Crankworx 2013: My Volunteer Experience
10 years of Mountain Biking shenanigans in Whistler. 10 years of evolution of crazy. While Crankworx isn’t the first mountain bike event in the Valley, it is the most known. Through the dedication of the Whistler Blackcomb bike park crew they’ve persevered to bring the top talent and excitement to Whistler.
You see these guys participating in the races and slopestyle events and its not even like you’re doing the same sport. This year I volunteered for three days of the Festival. The Garbanzo DH, Fox Air DH and Teva Best trick. Why volunteer you ask? Conditions in Whistler for the last two months have been epic. Sunny, hot and hero trails. With Crankworx looming and things looking just as good I thought it would be fun to take a few days off riding and give back to the community and volunteer to help out with the events. These events are a lot of work and they are not possible without volunteers.
Every day starts with a briefing where you get some food, a radio and are driven to your position. Shane was the chief of course for the Garbanzo DH, in the winter he is a Blackcomb Ski Patroller.
Garbanzo DH
My position was near the top of the course where I could see the racers pre riding. There was quite a difference in style between the pros and the amateurs. But you have to start somewhere! Part of this job is to talk to the public to let them know about the trail closures and see what their stories were. Lots of different people come to ride in Whistler!
Fox Air DH
For the Fox Air DH I was near the bottom of the course, the amateurs were breathing hard at this point, but not the pros, they were railing!
Teva Best Trick
Day Three, I was marshalling near the jump for the Best Trick. All the slopestyle guys were there and they were very nice. I chatted with Cam McCaul who just had a baby and Kurt Sorge, although I didn’t know who he was when I talked to him… They’re all super cool down to earth guys.
Other Volunteer Perks
Meet the pros and ride some of the best trails in the valley!
Markus is a guy from Germany who came here this week to ride, found out this festival was going on so volunteered. The athletes in this competition, while some put them on a pedestal, they’re really nice and happy to meet the volunteers.
Riding Top of the World Trail
Saturday was a day off so we headed up to the Alpine. The weather took a turn for the worse on the weekend but conditions were still great for riding.
Joy Ride Slopestyle
We had a great ride and got back in time to watch the Grand Event.
Results are HERE.
I was glad to have the opportunity to volunteer for Crankworx and recommend to everyone to give it a shot for one or two days. It really is a great opportunity to see the events up close and personal, you can meet the athletes if you want and it’s a great opportunity to give back to your community.
And you have a chance to win cool swag!
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