Please DO NOT BLOCK WOOD stunts ... my story :-(

[Supervokes]

Well after a 2 year absence from the sport I decided to start riding again mostly because a good friend wanted to try the sport.

This is a story of mine from last Monday at Whistler.

I was on Freight Train and coming into the lower section. As I came around the blind corner to launch off the 1st wooden drop feature (just before the box cars .. one I do all the time) there was a rider on his bike blocking the drop. He was "scoping" the drop out from a riders perspective.

Now we have all done this, myself included, but here is why its always a good idea to have somebody back watching for riders who can warn you to move well ahead of their arrival.

I hit my brakes, losing all my momentum. The guy quickly jumped out of the way. Mistake #2 ... this one is mine .... I decided to regain my speed by pedalling into the drop and hucking it at the last minute. WRONG DECISION. I should have went back up to the top and rolled in.

I ended up overshooting the tranny, got bucked off the front of my bike into a very large rock garden. Long story short, my season is now over with a broken finger that may require surgical repair next week.

Morales of the story, and we all see it, especially at Whistler...

1) Scope out wooden stunts from the side or at least have somebody watching behind you for riders
2) When in doubt going into a stunt .. DON'T DO IT. If your flow is interrupted in any way, pass on it.

If either of these 2 were followed, I would not be sitting here typing with one hand, and would have just returned from an Amazing Whistler trip.

[seand]

Healing vibes good sir!

[Mic]

Healing vibes. :) + :beer:

[GeoffG]

1) Scope out wooden stunts from the side or at least have somebody watching behind you for riders
2) When in doubt going into a stunt .. DON'T DO IT. If your flow is interrupted in any way, pass on it.

Blocking any stunt, whether it be wood or not, is wrong. Healing vibes to you, sir.

[olliegirl]

Healing vibes bud, I see it all the time at GLC drop too when I sit and have lunch, Stoopid people!! I understand the need to assess your path of direction but make sure your doing it in a safe mannor.. Get your self better for next year!!!

[kperras]

Healing vibes. Let me say that if you had been on a big bike, say...like a Demo9, you would have been fine. ;)

[Dropsonde]

Blocking any stunt, whether it be wood or not, is wrong. Healing vibes to you, sir.

blocking anything..

feel those healing vibes

[FlipFantasia]

gorbs and idiots seemed to be in high supply this year, standing on jumps/drops/blind corners/middle of trails.....while the park has done a pretty phenomenal job of attracting new riders, the corresponding teaching of proper etiquette has not come across.....I try and be polite about it, "not a good place to stop/stand" etc.....I understand that riding in a new place you want to check things out, but we must start educating these new riders about how to do that safely for everyone.....

[big_perm]

^agree. i always seem to find that in the snow people feel its a good idea to take a break on the backside of a roller.

op shoulda brought a bigger bike, but srly heal

[the Master Plan Dan]

Healing vibes buddy!

Like last weekend, on the rockdrop/stepdown jast past that on No Joke... there was a guy milling around on the landing. I am not sure what he was doing there... but holy bad place to stand. I caught sight of him as I rounded the corner...

[Supervokes]

Healing vibes. Let me say that if you had been on a big bike, say...like a Demo9, you would have been fine. ;)

:D:D:hurt: .... busted!! Good detective work :clap:

[Jdot]

oh man that drop is so gnarly to overshoot

[Dean W]

Sorry to hear of your injury.

I hope you heal up 100%

[shoredad]

Healing vibes dude.
You were lucky that only got a finger broken. You'll be back riding soon.

[synchro]

Well after a 2 year absence from the sport I decided to start riding again mostly because a good friend wanted to try the sport.

This is a story of mine from last Monday at Whistler.

I was on Freight Train and coming into the lower section. As I came around the blind corner to launch off the 1st wooden drop feature (just before the box cars .. one I do all the time) there was a rider on his bike blocking the drop. He was "scoping" the drop out from a riders perspective.

