Tag: Mountain Biking

How Whistler helped shape mountain bike media

How Whistler helped shape mountain bike mediaHow Whistler helped shape mountain bike media

June 16, 2026 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Featured Image: Kranked 1 to 5 on DVD. Photo Whistler Museum Collection.

Today, mountain bike media and Whistler are almost inseparable. From 1990s freeride films, coverage of Crankworx and viral videos such as I Only Ride Park and Ferda Girls, Whistler has played a central role in how mountain biking is documented, promoted, and experienced.

A key milestone in Whistler’s connection to the mountain bike media landscape came on April 11, 1999, when Kranked II: Trail from the Crypt premiered at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler. The Kranked series would become one of the most influential MTB film franchises of its era, helping document the rise of freeride mountain biking and introducing audiences around the world to British Columbia’s trails and riders.

Shot on 16mm film, the early Kranked movies captured a rapidly evolving sport. Their footage showcased everything from Kamloops’ sandy steeps to the wooden ladder bridges and elevated features of North Shore Vancouver, which would go on to influence trail-building around the world. The films helped establish B.C. riders such as Ryan Leech, Wade Simmons, Brett Tippie, and Richie Schley as international stars.

Bjørn Enga riding in Whistler. [mid 1990s]
Image: Rowles Collection

The driving force behind the series was filmmaker Bjørn Enga. Raised in Granthams Landing and North Vancouver, Enga discovered mountain biking in the early 1980s. Seeking adventure, he moved to Whistler in the early 1990s, where he embraced the ski-bum lifestyle and worked as a taxi driver between 1990 and 1992. Although he briefly returned to university, the pull of mountain culture eventually led him back to British Columbia’s mountain towns.

By the mid-1990s, Enga had launched Freak Radical, an interactive journal dedicated to mountain culture. Teaming up with Christian Begin, at age 28 Enga shifted to film production, starting Radical Films. Their first feature-length production, Kranked: Live to Ride, was released in 1998, laying the groundwork for what would become one of mountain biking’s defining film series. This period in the sport’s history is explored in detail in Darcy Turenne’s 2017 documentary The Moment.

Whistler played an important role in the development of the Kranked films. The world premiere of Kranked II was held at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and drew approximately 1,000 attendees. The event was organized by Shauna Hardy, a former North Vancouver schoolmate of Enga’s, who would later found the Whistler Film Festival in 2001.

Another local connection came through Whistler-based artist and designer Stu MacKay-Smith of Toad Hall Studios. MacKay-Smith, who had previously collaborated with Enga on Freak Radical, created most of the distinctive graphics and animation featured in the early Kranked productions.

How audiences consumed MTB media, at the time, was very different from today. Films were distributed through bike shops, first on VHS and later on DVD. Eager mountain bikers often waited for copies to arrive at their local bike shop.

In 2000, while promoting Kranked III: Ride Against the Machine, Radical Films posted a video trailer online, something virtually unheard of in the action sports industry at the time. While filming in Mexico, Enga received an unexpected message from the company’s internet provider that exclaimed that they could not support the amount of traffic. In short, Kranked III’s trailer was blowing up the internet.

“Apparently they were using more data than the usual high-volume content,” Enga later recalled. “I got this message at a pay phone in a remote place in Copper Canyon, Mexico. Our plan with the internet site did not include that much data… Early days!!!”

The trailer’s popularity suggested there was a strong appetite for online video distribution and viewing. What is taken as a given today was groundbreaking 25 years ago.

Kranked III opening night ticket. Rowles Collection

The influence of the Kranked films extended beyond riders and audiences. The series also served as a training ground for a generation of filmmakers and photographers who would go on to shape MTB media. Among them was Darcy Wittenburg, who worked on Kranked films before co-founding The Collective with Jamie Houssain and later establishing Anthill Films. Anthill Films is a production company that has continued to push the creative and technical boundaries of action sports cinematography (see Brandon Semenuk’s unReal Segment).

Today, action sports photography and filmmaking have become an important part of Whistler’s cultural identity. The groundwork laid by early innovators such as Bjørn Enga helped transform MTB media from a niche pursuit into a global industry, with Whistler often at its centre.

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Losing the UCI MTB Triple CrownLosing the UCI MTB Triple Crown

August 5, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Back in 2001, Whistler was slated to host the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) MTB World Cup Triple Crown event, but it did not go ahead. According to The Province, the UCI had received 11 bids to host the event from various Whistler groups between 1991 and 1999. Only one was successful.

In 1998, Marika Koenig and Claire Bonin founded TEAM Management, an events and festivals company focused on mountain biking. That same year they executed the inaugural Whistler International Classic, an internationally-sanctioned race where pro riders could build up UCI points. Over the next two years, TEAM added the race to their new event, Summer Session, a multi-day festival that revolved around mountain biking, cycling, skateboarding, and general summer fun. From fun and competitive races to bachelor auctions, the week was jam packed with events. Through this, TEAM showcased Whistler’s capability of hosting a World Cup event.

