Another Whistler Q&A

[buzzes]

You were all so helpful and opinionated that I am motivated to learn more.

So; how do you feel? For the Whistler Bike Park; Is body armour required in your minds or an option in your minds?

[M@M]

You were all so helpful and opinionated that I am motivated to learn more.

So; how do you feel? For the Whistler Bike Park; Is body armour required in your minds or an option in your minds?
im my mind, it is mandatory. There arent many people up there that arent wearing some form of armor.

[.Robinson]

i only wear knee pads,its not much but its armor......id recomend armor for sure

[littled]

knee pads, jeans, plaid shirt, fullface and goggles and gloves

[Coastal]

I think it is mandatory for me(Kinda get out of control some times).I know people that ride with out. It's all about comfort and well, skill. But, we all go down sooner or later.

swat jaket
legs
elbows
fullface
gloves

[C.Lee]

i wear full.. body armor(661 assualt suit) , knee shin, elbow , helmet gloves indeed.. I duno i just feeel more confident and safer wtih body armor i am not a fast or best rider there but yeah..trying to avoid any major injuries

[Midas]

dainese lowers and shorts and a tshirt are usually good for me, maybe a sweatshirt on a cold day or if i want to pin and train I'll throw onthe uppers.

[buzzes]

Yea that sounds about right.

I almost always wear leg and arm protection as well as helmet and gloves when riding here in North Van. so with the higher speeds I am hoping to acheive in Whistler I should probably invest in upper body armour as well.

Thanks for the input.

I think a chest and

[Islandrider]

dainese lowers and shorts and a tshirt are usually good for me, maybe a sweatshirt on a cold day or if i want to pin and train I'll throw onthe uppers.

yee same dainese lowers, helmet, gloves work just fine. If I'M gonna rip garbonzo or some of the dh trails I put on my upper body armor.

[KHansen]

umm for upper body armour my protective t-shirt has saved me quite a few times actually.

[motorp]

You were all so helpful and opinionated that I am motivated to learn more.

So; how do you feel? For the Whistler Bike Park; Is body armour required in your minds or an option in your minds?
Saw a guy yesterday who got worked pretty good, all cut up on his shoulder and knee. He wore no armor and he was an expert rider who, according to his friends, has not crashed in years. He will not be riding for at least a month. You figure it out.

[FlipFantasia]

I typically wear it, but find as with anything, the more you ride something, the more you know it, the more you're comfortable riding without full armour....plus I find when it gets like it is out right now, super hot, it just ends up being really uncomfortable.....that being said, it has done more than it's fair share of protecting me from pretty harsh crashes!

[pwrslm]

A-line DM armor not required, but on the "DH" trails, it would be advisable, as the lines are steep, tight and lots of hard stuff to land on if you fall off your bike

[big ben]

it is a necessity. it's not about personal comfort, it's about not being stupid. people might not wear seatbelts in cars because they say it's uncomfortable, but they are stupid for that. same thing with armor. just wear it. I wear: 661 fullface, goggles, gloves, fox elbow and knee/shin pads. fox kidney belt, fox roost protector, skeletools padded shorts, fox mtb pants, long sleeve fox jersey, and some solid shoes. obviously all this isn't COMPLETELY necessary imo, but you should wear knee pads and upper body armor too. a fullface is obviously a must.

[R.kelly]

it is a necessity. it's not about personal comfort, it's about not being stupid. people might not wear seatbelts in cars because they say it's uncomfortable, but they are stupid for that. same thing with armor. just wear it. I wear: 661 fullface, goggles, gloves, fox elbow and knee/shin pads. fox kidney belt, fox roost protector, skeletools padded shorts, fox mtb pants, long sleeve fox jersey, and some solid shoes. obviously all this isn't COMPLETELY necessary imo, but you should wear knee pads and upper body armor too. a fullface is obviously a must.

http://www.starwars.nu/bilder/bildarkiv/wallpaper/stormtrooper_pc_800x600.jpg

[big ben]

^ hahaha:D

[Wack]

My question is if you have armour, why wouldn't you wear it?
And don't give me any crap about mobility and such, good armour that fits right won't get in the way, anyone who says it does is just out to look cool. If that is what you want just stand by someone elses bike near the chairlift, you will look just as cool. Put the gear on and go ride.

