land on your wheels you can stand up and grab your bike and walk or roll off. It’s such quick turn around that you get triple the amount of riding that you do with a foam pit and you wear yourself out riding, not digging yourself out of the foam.”

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, September 3

12:00-1:00 Registration for the Islander Lager Year Ender Bender race at the Tread Shed. Registration is just $5 and includes a frosty beverage. Race trail is the middle and lower Helter Skelter.

12:00-3:00 BBQ in the courtyard outside Alpine Lodge. Free for Summer Seasons Pass holders (check in at Seasons Pass office for voucher).

2:00 Islander Lager Year Ender Bender race on middle and lower Helter Skelter trail

Sunday, September 4

11:00-1:00 Island Series Jump Jam registration at reg tent next to Tread Shed

12:00-3:00 BBQ in the courtyard outside Alpine Lodge. Free for Summer Seasons Pass holders (check in at Seasons Pass office for voucher)

12:00-1:00 Free kids bicycle safety course hosted by Mountain City Cycles in the Learning Centre courtyard

1:00 Kids bike race. Bring up your bikes and meet for a race starting in the Learning Centre courtyard!

1:30 Bike decorating. We will have a craft table, kids can also bring their own craft supplies

2:30 Bike decorating contest and parade

3:00 Final Island Series Jump Jam hosted by Jordie Lunn

3:00-4:00 Free kids bicycle safety course hosted by Mountain City Cycles in the Learning Centre courtyard

4:00 Prizes in the Alpine Lodge courtyard

Ongoing Events:

Tread Shed gear sale

Learn to Ride packages discounted at $49 throughout the weekend

Women ride free; men ride for $25

Face painting

Islander Lager Patio Party

Camp of Champions jump and Big Air Bag

This is a weekend of celebrating the biking community.

Women Ride for Free
Men Ride for $25

Saturday, September 11

• Mountain Bike Lessons and Seminars
• Summer Seasons Passholder BBQ
• VIB Year Ender Bender DH Race- Wizard
• Mountain Bike Movies, Pizza and Beer!

Sunday, September 12

• Bike Races for Kids
• Show and Shine Cruiser Bicycle Contest
• Grand Opening of Rookie Revenge Mountain Bike Trail
• Final Island Series Jump Jam
• BBQ
• Face Painting, Bubbles and Games!
• Free Bungee Trampoline

Freak Out Over the great deals!!!
Huge Sale on All Mountain Bikes and Gear!

Mt Washington will be host to another double event BC Cup weekend!  The Cross Country is on Sat July 31st and the Downhill Sunday Aug 1st.

In what may have seemed like an impossible task given the amount of snowfall this winter, Mount Washington will open its popular Bike Park this Thursday, July 1st.

“The weather has definitely turned in our favour over the last couple of weeks,” explains resort spokesperson Brent Curtain.  “The sunshine has sped up the rate of snowmelt significantly.  We’ll be able to open more trails on opening day than what we’d planned three weeks ago, which is hard to believe considering we were open for skiing on June 19th and 20th!”

The mountain plans to have a few of its favourite trails open from top to bottom off the Hawk Chair for opening week.  These include Big Brother, Wizard, and Timewarp.  The lower two-thirds of Evil Eye, MMT, and Hustler will also be open.  The top third of these trails are still getting some significant snow removal treatment!  In addition to these trails, the Quick and Dirty connector, Jump Park, the dirt jumps on Green Face, and lower third of Back in Black will all be rider ready and bike friendly on July 1st.

“Our Bike Park will be in great shape for opening day when you consider how much snow we’ve had to move around,” says Slopes Supervisor James Clarke.  “Our crews have been digging out the trails since the beginning of May and we’re making some serious progress.”

Summer 2010 marks the completion of Mount Washington’s signature expert freeride trail, Back in Black.  The new trail is described simply as the perfect blend of dirt and wood.  If you’re into perfectly sculpted dirt jumps, big drops, and even bigger wall rides with more flow than the kitchen tap, then Back in Black should be at the top of your list!

Mount Washington put some mountain-sized focus into trail improvement for 2010.  Timewarp, Wizard, Big Brother and MMT- all located on the Hawk Chair side of the Bike Park- have received a combination of truckloads of dirt, flow enhancement, additional wall rides, and new burly wooden stunts.  “If you haven’t been up here to ride over the last couple of years, you will be amazed at the rebuilding we’ve done to our trails on the west side of the mountain,” adds Clarke.

Mount Washington has been working hard to create an action-packed events calendar this summer.  Highlights include the Island Jump Jam Series, Roots Rocky Reggae, and See Jane Jump.

The Island Jump Jam Series features three separate Jump Jams in July, August, and September respectively.  You can register for one or sign up for all three.  If you sign up for all three you get a chance to win a sweet Rocky Mountain Flow DJ bike!  In true Mount Washington Jump Jam fashion, Jordie Lunn will host all three Jams.  Whether he’s on the mic, celebrity judging, or throwing high fives, Jordie will help get everyone stoked for a series of dirt jumping!  The Island Jump Jam Series is supported by Kali Protectives.

Roots Rocky Reggae returns to Mount Washington July 24th and 25th.  Riders who are on Rocky Mountain bikes can bring them up to the ticket window for a free ticket to the Bike Park on the 24th and bring friends (on any bike) for a 2 for 1 on the 25th.  The highlight of the weekend will be hanging out with freeride superstars Wade Simmons, Brett Tippie, and Geoff Gulevich.  They will be riding with the locals all weekend long…yeah mon!