Mountain biker Dave Wastson competes in the 1999 Summer Session. He later won the 2001 Joyride Bikercross. Bruce Rowles Collection

TEAM invested their time and funds to submit an extensive bid to UCI in September 1999. It was endorsed by Cycling BC, the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA), and W3 – Whistler Blackcomb, Tourism Whistler and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Four months later, UCI awarded the bid to Whistler. Unfortunately, the dream of hosting a World Cup in Whistler did not come to fruition, as W3 wanted to take over ownership from TEAM, but did not have the expertise to do so. In December 2000, 7 months out from when the Triple Crown event was supposed to take place, W3 and TEAM withdrew their intention to host the World Cup.

The Whistler community expressed disappointment, outrage, and confusion, writing letters to the local papers in support of TEAM’s role and success with other MTB events. Many questioned the real reason for backing out. The fallout caused TEAM to cancel their events planned for the summer, including the third-annual Summer Session, and end their business.

Promotional video for Summer Session (2000). Koenig Collection

There were also concerns that this fallout would affect Whistler’s bid for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, since UCI President, Hein Verbruggen, sat on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was not too pleased with the outcome. The Olympic bid, however, remained unaffected and was awarded to Vancouver and Whistler in 2003.

In the meantime, two other resorts competed to take on this opportunity – Sun Peaks and Grouse Mountain. In March 2000, Grouse Mountain was confirmed to take on the Triple Crown from July 4 – 8, 2001, as well as events in the 2002 and 2003 World Cups. There were concerns initially with lack of on-mountain facilities and accommodations, but the Vancouver mountain assured UCI that the Skyride could transport 1,200 people per hour to make access for athletes and spectators easier. They also brought in Gestev Inc., an experienced organization who did World Cup races at Mont-Ste-Anne (Quebec) and Mazatlan (Mexico). Though the event was successful, mountain biking on Grouse died down after these World Cups, until this year when their new Bike Park opened this summer.

The podium for the cross-country event at the 2002 World Cup on Grouse Mountain. That year the downhill and four-cross events were cancelled. Makarewicz Collection

Back in Whistler, this left a void that needed to be filled by a large summer event. Since the 1980s, mountain biking had become a staple of Whistler summers, with several attempts at hosting annual events, so what was next?

Paddy Kaye and Chris Winter formed Joyride Productions in 1997 with the goal of bringing freeriding MTB events to Whistler. They helped build many of the trails on Whistler Mountain prior to Whistler Blackcomb taking over the park, and assisted with events and trail maintenance during the Summer Session festival. With the lack of major events in the summer of 2001, they brought Joyride Bikercross to the forefront and it was a massive success. The event took place a day prior to Grouse Mountain’s World Cup, a strategic choice on their end since pro riders would be close by to attend both events.

This homegrown event got bigger and better, and the slopestyle competition was introduced in 2003 when Joyride was incorporated in the Whistler Gravity festival. A year later, the festival was rebranded to Crankworx – Whistler’s largest summer festival that now has a multi-stop world tour.

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Bringing the Arizona Heat: the 1994 Cactus CupBringing the Arizona Heat: the 1994 Cactus Cup

October 15, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In 1991 at Pinnacle Peak in Arizona, a group of locals called Team Aware started the Cactus Cup, a mountain bike racing event. The Cactus Cup attracted 100 riders in its inaugural year and then grew quickly, with the goal of promoting the sport and broadening the pool of racers and recreational riders.

Specialized Bicycles became the title sponsor and the event toured other locations across the United States. In 1994, the Arizona event had 1,900 participants and 20,000 spectators. That same year, the organizers partnered with Blackcomb Mountain to host their first international event in Whistler.

The base of Blackcomb Mountain during the 1994 Cactus Cup. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, Randy Lincks

By this time, Whistler had a strong mountain bike culture and had shown its capacity to host large, multi-day events through the Can-Am and BRC races. The second stop in the Cactus Cup Series took place from Friday, July 22 to Sunday, July 24. There were over 300 riders, which was half the expected attendance. Though many pro athletes were in attendance, for many there were more important races going on. For example, The Province reported that BC’s top women Lesley Tomlinson and Alison Sydor would not be attending as they qualified for the Tour de France.

The weekend was packed with competitive racing, a bike expo, a kids rodeo and race, a fun dual slalom, and a “Meet the Pros” hoe-down party at Merlin’s.

Kicking off the competition on Friday morning was the Time Trial, an individual race against the clock. Later in the day was the Fatboy Criterium, where racers took to the Village Stroll riding a quarter-mile loop on Specialized’s slick Fatboy tires. Saturday’s race was the Dirt Criterium, a 1.5 km multi-lap course starting at the base of Blackcomb Mountain. The last and biggest race, the Circuit Race, took place on Sunday with a 13 km course with single tracks and up and downs.