[drunken_duncan]

I'd wear upper body armor if i could afford it. Unfortunately i dont have 200 dollars to buy myself some.

being poor licks ass.

[Rosscofat]

I have upper body suit. i only wear ti when i think im gunna try somthing over my limit.. other then that gloves knee pads or full leg arrmor depends on what bike I ride.. and of COURSE FULL FACE :D

[Straw]

The more armour the better! I landed on a thick branch last year that would have pierced my lung or something had I not been wearing my Dainese with breast-plate!

It gets hot, but I just don't feel confident without it.

Murphy's law tells me that I won't crash if I'm wearing it, but if I don't wear it, I will crash hard. So, I always wear it.

[buzzes]

My question is if you have armour, why wouldn't you wear it?
And don't give me any crap about mobility and such, good armour that fits right won't get in the way, anyone who says it does is just out to look cool. If that is what you want just stand by someone elses bike near the chairlift, you will look just as cool. Put the gear on and go ride.


I understand that.
My phrasing may be missleading.
I don't currently own chest, shoulder and back protection.
I almost always wear elbow/forearm pads a full face, goggles or glasses gloves, shin and knee pads.

I was/am inquiring as to whether an upper body suite/chest and back protection is warranted in the Park?--I feel that if all the trannies are wide and smooth and all the trails are groomed regularly there may be no need for me to invest 200+CDN when I could happily tuck,roll or slid my way back to the village on my current equipment.--that is all.

[big ben]

I understand that.
My phrasing may be missleading.
I don't currently own chest, shoulder and back protection.
I almost always wear elbow/forearm pads a full face, goggles or glasses gloves, shin and knee pads.

I was/am inquiring as to whether an upper body suite/chest and back protection is warranted in the Park?--I feel that if all the trannies are wide and smooth and all the trails are groomed regularly there may be no need for me to invest 200+CDN when I could happily tuck,roll or slid my way back to the village on my current equipment.--that is all.
well the most popular trails (i.e. a-line, dirt merchant) are wide open and have smooth landings, but not all the trails are like that. whistler also has steep, technical, rough, narrow, big mountain trails like schleyer, joyride, clown shoes, garbanzo trails, etc. that are very sketchy to crash on. if you're going to only ride the fast and smooth trails, you probably don't need to invest in the full armor. but if you want to ride the whole mountain, it's a good idea to pay the price for the added protection

[wa90]

I looked at some armour in the shops, before riding at Whistler last year. Then stupidly decided to go for a quick ride to check out the trails...

I slammed hard into a pile of rocks on the second or third corner of B-Line of all things (yes, my pride hurt almost as badly as my 2 cracked ribs!). I was so bruised, battered and scabbed up for the rest of the holiday after that I couldn't have worn armour over the top without adding to the pain! Luckily my flow came back and I stayed upright for most of the rest of the time.

Wished I'd bought it when I had the chance though - I'd have saved myself a good few quid in painkillers ;D. I'll be taking my Dainese safety jacket this year for sure. :)

Still, I reckon you just have to take responsibility for yourself. If you don't want to ride in a stormtrooper suit, you don't have to. I'd never ride my bike offroad without a good lid and non-slip kneepads at least.

[Wack]

The trails and such are very nicely groomed and the trannies are great, all that means is when you hit the dirt, you will be going way faster. Consider the cost of an injury, especially a serious one. 200 bucks is nothing, besides what did you spend on your last bike or fork. Armour is cheap if you look at the big picture.

[Tarpon]

Depends on how much you respect your body. If you want to be a candidate for a Darwin Award, by all means go without. Everybody eventually crashes, you usually don't get to choose the time and the place either.

[FlipFantasia]

well, aside from all the doom and gloomers, I'll continue to wear my upper armour if and when I feel like it.....saturday I didn't, today I did....personally I can tell pretty quick whether I'm feeling it or not when I'm about to leave the house.....

[ghostrider]

I slammed hard into a pile of rocks on the second or third corner of B-Line of all things (yes, my pride hurt almost as badly as my 2 cracked ribs!).

Oh man, that sucks! My question was about to be why should i wear body armour if I'm only doing green/blue trails? Now I think I have my answer....

