Red Bull's Elevation Contest is quickly becoming dirt jumping's premier event every year. They spare no expense when it comes to holding the event every year. The have the best course designers and builders spend a month carving jumps out of the beautiful Whistler mountain side, they throw the most extravagant parties, and they treat everyone at the event with respect and make you want to come back for more. So it's no wonder why I was looking forward to going to this event. I had been the previous two years and completely fell in love with the event and Whistler at the same time. If you ever have a chance to go to Whistler for anything... please go. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

            Well this year I flew out early to do some media stuff with Corey Bohan. We did some radio spots and TV stuff, but the coolest part about it was that we got to take a helicopter ride up and over the mountains from Vancouver to Whistler. The scenery was amazing! Mountain lakes, snow all around, not to mention that flying in a helicopter is just sweet as hell! It feels like magic, floating and hovering around. And it cuts the commute time in more than half.

            We got a birds eye view of the course, and, after landing and getting some food, got to ride through the course for a little while getting a feel for the jumps. They were amazing! So smooth and flawless. All the lips were cemented and they actually took the time to grow grass on the sides of the jumps. It made you feel guilty for riding such works of art.

            Once we got our fill of the jumps we headed back down the hill in the chopper and spent a few more days in the beautiful city of Vancouver.  I swear, one day I want to live in that city. Maybe not permanently and definitely for a little while.

            Well let's get down to the nitty gritty... the Elevation Finals. The finals were held on Canada Day, which is like our July 4th, so there were plenty of people and partying going on at the base of the mountain where we finished our runs. I had a rough couple of days up to that point and was feeling a little unsure about riding at all. I had sprained my wrist the day before trying to 360 the last monster set at the bottom of the hill.  Nobody felt comfortable 360ing that set and it took me out on my first and only attempt. Once finals started and I had my wrist all taped up, I started feeling a little bit better. Then after (and probably during) my first run, my crank spindle broke. I don't know how it lasted all the way down the hill, because I could feel it flexing the whole way down. So at this point I had to act fast. I could either...

1. Try to find some one with the same size and type of spindle as I had and try to swap out parts

2. Give up and accept the fact that maybe it wasn't meant to be.

3. Ride someone else's bike for the remainder of my 4 runs.

4. Use some elses frame and swap out my handlebars, fork, pedals, seat, and front wheel.

I picked option #4. So I started acting really fast, taking apart my bike almost completely. Thanks to Nick Halsey for volunteering his bike. So once I got everything tightened up, I had time for about 2 practice runs and then it was right into my 2nd run. I'll spare you all the minor details but I got used to the bike bike fast, and proceeded to battle it out with Corey Bohan for the win. And boy was it a battle! At the end of the day I edged Corey out for the win by .1 of a point. Soooooooo close.

We ended the weekend with another epic party and  the next day Dave Osato and his lady Joanna guided me to the top of "The Chief". It's a huge mountain in Squamish that has a trail to the top. Once up there the view was amazing, but man was I exhausted after a long weekend of crashing, riding and partying. Well worth it though!