A mass start downhill race from the peak of Whistler Mountain descending more than 2,320m (12.3km) and a vertical drop of 1,503m (5,020 feet) at an average speed of 76km/h to cross the finish line in the Whistler Village.

From the mass start in 14cm of snow to fast wide open fire trails to the wet and sloppy single track, this was a race not to be missed. Over the course of two days, both men and women battled side-by-side, dealing with snow at the peak, rain, fatigue, broken bikes and navigating through muddy and dirt trails on the cloud-covered Whistler Mountain.

Qualifying Day
On Saturday, September 11th, qualifiers where held on the lower half of the course, which took place over the famous Garbanzo zone in the Whistler Bike Park. Once the qualifiers were completed, our destinies were determined based on our results and we were seeded in rows of ten for the mass start on Sunday. Keeping the fastest men and women at the front of the pack was key as the top half of this massive course would see riders reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h. Out of the 131 riders I qualified 9th overall which I was very happy with considering the elite field of riders. This set me up very well for day two being on the first row.

Race Day
We uploaded to the Peak of Whistler where we began to take position in 14cm of snow and prepare for the mass start. Being on the front was a little  daunting being surrounded by riders such as Chris Kovarik, Shaums March, Tyler Morland, etc but at the same time so exciting! I had never had the chance to start neck and neck with the top shots. A shotgun start had us hauling down a 5,000 foot descent with intense bar-to-bar racing as each one of us battled side-by-side. Proximity wasn’t the only challenge, as we also had to navigate through muddy and dirt trails riddled with jumps, stunts, drops and root-strewn terrain. After a challenging start with four inches of snow on the ground at the start and a descent on the cloudy-covered mountain, I came in 10th across the line with the biggest grin on my face. I cannot even begin to explain the feeling of this kind of racing, it is definitely one of the most exhilarating things you can do. Check out the video below for a glimpse of what it was all about.