Opposite: Bikers check out the latest and greatest rides in the Utah desert. PHOTO BY WHIT RICHARDSON
Left:
PHOTO BY MIKE SCHIRF
organizer of Outerbike Moab. “You don’t have to be 20 (years old) and huck yourself off giant rocks (to mountain bike in Whistler). There’s tonnes of fun riding that everyone can do.” No one knows that more than Grant Lamont, who has been living and riding in Whistler for years. He’s the director of Outerbike Whistler and sees this as a “destination event” for people — If you’re going to buy a bike this year, why not come to Whistler and ride it first? “It’s a three to four day holiday for people where they can travel from all over the world to Whistler with just their riding stuff,” explains Lamont. “They don’t need to drag their bike along. When you do a cross section of (the event), it’s people who are looking to make a decision on what bike to buy between five and 10 thousand dollars.” That’s the kind of spend at Outerbike. What was once exclusively a movement of young people, mountain biking is now increasing in strength in the 40-plus year old demographic. “(Mountain biking) used to be just the cool kids,” adds Korenblat. “The real power is in becoming mainstream. The cycling industry is about opening up and including everybody. Guess who has the money to buy these bikes? It’s not the cool kids, it’s the grown ups.” Participants at the Moab Outerbike are an average age of
41 with an annual income of $97,000 USD. Moab manages to attract upwards of 1,000 people, but Lamont will be capping tickets to just 600 people for this first year in Whistler with plans to expand if it sells out. Programming will centre around daily tours, allowing participants to test bikes on the roughly 190 km of singletrack in the Whistler Valley. “The manufacturers like it because people can come out, demo the bike and then go out and buy it when they go home,” says Lamont. “When people go to Outerbike Moab in October, (they’re told) that they can’t get the bike until May. It’s like a peepshow.” The motivated shoppers may be a big part of the 600 expected attendees to Outerbike Whistler, but Korenblat says she sees people coming out to Moab sometimes just to have fun on the trails. There are now two Outerbike events in Moab, in fall and spring, drawing in people from across the U.S. and from roughly a dozen different countries. “Most people are very serious shoppers, some people even come with a list,” says Korenblat. “Then you have the people who are just going for the experience and end up falling in love with the bike.” Outerbike Whistler runs from June 4-7, 2015. For more information or to register head to outerbike.com.
TASTE WHISTLER'S BEST AT 3 LOCATIONS Featuring Vegan and Gluten free menu options. CREEKSIDE
NESTERS SQUARE
SQUAMISH
604-935-0055
604-935-0006
604-892-2002
By Subway
Next to Nesters Grocery Store
Garibaldi Village, beside London Drugs
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 1 / 2015
@SamuraiSushi3 Crank’d Whistler’s Bike Magazine
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