June 29, 2004 – The Whistler Mountain Bike Park, the international leader
in downhill mountain bike parks and trails, has launched an additional
2,200 vertical feet of terrain on Whistler Mountain this past Saturday,
June 26.
The “Garbanzo Zone” features four new hand-built single-track trails and
extends the park into the Whistler Mountain subalpine. Expansion in the
Garbanzo Zone is a response to rapid growth in the popularity of the
Whistler Mountain Bike Park where visits have increased by 500% since 1999.
Increased terrain will mean shorter lift lines, more space on-hill for
riders of all ability levels, and access to a greater diversity of trails.

“We decided to grow into the Garbanzo Zone because the popularity of our
park is sky-rocketing,” said Rob McSkimming, Managing Director of the
Whistler Mountain Bike Park. “With new technology, freeride downhill
mountain biking is becoming more accessible, and more people are getting
into the sport. There’s no other park in the world that comes close to
what we have in Whistler, and those who love the sport or who want to break
into it are coming here to ride. The Garbanzo Zone will spread riders out
on the mountain, and will provide expert and advanced riders with yet
another unique downhill experience.”

With more advanced and expert riders heading into the Garbanzo Zone, riders
of all abilities will have more space on the lower mountain, including
beginners and intermediates. The Garbanzo Zone will also give bikers a
chance to experience riding in the subalpine, with different scenery and a
cooler temperature than on the lower mountain.

“Our new terrain has a distinctly different flavour and feel from the
trails on the lower mountain, and the two complement each other
beautifully,” McSkimming
continued. “The Garbanzo trails are much longer than trails on the lower
mountain, the views of surrounding peaks are more spectacular, the forest
is mostly old growth fir and hemlock, and the trails have an ‘old school’
single-track feel. A top to bottom trip will take riders through several
geo-climatic zones and different riding experiences.”

“Many of the people who ride in our park also play a role in the
development of our park, and we want to show our appreciation for their
dedication and energy,” McSkimming commented. “We’re saving the first six
chairs this Saturday for the season passholders who have gained the most
vertical since the park opened in May ñ some of whom have ridden over
200,000 vertical feet.”

The addition of the Garbanzo Zone will make The Whistler Mountain Bike Park
the largest in North America, and the most visited in the world. The
Whistler Mountain Bike Park features single-track, cross country, downhill,
stunt and freeride specific trails, and five skills centres for riders of
every ability level.