“Weather has definitely been on our side this spring with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures melting away snow and drying up the trails,” says Rob McSkimming, vice president of business development at Whistler Blackcomb. “We’re very pleased that the Garbanzo trails are good to go so early. There is minimal snow up there and crews expect to get most of the trails open for the weekend. Although some sections of some trails are still a bit wet and soft from the snow melt, the overall conditions are excellent for this time of year.”

 At the end of last year, the Bike Park opened up several new sections of Blue Velvet, a major extension of Freight Train and a completely rebuilt No Joke single track, now called New Joke. All of these new trails will be open on Saturday. The addition of these trails provides experiences for a broader range of riders. With the opening of the Garbanzo Zone, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park’s total vertical drop is 3,314 feet, or just over 1,000 metres.

And in New Mexico, Angel Fire Resort announced the opening of its new Disc Golf course at 10,600’ in elevation at the mountain summit. The design for the 9-hole disc golf course was a collaborative effort between the Angel Fire Resort mountain staff and renowned disc golf enthusiasts and coordinators of the Professional Disc Golf Association for New Mexico, Bill and Sue Leslie.  They utilized the terrain of Angel Fire Resort’s ski mountain for the hazards and to maximize the beauty of the course. The resort plans to expand the course to a full 18-hole in the near future to further enhance the disc golf experience.

 “We believe the new course in Angel Fire will be remembered not only as one of the highest courses but as one of the most scenic courses in the country,” says Bill and Sue Leslie, NM State PDGA Coordinators.  “We are pleased that Angel Fire has joined the other five disc golf courses in the area to help establish what will soon be known as the Disc Golf Mecca of New Mexico.  We do not know of any other area like this which has such a great potential to bring in disc golfers from all over the United States.” 

Photos: Left, Paul Morrisson / right, Sterling Lorence