Garbanzo Express Chair will open additional 2,200 vertical feet to ride

The majority of the trails in the Garbanzo Zone will open with early season conditions. “Original Sin and No Joke have been cleared by hand and we plowed Freight Train with a machine,” says Tom Prochazka, manager of the Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Bike Park. “Our patrol crews have been shuttling Duff Man and Lower Freight Train and they are stoked. Get ready to get dirty!”

With the opening of the Garbanzo Express, riders can expect shorter lift lines, more space on-hill for riders of all ability levels and access to a greater diversity of trails. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is also now open from 10am to 8pm every night. As of Saturday the Whistler Gondola will begin summer operations for sightseeing to Whistler’s peak as well as for bikers to access the Park along with the Fitzsimmons Express Chair.

In the rest of the Park, crews have been hard at work. John Cowan and Richie Schley have finished the Biker X which opened to rave reviews, while machines have been working on completing the lower section of intermediates’ favourite Crank It Up. For beginner downhill mountain bikers, Easy Does It has all new super-smooth berms and the Magic Bike Park at the base of Blackcomb will begin operations on Saturday for the biking pleasure of “never-evers” and kids.

“The Park keeps getting better with extended hours, a bigger and better Boneyard, and new trails. Our crew is constantly pushing the envelope to deliver an unmatched experience,” says Prochazka.

Riders can get on the mountain more with the new Triple Play Card. The card offers three days in the Park for $99CAN or $89USD. Each additional day is $33CAN, a savings of $12CAN per day based on regular season rates. Riders can also go directly to the lift by attaching the Triple Play card to their credit card.

Consistently ranked as North America's top ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb continues to raise the level of mountain excitement for its guests, and has unveiled plans for a new high speed quad accessing Whistler Mountain’s spectacular high alpine for the 06/07 season. Located a scenic two-hour drive north of Vancouver up the spectacular 'Sea to Sky' Highway, this resort is home to the continent's two greatest vertical-rise ski mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb. With over 14 alpine bowls, four glaciers, 200 trails, 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and a one mile vertical rise, the choices of where and what to ski/ride at Whistler Blackcomb from beginner to advanced terrain are staggering. Joined at the base by a vibrant pedestrian village filled with restaurants, patios, cafes, shops, galleries and spas, and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, this four season resort is spectacular by nature. Check it all out at www.whistlerblackcomb.com