Now we have all done this, myself included, but here is why its always a good idea to have somebody back watching for riders who can warn you to move well ahead of their arrival.

I hit my brakes, losing all my momentum. The guy quickly jumped out of the way. Mistake #2 ... this one is mine .... I decided to regain my speed by pedalling into the drop and hucking it at the last minute. WRONG DECISION. I should have went back up to the top and rolled in.

I ended up overshooting the tranny, got bucked off the front of my bike into a very large rock garden. Long story short, my season is now over with a broken finger that may require surgical repair next week.

Morales of the story, and we all see it, especially at Whistler...

1) Scope out wooden stunts from the side or at least have somebody watching behind you for riders
2) When in doubt going into a stunt .. DON'T DO IT. If your flow is interrupted in any way, pass on it.

If either of these 2 were followed, I would not be sitting here typing with one hand, and would have just returned from an Amazing Whistler trip.

i see your problem, you went to the whistler bike park

[Schleyer]

yikes, pedaling into that drop has bad news written all over
healing vibes your way - pew pew pew

[Robot]

i see your problem, you went to the whistler bike park

you're like a judgmental vegetarian

[wa90]

I blew my shock up on that drop. Gotta go slooooowwww.

I think most people just don't really ride in such a busy place very often, so even having to consider etiquette takes a while to figure out. There were bodies all over Garbo last weekend doing stupid things. Pushing up the containers drop tranny, having mother's meetings mid trail everywhere, and crashing in the most random places! How inconsiderate!

[boardchk]

not just Whistler...guy stopped on a trail at sun peaks not long ago had his whole back tire in the trail...I try to go around and fell cause I slid out in the dusty Kamloops dirt...awesome bruise on my leg...and all I get is..."huh huh...sorry"....too many people not taking time to think about their surroundings. Even when I was a newbie(be it snowboard/bmx/DH/surf) I got the fact that other people are using the terrain (trail/skatepark/ski run/waves) ...people just need to just use their heads.

[walleater]

The weird thing about WBP is that you have to check out the drops in order to see how small / tight they are! I'm no sick hucker but there's been countless times where I've overshot a tranny up there (the second one over CUI on Lower Joyride being the most potentially painful....gave off a massive "F*****CK!!" as I realised just that bit too late that I'd hit the drop too quick...). I hate hitting jumps and drops blind so I stopped to check out the wooden 'drops' on the new section of Freight Train...WTF?! They are 2" high and totally rollable! Just removing the signs would make sections like that less confusing the first time down IMHO. Personally I think drops in WBP should be in the same style as the massive fade at the start of Lower Whistler DH...nice and mellow and total noobs can roll down with no problem, huckers can huck and racers can pre-jump and hit the landing high up. I love that section.

[geezerhead]

i see your problem, you went to the whistler bike park
Cause the wall ride entrance is not finished
Just kidding Mark great work soon though I hope :agree:

[racingsessions]

i agree, but its something that is unavoidable up at WBP. i almost nail kids going off the GLC every year. not much you can do. i never got off my bike to eye anything up in whistler. i figure the builders know what they're doing, and that if i do make a mistake, i have 10 inches to back me up.

[loopsrider]

Heal up Vokes!

That was a brutal crash... Vokes was pretty modest in his description of that crash. It could have been a lot worse. He took most of the hit on the large rocks below on his ribs but was wearing full armor thankfully. The finger was a mess with stuff sticking out were it shouldn't be...:damn: It was really nasty but easily could have been a lot worse because of one idiot...

Funny thing is Vokes still rode the remainder of Freight train and hit every jump on A-line on the way to the bottom to get some medical attention...:eek:

[Lady Gravity]

tough guy! :eek: healing vibes

[synchro]

you're like a judgmental vegetarian


you're like a smart retard.

sort of.

[J-Kwon]

i've been blocked before on a-line drop.
luckly, the drop isn't technical, and it has only happened to me once.
i told myself after next time, run into them for my own safety.