I can see wearing armour if you're doing A Line or any of the heavy drops or at the shore...but i don't go that fast to begin with...that self preservation gene I have keeps me in check...not to mention my wife who will kick my ass all the way through Heart Of Darkness if I do wipe out!

[wa90]

I thought it'd be an easy option too!

A friend of mine wasn't confident about riding A-Line for the first run down - which is fair enough, so we took B-Line instead thinking it'd be a good warm up.

So off we went down B-Line, I pick up speed on the straight bit, settling into the bike's flow... touch the brakes and oh, damn I've lost my feet off the pedals under braking - how the fuuu...? SMAK!!!

Like Flipfantasia said though, you know when you're feeling it, and I knew full well I wasn't on form that day for lots of reasons. I still had a wicked 2 weeks of killer riding though (still sans upper body armour!), even if I couldn't walk or laugh properly, nor sleep on my side. :D

[ghostrider]

Flipfantasia speaks the truth...you just know when you're on or not. I listen to that alot when i ride, so I miss a day here and there and feel better from it.

The other thing is that i'm not into the speed factor that much...I like it, but i'd rather focus on the line and the twisty singletrack in front of me. Yeah I get a bit faster because I'm learning the route...but I still think I dont need armour.

Then again, I'm an old fart at 38 who doesn't know any better!

:dizzy: :stupid: :crazy:

[4armo]

What about the rental armour they have up there? What kind is it? I was planning on renting, but might stick that money into my own rather than wear some smelly, diseased rig.

[LIPS]

A buddy of mine crashed this weekend down here at Post Canyon. He was wearing forearm guards, and while they couldn't stop his forearm from snapping in four places had he not been wearing them his arm would have been flopping around like a dead fish all the way to the hospital. No fun!! They worked great as a splint. To bad they had to cut them off him at the hospital. Better to wear them!

[Jeff M]

Just today I was at whistler and put my dainese to good use. I was coming into hornet a bit fast (from the road) and just tagged my shoulder on one of the trees as I was turning in. Now sans armour I probably would have got a nice gash that would have at least been painful and potentially ruined my riding for the rest of the day. Thanks to my armour though it was a mear glancing blow which barely slowed me down.
Anyways I like my armour, not only because it can protect in a crash but also because it helps prevent stupid little injuries like the one described above.
At very least anyone at whistler should be rocking a full-face. I always see a few heros up there in skate lids and just shake my head. Those things won't do shit if you fall at speed.

[HIBuLlitT]

http://www.starwars.nu/bilder/bildarkiv/wallpaper/stormtrooper_pc_800x600.jpg
I was wondering where my shoes went back in 1970. I sure do miss those loafers. Yeah, I old

[bcbud]

I normally wear the full meal deal, but Sunday I went with out upper and just a Tshirt cause it was only for 2 runs down DM and Aline before work and it felt good to be cooler and lighter but all in all in felt... wrong, not fearful that I would crash and get injured just a wrong feeling, so I think its all in the feel...and I smoke my shoulders off lots of trees too....

[big ben]

wearing pads, whether or not you take a BAD crash, helps you not get hurt from small crashes too. so rather than having an uncomfortable gash, even though it doesn't injure you, you can just ride away and not have it ruin your day.

[scottvelez]

well, aside from all the doom and gloomers, I'll continue to wear my upper armour if and when I feel like it.....saturday I didn't, today I did....personally I can tell pretty quick whether I'm feeling it or not when I'm about to leave the house.....
You know when you're going to bite it, before you bite it?
That is very, very cool. Wish I could do that.

[ghostrider]

not sure what gear they have...ithink it's on the website under rentals...other than that, make the phone call.

[Alex Lag]

personally I can tell pretty quick whether I'm feeling it or not when I'm about to leave the house.....

Now that's a new one...... So even before you start riding you know if you are going to eat dirt? Tell me your secret.

[whistler110]

What about the rental armour they have up there? What kind is it? I was planning on renting, but might stick that money into my own rather than wear some smelly, diseased rig.

It's RaceFace and some Roach.

[FlipFantasia]

wow, some killer sarcasm there.....of course you don't know exactly when you'll crash, but you know if you're feeling off and the liklihood may be greater.....when you ride familiar trails you feel comfortable on them.....probably 40% of my runs right now are on either dirtmerchant or a-line.....you get to know the groove and flow.....