A quick heads up on Whistler and other bike park opening dates and some Crankworx news

WHISTLER MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK LEADS PROVINCE IN BIKE PARKS BC RESORT OPENINGS

Win Ultimate Summer Of Freeride Including Cash, Accommodation And Season Pass At Six BC Bike Parks

VANCOUVER, BC May 17, 2011 – Mountain bikers worldwide are advised to keep the following dates in their calendar clear to ensure they are available for British Columbia’s best lift-accessed exhilaration at the following bike parks on their 2011 opening days.

Whistler Mountain Bike Park: Opens May 20

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park has confirmed their signature trail A-Line, and rider favourite Crank It Up, will be open for their opening day on May 20. Despite the second snowiest season in the resort’s history, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park will be the first bike park in British Columbia to open.

Fernie Alpine Resort Bike Park: Opens June 25

Fernie’s bike park will be featuring new bridgework on their epic trail Aggravated Assault as well as trail upgrades to Top Gun and the Skills Park.

Silver Star Bike Park: Opens June 24

Silver Star Bike Park will host the Goat Style Bike Jam Festival August 11-13 – complete with night dirt jump competition, industry expo and slopestyle event. Trail work will continue on Pro Star, the Bike Park’s most advanced line.

Bike Park Sun Peaks Resort: Opens June 30

Sun Peaks invites riders to take their skills to the next level with the Sun Peaks Freeride Camp July 4-8. Coached by pro riders Matt Hunter and Graham Agassiz along with Kamloops shreds Justin Terwiel and Dylan Sherrad.

Panorama Bike Park: Opens June 25-26 / full season opening July 1

Renowned for technical singletrack with natural features and expert trails with large man-made features, Panorama’s newly developed play area in the bike park features small jumps and rolls as well as some wooden features for beginners and kids.

Mount Washington Bike Park: Opens July 1

Mount Washington’s experienced trail builders have created a mountain bike playground in the heart of Vancouver Island.

Experience it all with Bike Parks BC Ultimate Summer of Freeride contest. In exchange for one little sentence, the winner will ride away with a season pass at six of BC’s best lift-accessed bike parks, $1,000 spending money, two nights accommodation at each resort, DH rig rentals, a half-day with a guide and two lift tickets at each park for the winner’s riding buddy to be used over the 2011 summer season.

Riders are asked to answer the question, “What would you blow off to win the ultimate summer of freeride?” Tell Bike Parks BC now for a chance to ride away with the Ultimate Summer of Freeride.

Enter now and for more information and official contest rules and regulations about Bike Parks BC “Ultimate Summer of Free Ride” contest check out www.bikeparksbc.com. Don’t forget to “like” www.facebook.com/bikeparksbc and follow @bikeparksbc on Twitter for all the latest news.

KOKANEE CRANKWORX UNVEILS NEW INVITE FORMAT FOR RED BULL JOYRIDE AND TEVA BEST TRICK SHOWDOWN
Roster Determined Through Crankworx History, FMBA Rankings And Key Event Results

WHISTLER, BC May 17, 2011 – With a whopping $25,000 on the line for first place, Kokanee Crankworx will be ensuring the best of the best are on course for the inaugural Red Bull Joyride event July 23, 2011. Kokanee Crankworx’s slopestyle event has long been considered the most prestigious event of its kind in the world. A new partnership between Kokanee Crankworx and Red Bull will next level the competition with a complete course redesign and the biggest prize purse in freeride mountain biking.

“We have developed a new invitation format that will ensure the best athletes are here in Whistler to compete in Red Bull Joyride,” says Darren Kinnaird, Kokanee Crankworx General Manager. “Invitations have gone out to athletes based on their performance at previous Crankworx Slopestyles, and how they fared in the FMBA World Tour 2010.”

Here are the invited athletes so far with another ten athletes to be determined by July 4:
Brandon Semenuk
Cameron Zink
Mike Montgomery
Casey Groves
Greg Watts
Martin Soderstrom
Andreu Lacondeguy
Lance McDermott
Sam Dueck
Kelly McGarry
Yannick Granieri
Jack Fogelquist
Amir Kabbani
Darren Berrecloth
Sam Pilgrim

Teva Best Trick Showdown and Red Bull Joyride Invitation Format
Below is the criteria used to determine the 15 athlete invitations issued already, for participation in the Teva Best Trick Showdown and the Red Bull Joyride Qualifying event on July 21:
The past winner of Crankworx Colorado Slopestyle will receive a three year automatic invite to Kokanee Crankworx (Brandon Semenuk, winner in 2009 and 2010)
Top three athletes of the past three Kokanee Crankworx Slopestyle receive a three year automatic invitation to future Red Bull Joyride and Teva Best Trick Showdown events (2011 to 2013: Cameron Zink, Mike Montgomery, Casey Groves; 2011 to 2012: Greg Watts, Brandon Semenuk, Martin Soderstrom; 2011: Andreu Lacondeguy, Lance McDermott, Brandon Semenuk)
The fourth to tenth ranked athletes, or highest previous unqualified from the 2010 Kokanee Crankworx Slopestyle (Sam Dueck, Kelly McGarry, Yannick Granieri, Jack Fogelquist, Amir Kabbani, Darren Berrecloth, Sam Pilgrim)
The following is the criteria that will be used to determine the remaining 10 athlete invitations, for participation in the Teva Best Trick Showdown and the Red Bull Joyride Qualifying event on July 21:

Winners of a 2011 Freeride Mountain Bike Association (FMBA) Gold or higher ranked event (26 Trix, Claymore Challenge, Chatel Mountain Style) prior to Kokanee Crankworx (or highest placing previously unqualified athlete for total of three athletes)
The top six ranked athletes from the FMBA 2011 rankings after July 3, 2011
Winner of the Teva Mountain Games Slopestyle on June 2-5, 2011, or the highest previously unqualified athlete
There is the potential to have two to four Wildcard spots available depending on results, to be announced by July 4, 2011.

Red Bull Joyride Qualifying Format:
A total of ten athletes will be automatically qualified for Red Bull Joyride on Saturday July 23 and won’t have to participate in the two full course qualifying runs July 21, based on the following criteria:
Top six ranking athletes from the 2010 Kokanee Crankworx Slopestyle (Zink, Montgomery, Groves, McGarry, Dueck, Granieri)
Top four athletes from the 2010 FMBA overall ranking (or highest previously unqualified athletes – Semenuk, Berrecloth, Soderstrom, Pilgrim). In subsequent years, if Kokanee Crankworx takes place in August, this will be based on current year ranking).

An additional six athletes will be qualified based on the results of two full-course runs on July 21, limited to the 15 athletes that are not pre-qualified for Red Bull Joyride. Red Bull Joyride judges will observe both the Teva Best Trick Showdown contest and the two full-course qualifying runs. Riders will be ranked based on overall performance of both Teva Best Trick Showdown and the qualifying runs to select six athletes to advance and join the ten pre-qualified riders for Red Bull Joyride on Saturday, July 23.

“With Red Bull on board and the stakes super high with $25,000 on the line for first place, Kokanee Crankworx will crown the best freeride mountain biker in the world on July 23, 2011,” says Kinnaird. “We are unbelievably pumped and are counting down the days to witness the next level of mountain biking here in Whistler.”

First place will take home $25,000, second $10,000, third $5,000, fourth $3,500 and fifth $1,500. Watch the first of an exclusive video series from Red Bull detailing the conception of the Joyride course design here: www.redbull.ca/Joyride.

Stay tuned to www.crankworx.com for upcoming news and connect with Crankworx through Facebook.com/crankworx or Twitter.com/crankworx.