[JasonM...]

yikes, pedaling into that drop has bad news written all over
healing vibes your way - pew pew pew

i was about to say this, u have to inch over that thing in order to not land flat like u did

[boardchk]

saw a guy today...lining himself up for the turn down into karate monkey....right in the middle of A-line by the bridge...right in front of a rider who was nice enough to not yell at him....unbelievable..I don't care if you're new to a sport...it's common sense

[Straya]

Personally I think drops in WBP should be in the same style as the massive fade at the start of Lower Whistler DH...nice and mellow and total noobs can roll down with no problem, huckers can huck and racers can pre-jump and hit the landing high up. I love that section.

You are going to love the new blue velvet stuff on garbo then. There are plenty of jumps like that on that trail.

[scotter]

saw a guy today...lining himself up for the turn down into karate monkey....right in the middle of A-line by the bridge...right in front of a rider who was nice enough to not yell at him....unbelievable..I don't care if you're new to a sport...it's common sense


my buddy went down on that tight turn in front of a class of female riders. the instructor helped him up and told him, in front of a group of girls, what he'd done wrong. tore a huge chunk out of his arm, but i think his ego took the worst of it.

I've also noticed people getting pretty silly with where they're stopping. I just about took some girl down on CIU, when she was standing right in my line at the top of a step up. I stopped and went back and told her that that wasn't the place to stop. she felt sooooooooo bad. she didn't mean to get in the way or anything. she just didn't really think about where she was stopping. i guess its bound to happen on the easier trails, lots of people with little to no riding experience, just taking a look at the park.

I've seen it at the GLC drop, too. One or two guys standing right on the edge looking down for up to a couple of minutes. this one really annoys me, because if you're gonna try the GLC, you should have some experience (and thus, common sense). I understand the need to take a look, but some people just seem to forget that there are lots of people riding through there.

[jcole]

Is this the wooden drop on freight train that has a right hand berm right after it ? Slightly after is that stupid tunnel with the loose gravel in it.

[Geologyboy]

I was blocking the GLC becuase of a rider who was hurt down below last week and damn near got run over by a guy refusing to stop. I was yelling "RIDER DOWN!" and he almost ran over my foot as a jumped out of the way. What kind of moron/prick do you need to be to launch the GLC when someone is hurt below? From my experience the a**holes are still worse than the gorbs in the park.

[Tuumbaq]

I was blocking the GLC becuase of a rider who was hurt down below last week and damn near got run over by a guy refusing to stop. I was yelling "RIDER DOWN!" and he almost ran over my foot as a jumped out of the way. What kind of moron/prick do you need to be to launch the GLC when someone is hurt below? From my experience the a**holes are still worse than the gorbs in the park.

Wow, did you run down and beat him up? I would have,I seriously dont want to be riding the park knowing a retarded like that might end up on my back...What a cock!!

[Geologyboy]

Wow, did you run down and beat him up? I would have,I seriously dont want to be riding the park knowing a retarded like that might end up on my back...What a cock!!

I wanted to but I was the only one stopping riders. I was giving him the finger from the GLC as he got back on the lift. I hope he saw.

[olliegirl]

I was blocking the GLC becuase of a rider who was hurt down below last week and damn near got run over by a guy refusing to stop. I was yelling "RIDER DOWN!" and he almost ran over my foot as a jumped out of the way. What kind of moron/prick do you need to be to launch the GLC when someone is hurt below? From my experience the a**holes are still worse than the gorbs in the park.


Was it a girl that was down on the middle drop??

[Stuminator]

My buddy broke his arm on the GLC drop 2 years ago. My other buddy had to argue with other riders coming after to not do the jump cause he was still down & being looked at by a bike park medic. Got comments like "Aw man, it's my last run of the day, too." What don't they get?

[Dantes Inferno]

Meh, I always get in the way of other riders when Im scoping stunts.

[Rampager]

I had a partoller yell at me that i cant stop at the top of the GLC when i was blocking it because of a downed rider. My bike was lying across the top of the drop and i was standing there with my arms out. Now THIS one really got me....

