Preparing for The Crankworx Enduro World Series

The Key to Competing at Crankworx

Whistler, British Columbia is considered the mountain bike capital of the world. Each year, Whistler hosts the world's largest mountain biking festival called Crankworx, which brings mountain bikers from all over the world to participate in a multitude of races and events on some of the best terrain there is for mountain bike athletes. 

During the Crankworx festival, there are events in all disciplines for cyclists. From big air to long descents, this festival has something for any mountain bike athlete out there. This year was Airhouse Coach and Enduro athlete Andy Hamilon’s third year competing in the Enduro World Series race at Crankworx, he talks us through Enduro and how YOU can prepare!

What is Enduro?

Enduro is a relatively new discipline in cycling that has become very popular over the last few years. It involves multiple timed stages; however, riders are self sufficient and often riding upwards of 6 hours to complete the race. Riders clock in and out at the beginning and end of each stage, and their result is calculated by their accumulated race time.

The Crankworx enduro race is considered one of the most technical and prestigious races on the world series, and is often given the nick name “Crankzilla.” This year the race took place over two days, covering over 40 kilometres of riding and more than 2000 meters of vertical descending.

After competing in this event numerous times, Andy has learnt a lot about the preparation required for optimal performance.

How you can prepare yourself for competing at Crankworx:

1. Ensure your bike is in good condition: With lift access to some of the most technical terrain you can find on a mountain bike, your bike is guaranteed to be put through its paces. Prior to heading to Whistler, you will want to make sure that you have good tread on your tires, life in your brake pads, as well as your suspension tuned for aggressive riding. Whistler has an abundance of bike shops; however, due to the high demand, the prices for components are drastically more expensive than at a local bike shop in your hometown.

2. Prepare your body: The Crankworx Enduro is known for having the longest and most physical descents for their racers. This year the first stage was over 10 kilometres in length, starting at the Whistler peak and descending all the way to the Whistler village. It is important to prepare for these rides by trying some sustained descents on your local trails. When doing these rides you should try to pace yourself, it is very difficult to ride at 100% on a 20 minute descent, so try to find a speed where you feel in control and minimize fatigue on your grip/forearms. 

3. Bring lots of fuel: Since Enduro races involve being self sufficient, as well as climbing to the top of the stages, you want to make sure you are capable of carrying enough food and water for the entire day. Riders will often carry a backpack, or bib shorts to keep all their food, as well as spare parts/tools such as tubes, derailleur hangers, and quick links for your chain. 

4. Do your research: The course for these events is released a week prior to the race. The course release will often feature video previews of the trails you are riding. Since you are only given one practice run per stage it is important to review these videos so you are aware of any technical features you may come across. 

5. Relax and have fun! If you follow all of these steps, come race day there will be nothing else for you to do but ride your bike and have fun. Although it is a competitive event, taking it too seriously will only take the fun out of it. I like to have the mindset on race day that I am just out riding my bike with my friends as usual, just a little bit faster! 

6. Celebrate your success: completing an event at Crankworx is a huge achievement for any level of athlete. One of the most fulfilling parts of finishing a race at Crankworx is seeing how you finish compared to the hundreds of international riders around the world. Make note of your stage times, there is a good chance you will have the opportunity to beat your personal records the next year!

Written by Andrew Hamilton, Parkour Coach at Nanaimo location.

Did you know we have a Bike Club program for twice-weekly training with Coaches such as Andy? As well as special Trampoline Bikes, so you can practice aerial skills in the air? We want you to #ProgressYourPassion today!

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Warm-up dynamically BEFORE you train and Trampoline

Why warm-up?

Warming up your body temperature, and getting the blood pumping and muscles ignited is paramount for BEFORE you train/play in any sports disciplines.

What does it actually achieve?

Getting your blood flowing and oxygen pumping ignites the body and preps it efficiently, ensuring for an effective time training, as well as helping to prevent injury both short and long term.

It will:

• Increase the heart and delivery of oxygenated blood to the muscles, prepping for vigorous activity

• Move your joints and body parts through their full range of motion, as well as increasing elasticity of muscles and connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons

• Wake up the nervous system, so you will be engaged mentally (brain and body talk) and ready to tackle training

Static stretching Vs. Dynamic warm-up

Static: is about predominantly stretching muscles, typically involving holding a position for 30 seconds or more to elongate (stretch) the muscle. This should be used ideally after exercising to cool down and stretch the muscles.