Kids take part in a tricycle challenge at the Cactus Cup. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, Randy Lincks

Points from these four races would determine riders’ overall score for the event. There were four categories for the races (citizens, novice, sport, and expert and pro). While all classes could enter the last two races, only the experts and pros could compete in the Time Trial and Fatboy Criterium.

Throughout the weekend, the top spot in the men’s pro category was between Kansas’ Steve Tilford and Vancouver’s Bruce Spicer, who won the 1992 Cactus Cup in Arizona. It was a 30° C day for the last race, and Tilford left Spicer in the dust. As Spicer told the Whistler Question, “I’m not sure if it was the heat or what, but my legs were never quite there today. I was surprised.” In the women’s pro class, Victoria’s Melanie McQuaid took first place in what was considered her first international race.

One racer, Kevin Murray, recalls that water hoses were placed at the end of the finish line to cool off riders. However, that was not the most memorable part of his weekend. During the Saturday race, he pretzeled his front rim and had to drop his bike off at the Glacier Shop for repair. Unfortunately, the shop was broken into that evening and his Norco Rampage was stolen. Specialized provided a loaner so Murray could still compete in the last race. Despite these issues resulting in Murray giving up racing, he fondly remembers how exciting it was to see world class racing at home.

Ultimately, the Cactus Cup saw success in Whistler. Kris Burchard from Specialized told the Question that the lack of turnout was to be expected as it takes time for an event to establish a reputation, but the “weather was great, support for the volunteers was excellent and the venue was first class.”

The Cactus Cup occurred in Whistler the next two years, but the main event had its last race in 1999. In 2017, it was revitalized back in Arizona and still continues today.

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Recalling the 1989 Blackcomb Can-Am ChallengeRecalling the 1989 Blackcomb Can-Am Challenge

September 24, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

We love getting personal curiosity requests, as they give us a chance to dive into the archives to learn and share more. Last week we wrote on the race events Blackcomb Mountain held when they entered the mountain bike scene, including the Can-Am Challenge. Ken Austin, who competed in the race, recently reached out to see if we had photographs and to see if his memory of the event was correct. He gave us quite a story!

Ken Austin competes with a Ridley’s jersey and a few bandages picked up along the way. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, 1989

The second annual Labatt’s Can-Am Challenge in 1989 took place from August 18-20 and saw approximately 350 riders compete for $10,000 in cash and prizes.

Austing rode for Ridley’s Cycle in Calgary and participated in all four races. The cross-country race started off the weekend on the Friday, with dual slalom on the Saturday, and the uphill and descent on the Sunday.

According to Austin, he went “too hard having fun the day before [the cross-country race], then drinking only water, with no fuel mix.” Envy kicked in when he saw that the Ritchey Team had a fuel station for their riders, “as the rest of us were dumb enough to be only on water, no support, no special fuels.”

The next day was not much better with the dual slalom, though Austin’s teammate Pete Lawrence did well.

Austin smashed the uphill climb and finished in 6th place, but “never having climbed that hard for that long, [Austin] spent the entire lunch break a the gondola station trying to not get a massive butt cheek cramp, gently stretching. The glutes were just twitching to lock up.”

So far for the weekend, the weather had been perfect for each race, until the clouds rolled in on Sunday afternoon, just in time for the Kamikaze Descent.

Clouds roll in during the Can-Am Challenge Kamikaze Descent. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, 1989

Austin recalls, “Right away, we were in the clouds, couldn’t see my handlebars for quite a stretch. There were braver fools crying in the ditches with broken collarbones and such. In the dense fog, as I crawled along, Greg Herbold came flying by, as if it was a clear day! He must have pre rode the course quite a bit, days before, to have it memorized.”

Several Whistler riders placed well in the top 3 of many categories. Cindy Devine beat California’s Cindy Whitehead in the Women’s Pro. Whitehead captured the top spot the year prior.

The Can-Am Challenge was another success with strong attendance. Though the first two years did attract many pros, some did not see a point in competing as these races were not sanctioned and did not count towards points for being on a national team. According to the Whistler Question, in 1990 there was a rule change for the world championships, where each country could only have 5 riders, which resulted in fewer American riders participating in the Can-Am challenge than usual.

A year later, the Can-Am Challenge was renamed to the Blackcomb Challenge. It was the fourth and final stop in the Canada Cup Points Series. The Canadian Cycling Association created the series to establish a national ranking system for riders when choosing a national MTB team.

The Blackcomb Challenge occurred again the next year, but in 1993 there was instead the Labatt/BRC Mountain Bike Race weekend, which in previous years was a series that took place over the course of the summer.

We always love hearing more stories. Have one to tell, or have items or photographs that we can preserve in our collections? Email us at archives@whistlermuseum.org.

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