Obsession competiton entry

this is my entry, i hope you enjoy it.



Hello Whistler Obsession competition. I have too many stories, but I choose to only share one. Skiing has been one of the loves of my so far short life (15 years). I went to whistler to ski on the glacier, not with a summer ski camp, but with my father. I was strolling through the beautiful whistler village when something miraculous catches my eye. What I was seeing was something of a different breed. It towered above all the other bikes. It was big, shiny, and absolutely amazing. For a split second, the sun glistened off the shiny Marzocchi stanchions, and I got a certain feeling inside me. I knew that I had just witnessed something amazing.
Push came to shove, and after many rentals throughout the course of my stay in Whistler, I convinced my parents buy me a rental Norco. My birthday is right around then, so it was somewhat a gift. I rode my Norco everyday, down A-line, Dirt Merchant, and all the other lower trails. I had found a new sense of happiness in my life. The feelings of the smooth berms, the adrenalin pumping through my body when I lined up the biggest drop of the day, or the sweat running down my face as a give my all to balance on the skinny woodwork. But, all good things come to an end. My last day of this life changing trip would be one I wouldn’t forget. The day was surprisingly normal in the morning. I did my typical warm up run, and felt great. Due to my feeling good on the pedals, I made the decision to push my ability. On my third run, I pedaled as hard as I could into the GLC drops. I know that people usually exaggerate how bad thier falls really are, but I assure you that I went fairly large, A bit too large for me to keep control. I went from about 25-0 in close to 5 seconds. While I was falling, my collarbone found its’ way into many pieces, some of which lodged themselves deep into my shoulder. Long story short, there is a plate and 10 screws in my right shoulder. I also should let you know I was 12 when this occurred.
My injury did anything but discourage me from riding. All summer I sat on the couch watching all the videos I could, reading up on the latest parts, and washing my bike. Finally, after much anticipation, I got back in the saddle. Every since that day in Whistler village, I have been addicted to mountain biking in all way shape or form. And how does me seeing a random bike have to do with the whistler bike park and my obsession with it? If the resort had not pursued the growing sport (thank god they did), the odds are better I wouldn’t have seen that bicycle, I wouldn’t have had my fondest memories learning to ride on the most legendary trails in the world, and I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends. So I thank you Whistler. I thank every employee who has every sat at the top of Garbanzo on those cold foggy days, I thank the ski patrol for carrying my crippled body to the hospital, and I thank everyone who has every bought a ticket and supported the development of our great sport. Currently I am cooking 6 days a week from 3-11 to build my dream bike. I hope that as soon as my bike is in action, I can begin to plan a trip to the bike park.
Happy riding and thanks for reading,
-Chris