Dynamic: elements of stretching, but this time including movement. Moving your joints through their range of motion (without being in a statically held), as well as increase body temperature and igniting the nervous-system.

How to warm-up dynamically

We’ve created this useful video guide to follow before training or trampolining. By giving your body a well-rounded routine and by offering the body (and mind) a full spectrum of practice necessities, you set yourself up for success - every time!

Cooling down

Post-training, add in a static cool-down of the body, heart rate and breath. This is just as important - Check back soon for a sequel guide to this!

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Improve your balance for Parkour at home

Balance is one of the harder skills to learn for parkour, but it doesn't take long if you are persistent!

If you do this easy balance training for 30min a day you will have mind-blowing results in just a week.

“Getting movement on bars like this and will enable you to stick to those tricky precisions much easier.”

You will need:

• 2 to 4 foot wooden 2X4 

• 2 to 4 foot wooden 2X6

All you have to do is have the 2X4 on its side on a flat hard surface, then begin trying to walk along the beam forwards and backward without falling or letting it tip over.

Make sure your feet are stepping right down the middle of the beam (not angled steps) and try to keep your knees slightly bent the whole time, keeping  your weight more on the front of your feet.

Also, practice holding precision stance with arms out in from of you and knees bent. Once you feel comfortable balancing on the 2X4 you can try the same exercises on the 2X6.

This is great for balance because not only does it teach you how to balance on a thin beam, but it also teaches you how to find and stay in that center of gravity to keep the beam from tipping over!

Happy training guys!
Written by Luke, Parkour Coach at Kelowna location.

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Mason Mashon: A Life Less Ordinary

The old saying is…“adventure is what happens when your plans fall apart”

…but for Whistler-based photographer/adventurer/teepee brother Mason Mashon the trick seems to be keeping your plans pretty loose and let the adventure unroll whenever and where ever it wants.

“I just finished replacing a brake caliper in a NAPA parking lot though,” Mason says on a call from somewhere in Northern California. “That wasn’t really what we were thinking of, but we got it done!”

Along with girlfriend Diane Lepage, Mason is currently entrenched in a 7-week, no-hard-plans, bike-surf-moto-photo road trip through the western US and into the Baja. There are friends to meet, photos to shoot, places to explore and waves to catch, but other than a bike rendezvous in Utah with a couple of pro photographer buddies, it’s all very “see how it goes.”

In the outdoor sports world, Mason is a quadruple threat —an incredibly talented photographer who can also write and ride at a professional level—on mountain bikes in the summer and a snowboard/pow surfer when the snow falls.

This diversity of talent opens the doors of adventure, and employment—Mashon often publishes photos and articles in magazines, shoots campaigns for brands, stars in commercials and always seems to be off doing something awesome, often with co-conspirator/teepee brother/skier (and Airmail guest) Rory Bushfield. In June the duo flew in Bushy’s single-engine plane from Squamish to Alaska.

“It was the craziest trip I’ve ever been on,” Mason says.”

“Just flying around in some of the most remote wilderness with a plane full of all our favourite toys and things—we had splitboard, skis, two surfboards, two mountain bikes, all our camping gear, survival equipment, axes, machetes, my cameras, batteries and solar panels. We were basically self sufficient”

With skis on the wheels of his plane “Seagull Feather”, Bushy has been landing on glaciers and snowfields around Squamish for the past few years, often with Mason as navigator. This trip provided a chance to explore new mountains and make new friends.

“We went fan boating with James Spikes—we had never met him in real life, just chatting on Instagram—but we flew four hours out to his zone and, yeah, fanboating is the most amazing thing, how shallow of water you can take it in.”

The June skiing and splitboarding wasn’t exceptional but with a “loose” schedule and minimal sponsor commitments, Mason says there was no shortage of fun to be had. “We were surfing past midnight, camping on beaches, ripping around iceberg lagoons and flying over the wildest landscape.”

Mason holds a degree in geography so flying up and down the west coast of Canada in a small aircraft was especially rewarding. “I don’t know what more you could ask for in an Alaskan adventure. I’ll look back at that trip and always remember how insane it was—trip of a lifetime.”

For the rest of the summer, Mason stayed close to home. Riding bikes in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. “I think it was one of the best bike riding summers we’ve had in a long time. Once a week we’d get ten mils of rainfall and it would keep the trails perfect. Such good riding and no smoke [from the forest fires that have plagued BC in previous years].

I am fortunate to be able to travel to a lot of beautiful places, but I think the Sea to Sky will remain home for me for a long time.”