See Jane Jump is a brand new women’s mountain bike festival hosted by the Island’s very own pro freerider Darcy Turenne.  The event will provide a fun, non-threatening environment that encourages beginner riders to progress their skills.  Pro riders will also be on hand to strut their stuff on Mount Washington’s Slopestyle course.  All participants will receive professional coaching, free bike set-up and maintenance tips, and will walk away with prizes and a DVD of professionally shot images from the event.  For more information on the See Jane Jump Women’s Mountain Bike Festival, go to seejanejumpfest.com.

For the complete Bike Park events listing, visit mountwashington.ca.

Mount Washington’s Bike Park is supported by Maxxis, Dakine, Rocky Mountain, and Kali Protectives.

Mount Washington Alpine Resort’s Bike Park opens Thursday, July 1.  The Park is open daily from 11am to 7:30pm.  The resort is located 30 minutes above The Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.  WestJet, Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines service the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ).  To find out about accommodation and package information, call Mount Washington Alpine Resort at 1-888-231-1499 toll free or locally at 250-338-1386.  Surf to www.mountwashington.ca for additional information including live mountain cams.

Starting in January the dream of hosting international teams at the Resort becomes a reality. Over 250 Olympic and Paralympic Athletes from 12 International teams will be coming to Mount Washington to prepare themselves for the biggest competition of their lives. We are very excited to welcome these Athletes to Vancouver Island and Mount Washington and we are even more excited to be able to cheer them on during the games.

What is happening?

Because of the Resort’s close proximity to the Olympic venues and similar weather conditions, international teams have chosen to come to Mount Washington to get a feel for for the conditions (snow quality, temperatures, elevation levels) that they will be encountering during the actual 2010 Winter Games. Because of Mount Washington’s world-class Nordic facilities and terrain, most of the teams coming are focused in on the disciplines of Biathlon, Cross-country and Nordic Combined. We also have some Alpine teams training here in the disciplines of Skier-Cross,Parallel Giant Slalom, and Freestyle skiing.

Biathalon at Mount Washington Alpine Resort

Will the Athletes be Interacting with the General Public?

Although chances are that guests to the resort will end up riding a chairlift with an Olympian or two, these athletes are here to focus on their training and be allowed to prepare for Games. Their privacy is crucial and as their hosts we all must do our part to respect that. There are some plans for a “meet and greet” events being scheduled for both the Mountain and other venues in the Comox Valley but complete details are yet to be announced. Please check back periodically as we get closer to their arrival.

More information can be found on the Mount Washington website.

When are they here?

Country	Team – Sport	Dates
	Canada Biathlon	Feb 1 to Feb 8
	USA Biathlon	Jan 27 To Feb 8
	Sweden Biathlon	Jan 29 to Feb 6
	Germany Biathlon	Feb 1 to Feb 10
	France Biathlon	Feb 2 to Feb 9
	Chinese Biathlon	Jan 20 to Feb 2
	Czech Republic Biathlon	Jan 28 to – Feb 2
	Sweden Freestyle Ski	Jan 31 to Feb 6
	France Freestyle Ski	Feb 3 to Feb 7
	Finland Ski Cross	Feb 10 to 16
	Sweden Ski Cross	Feb 13 to Feb 18
	Australian Ski Cross	Feb 13 to 17
	Canada Cross Country	Jan 20 to Feb 3
	Sweden Cross Country	Feb 7 to 13
	France MEN Cross Country	Feb 4 to Feb 10
	Russian Nordic Combined	Feb 15 to Feb 19
	Netherlands Parallel Giant Slalom	Jan 25 to Feb 10
	Sweden Parallel Giant Slalom	Feb 18 to Feb 23
	Swiss Parallel Giant Slalom	Feb 18 to Feb 23
	German Parallel Giant Slalom	Feb 13 to Feb 21
	USA Parallel Giant Slalom	Feb 14 to Feb 20
	Sweden Paralympic	March 1 to 6
	Norway Paralympic	Feb 25 to Mar 2
	Finland Paralympic	Mar 3 to Mar 10
	Belarus Paralympic	Feb 27 to Mar 7

Mount Washington Alpine Resort

It’s official; Mount Washington Alpine Resort has now surpassed- make that blown past- their old snowfall record for the month of November. The resort received a whopping 440 centimetres of snow over the last three weeks. With one week left this month, conditions are looking ideal for this Saturday’s opening day.

“Our old record for November snowfall was 300 centimetres in 2006,” explains resort spokesperson Brent Curtain. “Needless to say, this month we’ve seen unprecedented amounts of snow up here. We received 300 centimetres in the last week alone!”

As of Monday, November 23rd, Mount Washington was reporting a snowbase of 240cms. “This is a base we usually see in mid-January. We’re standing on 6 feet of compacted snow in front of the Alpine Lodge and it gets deeper the further you look up the mountain,” Curtain adds.

As for business at the mountain, the early snowfall has produced an influx of accommodation bookings and early bird 6ixPak sales. “Our Call Centre has seen an 80 percent increase in call volumes over the last week compared to this time last year,” says Reservations Manager Susan Sanderson.

The resort is busy training staff and more importantly, digging out the resort, in preparations for opening day this Saturday.

Mount Washington Alpine Resort opens Saturday, November 28th. The resort is located 30 minutes above The Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. WestJet, Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines service the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ). To find out about accommodation and package information, call Mount Washington Alpine Resort at 1-888-231-1499 toll free or locally at 250-338-1386. Surf to www.mountwashington.ca for additional information including our live snow cam.