Well, it goes without saying that the Whistler DH park is the Worlds cutting edge facility. The park is leading the way both in terms of trail design, construction and maintainance, but also with regard to the medical, mechanical and coaching facilities available.

Where else in the World could you be riding big mountain trails with rapid response medical assistance on call throughout the day.






The Park offers trails to suit all levels and with the opening of 'Magic Park' at the base of Blackcomb, complete beginners can get a taster of what DH biking is like before committing them selves to the complete experience.

The Riding ranges from super smooth forset double track trails to steep and gnarly singletrack lines up in the alpine... and everything in between.






Trails are graded in the same way that ski runs are classified. Easy green through to tough double black diamond.

Green Trails - Ideal for beginners.

Blue Trails - For progressing riders or warm ups.

Black Trails - Experienced Riders.

Double Black Diamond - Expert Riders Only!

Whats it really like?

So the hype in Whistler surrounds the park, you have all read about A-line, Dirt Merchant, and Freight Train from the various articles in magazines and the advertising, but what is the park really like?

In truth it is as difficult or as simple as you want it to be (I refrain from saying easy as even the green runs have some surprises hidden in there)

The park is basically graded like a ski hill, i.e. the runs are colour coded according to difficulty, and there are green runs such as Easy Does It and Ho Chi Min that flow gently down the hill, taking in some of the viewpoints and with bridges over the high speed trails that run beneath. The next level of difficulty is the Blue runs such as B-Line and Crank it Up, these tend to have a few more obstacles such as roots some wide ladders and berm's, there are a two blue trails dedicated to learning the north shore style of riding (Smoke and Mirrors and Devils Club.) these have many ladders of varying difficulty and line you up well for the Black Trails.

The Black Trails are marked in two levels, single diamond and double diamond (expert trails) now you are moving into higher drops, big roots, slick rock sections, table tops, occasional gap jumps and some difficult ladder sections. Trails such as Freight Train, A-Line and Dirt Merchant are the high speed almost BMX style descents, packed with big flowy berm's (banked corners), smooth table tops, and the occasional drop or gap jump to keep you on your toes. Clown Shoes and sections of Joyride have a distinct North Shore flavour , While Schleyer, Crack Addict, and the higher elevation Joyride and Original Sin have everything all rolled onto one long trail.

So in a quick conclusion, the park is an incredible way to build skills and progress you riding within your own boundaries, if you can ride a bike you will love it.