“The combination of epic backcountry and riding and the community of people in this area is awesome. Everyone is so fired up. ”

Of course, a home away from home never hurts either, and with a freshly sourced fiberglass camper on the back of his truck, Mason and Diane are likely somewhere in Utah right now, riding hard, catching all the good light, and letting the adventure find them.

“I’ve always wanted to do a long trip like this,” Mason says. “We’ve got surfboards, fishing and diving gear, a moto on the front of the truck and 3 bikes on the back. I haven’t been to Utah since I was 18 or 19 and Diane has never seen some of these places so we’re just heading down to ride bikes, shoot photos and check out the landscape.

There’s no rush to get to the next zone, no pressure. “This is bucket list trip number two for me this year. I’m going all out.”

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Follow Mason Mashon’s adventures on his instagram here, or checkout his website here.

How will YOU Progress Your Passion today?

About the Author:

Feet moved to Whistler with his family at age 12 to live the dream. After time on the Island at University of Victoria, Feet returned home to the mountains where he co-directed and produced the seminal Canadian ski film Parental Advisory Vol 1. Feet also makes short horror films for fun, hosts many Whistler events, writes a weekly movie column, freelances for numerous top outdoor mags, and has been the editor of Mountain Life – Coast Mountains since it’s inception in 2006. He and his family now call Squamish, BC home.

Astronauts, Kangaroos and Trampolines!

What do astronauts and Trampolines have in common?

Apart from the anti gravity aspect, NASA requires their astronauts in training to tramp!

How did it get to this point though?

Let’s go back to the beginning, the first EVER Trampoline was made from bicycle inner tubes, and Trampoline inventor George Nissen used a kangaroo to market this contraption in 1936! 

The Hawkeye Circus then used this Trampoline he made to perform aerial stunts initially, and from these humble beginnings, it eventually became an Olympic sport in 2000! Common in most back gardens for kids and beginners, it is now an absolutely integral part of training for professional athletes.

Apart from being an incredible sport in its own right, they are 100% necessary for gaining transferable skills for your other sports too.

Why are they so good for training in other sports?

It’s excellent in promoting balance, spatial awareness, fitness and coordination, plus you can use it as a cross-sport training method. Learning landings, takeoffs, spatial awareness, and general aerial awareness is all needed in sports such as skiing, snowboarding, biking, parkour, diving, skateboarding and more.

When NASA trains astronauts they use too Trampolines! It’s actually an essential part of their training to strengthen bones and muscles as well as overcoming nausea during space flights, and they’ll know how to handle sudden bouncing and zero G’s!

In 1980 a study conducted called Body Acceleration Distribution and O2 Uptake in Humans During Running and Jumping found that “The external work output at equivalent levels of oxygen uptake were significantly greater while trampolining than running.” So just for pure fitness alone you’ll be onto a winner with this!

That seems like a pretty cool reason to Trampoline train, right?

While we’re not running Camps for space this summer, we are running Camps that offer amazing benefits, such as body coordination, fitness and lots of transferable skills. Pairing this with others sports makes a winning Camp options for your kids.

Practice your favourite sports and add in a little more elements of fun with a Camp or Lessons program, browse them and get booking!

Sarah Burke

A revered and awesome force!

See how and why she is a driving force behind Airhouse.

Every woman in freestyle skiing owes something to Sarah; she fought hard for equality and proved to the world that women deserve a place in half-pipe and slope-style. Sarah was a leader in the sports community and an action sports icon.

Sarah was also instrumental in having freeskiing added to the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi. Whether it was running marathons to raise money for St.Judes Children’s Hospital, traveling to work with the Women’s Sports Foundation, or coaching young skiers on the glaciers in the summertime, Sarah’s spirit of generosity, and desire to help those in need, was a defining aspect of her life.

Airhouse Founder Rodney Wilson was a close friend of Sarah and says she is one of the main reasons why the notion of Airhouse came to fruition.Sarah dreamt of one day owning a training facility and having a space that allowed for the thriving of passion and sport. Airhouse is committed to the altruistic ideals embodied by Sarah’s life and her actions. This facility is a place and space for empowerment, and equality, for adults and kids alike, in order to support their dreams with a platform they can learn and will grow from.

We love that Sarah was a pioneer in so many different ways, so we promise to ensure the momentum lasts by supporting and promoting specifically women in sport too; Airhouse is a space that allows for the thriving and passion of sports and freestyle.

We created a girls-only Camp, designed with an all-girl coach team to keep the stoke high for young women in sport and to bolsterthe curation of powerful woman in our community.

