WHISTLER ADAPTIVE AND TARA LLANES INDUSTRIES HOST FIRST ANNUAL ADAPTIVE MTB CAMP!
2016 Whistler Adaptive MTB Camp
9-21-16
Summer has come and gone here in beautiful British Columbia and it's almost hard to believe we're already into fall. This was our busiest summer yet and the word is out about aMTB! A conversation was started over a year ago with the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP) to start an adaptive MTB camp and in became a reality this year. Tara Llanes Industries held the first ever aMTB camp September 2-4 in Whistler, BC with the help of Whistler Adaptive Sports Program and it couldn't have gone any better. We had the Sport-On Explorer's and XCR's lined up and a full weekend of skills and fun rides planned.
We stayed at the Whistler Athlete's Center, which is a legacy site from the 2012 Winter Olympics, and fully accessible making it easy for everyone. We had Brendan Cavanagh and Kevin Priebe out for the camp and for never having ridden aMTB they picked it up quick. Brendan was over a year post injury and a bit apprehensive but in the end he said "it was way cooler than I thought it would be!"
We took time to work on skills and later put the skills to the test on some beginner/intermediate trails. Fortunately we had a few bikes with electric assist which allowed us to cruise up the FarSide trail cut across the Cheakamus Suspension Bridge and up to Logger's Lake. The electric assists was a huge help making it up the final steep and rocky hill. Our Whistler Adaptive volunteers were probably pretty happy about that.
It was an incredible group of people that came together to make this weekend one to remember. A huge thanks to our Whistler Adaptive volunteers Sylvie Allen, Christiana Dürfeld, and Ben Mead. Thanks to our coaches Darryl Keith Tait and Elladee Brown, to our chef, Mum, and support for the weekend Wendy Brown, and to our mechanic Ryan Sweeney. Also a big thank you to Sharron Bates from Global News for covering the weekend and to the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation for believing that mountain biking can change lives and giving Whistler Adaptive the grant to purchase two Sport-On bikes.
We have such an unbelievable trail system here in BC and a love for the outdoors that I think this is one sport that has a bright future!
Cheers!
Tara