[JCL]

I'd have thrown a rock at him.

[Geologyboy]

Was it a girl that was down on the middle drop??

This was an Aussie off the top drop...well sort of. He went about as lar left as you could possibly go and bounced his head off the cliff side on the way down. Looked like he had a good bleed on. He friend said he was a good rider, but didn't scout the drop first.

Which reminds me, it looked last week like a hiker was hurt on Freight Train. I saw them getting boarded up, but no bike around. Did someone hit a hiker? Either way, healing vibes to all.

[JCL]

Yo Geologyboy, I was the friend who you spoke to after Trist smashed his brains out. He had to go and get a CAT scan as he didn't have a clue what was going on for most of the day. Thanks again for standing up there and trying to divert the Sam Hill's on the run of their life !

[Supervokes]

Yo Geologyboy, I was the friend who you spoke to after Trist smashed his brains out. He had to go and get a CAT scan as he didn't have a clue what was going on for most of the day. Thanks again for standing up there and trying to divert the Sam Hill's on the run of their life !


Holy Crap ... i hope your buddy is OK?? That crash makes mine pale in comparison.

I am not bitter in the slightest at the person who blocked the stunt and "contibuted" (not caused) my crash. In this instance I was equally, if arguably more to blame. I should have followed my instincts and passed on it.

I just hope this thread brings some awareness to people how accidents are usually a CHAIN OF EVENTS and it often takes 2 or 3of them to cause an unwanted outcome ..... If you can recognize them quickly, then you've just reduced the probability of a crash significantly.

Blocking stunts is one, poor judgement (mine) is another.

From what I have seen, the best riders are confident riders, who never second guess themselves. If there is any ounce of last minute doubt due to something that happens on the trail, intentional or not, theny shut it down ... and ironically are riding again the next day .... week, etc.

Lesson learned the hard way. Hopefully this thread can help to raise awareness of what can go wrong.:damn::fro:

[Geologyboy]

Yo Geologyboy, I was the friend who you spoke to after Trist smashed his brains out. He had to go and get a CAT scan as he didn't have a clue what was going on for most of the day. Thanks again for standing up there and trying to divert the Sam Hill's on the run of their life !

Not exactly the way you want to meet people on here huh...
Healing vibes to you buddy. They way you guys described the crash it sounded abosulutely crazy.

[M13]

The only serious wipe out I had this season was on A line when 4 old people were looking down the drop and having a nice little snack picnic on it.

I tried dodging them, they moved a bit in panic. I went off to the right side of the drop then went face first into the berm top, rolled down the tranny then ripped my earphone wires off.

Old ppl: "Are you ok?"

Me:"My music stopped!"

Old ppl: "What?!"

Me: "UGHHH FUCK!!! What the fuck!"


then I just rode off. Next time I'll just ride in, might as well take some with me.

[Dantes Inferno]

The only serious wipe out I had this season was on A line when 4 old people were looking down the drop and having a nice little snack picnic on it.

I tried dodging them, they moved a bit in panic. I went off to the right side of the drop then went face first into the berm top, rolled down the tranny then ripped my earphone wires off.

Old ppl: "Are you ok?"

Me:"My music stopped!"

Old ppl: "What?!"

Me: "UGHHH FUCK!!! What the fuck!"


then I just rode off. Next time I'll just ride in, might as well take some with me.

Sounds like some old people we know; DaveM, Synchro, Testy, and Connor.

[Dantes Inferno]

And I stopped complaining about people getting in my way at Whistler when I was 15.

[M13]

And I stopped complaining about people getting in my way at Whistler when I was 15.

No, you just truck right through them and land GLC on Singletracks with no tires and no seat like a champ.

[J-Kwon]

Sounds like some old people we know; DaveM, Synchro, Testy, and Connor.

lol he's considered OLD now?

[Dantes Inferno]

lol he's considered OLD now?

poor guy probably cant even read this page.

[JdanS]

poor guy probably cant even read this page.


it's sad, I hear he has to eat dinner from a blender.