GirlVenture is for girls who are active, ambitious, and creative in more ways than one. The camp encompasses these four pillars: Artistry, Adventure, Leadership, and Community.

We pledge to uphold Sarah’s spirit and legacy by donating a portion of the proceeds of GirlVenture to the Sarah Burke Foundation, yet another nod to her devotion to helping others. Our wish is to see her not just remembered but revered as one of the awesome forces behind the next generation of radgirls and those following their dreams.

Find your next kids Camp: kelowna → nanaimo → squamish →

Athlete Spotlight: Tate Garrod

We caught up with Airhouse athlete Tate Garrod, a 17 y/o skier who uses Kelowna’s facility to progress his skiing passion with dryland training, tramp-ski control, aerial awareness and spatial control.

When you come to airhouse, do you consider yourself to be training or playing - is there a difference between the two for you?

I would say that it is both. When I come to the airhouse I have a specific training plan with tricks that I would like to learn or improve on but it is really fun to me. I really enjoy trampolining and I think it is a great way to progress my skills so I would consider it both training and playing.

What does your pre season training look like? How has airhouse helped to train and condition you?

My preseason training consists of a lot of trampolining, a summer setup for skiing and fitness. Most of my tricks start on the trampoline so I spend a lot of time practicing the tricks that I would like to learn in the upcoming season on the trampoline.  Airhouse has great trampolines for learning all tricks from singles to triples so I use the facility as much as I can especially in the offseason. 

“I did a lot of visualization in this competition, practicing my run over and over in my head until I felt very confident that I could perform the skills when it counted. ”

Do you set goals for any of your comps?

In my most recent Mammoth comp, the initial goal that I had set was to make finals but that changed in the weeks leading up to the competition to a more performance-based goal. I still wanted to make finals but my focus shifted towards consistency. I wanted to put down four runs (throughout both comps). To do this I came up with challenging runs that I could do consistently.  My strategy was to land a good run that I had consistent and then step up certain parts of the run to bump up my score.

We know that you use visualization techniques, can you tell us a little more about that in your latest comp that you did?

I did a lot of visualization in this competition, practicing my run over and over in my head until I felt very confident that I could perform the skills when it counted.  This process worked well and by the second competition I was ready to add in a new trick which I had not yet done into my comp run (switch double cork 1260).  I landed this trick for the first time in practice on the day of the second competition and put it into my run.  By the end of the second competition, I had exceeded my expectations in terms of my competition run.

What would be your main takeaways from your latest comp?

This competition was a great experience and I learned a lot.  My main takeaway is the importance of dialing in a competitive process. I focussed a lot on upping my runs throughout training and being constant rather than aiming for a difficult run and not putting much thought into plan B. This really improved my confidence throughout the competition and led to me performing much better.  It was also great to get a feel for what it is like to compete at this higher level with skiers that I have looked up to for years.  Overall I am very happy with how I performed in Mammoth and I feel that I am finding my slopestyle groove. 

“Airhouse is a great tool for progressing in skiing and If you get some good foundations, you can learn any trick you want in the future.”

— Tate

What is the driving force behind skiing - What makes you keen to for these competitions?

My favorite part of skiing is learning a new trick.  I love how there is an endless list of tricks that you can learn and there is always something to be working towards. This pursuit of progression is what motivates me and keeps me excited about skiing. I think that competing is a great way to test your skills. I enjoy the pressure of competing and the mental challenge that it provides. You only have so many opportunities to perform at competitions throughout the season so it takes a lot of preparation to make sure you do your best at each contest.

Can you give a piece of advice either that you’ve been given by someone else or that you would give to others when starting out or progressing in their sporting journey?

My advice to someone relatively new to the sport would be “Don't be discouraged by your current skill level relative to others around you.” Everybody starts off somewhere and you truly can achieve anything you want in sports and life if you put thought and time into it.  I was not the most naturally talented athlete when I started out and didn’t see much progression until I put in lots of time on rails and on trampoline.  Airhouse is a great tool for progressing in skiing and If you get some good foundations, you can learn any trick you want in the future.

Spotlight: Coach Jessie

We caught up with Coach Jessie in Kelowna to chat a little about what makes her move! Jessie is switching it up in her snowboarding style and mentality, a competitive Gymnastics and an air-time specialist who dedicates most days out to pure FUN!

Having been in the Canada BC Gymnastics Team, she knows a thing or two about fear and how to handle the pressure. Get inspired with her interview now!

Proud to have such cool members like Jessie as part of our Crew.

Why (and when) did you first choose your sport?

I started practising Gymnastics when I was about 4 years old, it was one of those ‘I saw it on TV’ scenarios, from then on I started doing cartwheels incessantly and was jumping off of everything in the living room! In all honesty, I get a little rosy in the cheeks saying I saw it on TV because if you know me well now, you’ll know I'm a strong believer in VERY minimal TV time!

For snowboarding, it wasn't until my later teenage years that I really dove into the sport. I look up to my brother a lot, so once he left playing hockey to start snowboarding then I pretty much followed suit.

What is it about the sport that brings you joy? 

I love not having to think of anything else except the exact activity I am doing, it’s having that full focus for the task in hand and truly being in the given moment.

The physical and mental advancement, there is always something more to strive for, something new to try, people to meet or places to go.  The feeling of grafting for something, even though sometimes it takes longer than you might have wanted, and then one day all of those pieces suddenly fitting together perfectly and you’re a step further in your abilities.

Glory feelings to me include dodging trees on a powder day (feel like a ninja), pow slashes, getting a new trick, watching your friends send it, seeing all ages from young to "old" participating in an activity that promotes confidence and ability. Having a full run of side hits and butterable terrain. No lift line. Having a mental breakthrough. Landing a full turn on the Beam during a comp. Doing flips. Feeling 110% in control of my body!

How important is it to you to achieve your sporting goals?

It’s really important! However, the most important goal is to actually have tons of fun through each and every stage of the sport; The learning curves, the hard times, the awesome times, the boring times. Recognizing that I do not have to do it for any other reason than for the FUN OF IT. It’s my choice, my tricks, my style. If I’m not achieving the goal of full fun, then.... Well, I haven't felt that yet!

What are the physical aspects of your sport that you do well in, and what do you want to work on?

Strength and flexibility can always be improved, a never-ending goal.

Trusting my abilities. Self-doubt can set in from time to time, so I want to get way more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

These days, I’m pretty good at keeping it positive and grateful to be able to utilize my body and my mind, whilst hanging out on this beautiful earth with some really groovy folks.

What fears did/do you have? And how do you help control those in order to progress?

Injuries, and the worst-case scenario at that. After many years of standing up top and waiting to drop in for a trick, or standing at the end of the beam thinking about what needs to be done, the very worst visual of all the things that could go wrong would pop into my head. Once upon a time, I would have run from it, trying to quickly get it out of my head and pretend as I’d never seen it. However, I’ve since learnt to truly look at these straight on, and instead walk through the steps of why this is popping into my head - whether that’s catching an edge or clipping a rail. In doing so, I can then also walk myself through the RIGHT way by taking necessary mental moments to turn that fear into a learning experience.

Lastly, PREhabilitation- and REhabilitation. Set yourself up for success physically as well, prep your body so it is capable.

Can you give a piece of advice either that you’ve been given by someone else or that you would give to others when starting out or progressing in their sporting journey?   

• You're not nervous, you're excited

• You Can

• Think for yourself

• Fighting hurts even if you win

• Do it switch

• You are, I am, it is

Lastly, what was it like to compete in the BC gymnastics team?

Wooo that’s a lonnnnggg timmmee ago! Sports in general were different back then, how it was thought to develop athletes has proven to be an absolutely abstract approach to mental and physical growth. Everything in gymnastics is very make it or break it so it felt good to be on the side of making it, although once I got to the Canadian Open with the team, I had a fall on the Beam that took me from 1st to 4th place and that just about sums up the sport of gymnastics! It gives you reasons over and over and over to try harder, push yourself, and be better.

Spotlight: Coach Khay

We caught up with Coach Khay in Squamish to chat a little about what makes him move! 

Khay is a Parkour and acrobatics wizard, a freerunning explorer and a dedicated guy to both this sport and the community that goes with it. 

Having worked with the San Francisco Broadway and Opera as an acrobat, be prepared to get inspired with his interview now! We’re proud to have such a guy as part of our Crew.

Why (and when) did you first choose your sport?

In 2013 I saw my first acrobatic performance, it inspired me to learn how to move and control my body in a way that gravity played less of a role. I started trying to teach myself how to backflip in the school sandpit. One day I showed my mom and she freaked out and sent me to an acrobatic / parkour class to learn to flip safely and I instantly fell in love.

“One day I showed my mom and she freaked out and sent me to an acrobatic / parkour class to learn to flip safely and I instantly fell in love.”

What is it about the sport that brings you joy?

In parkour and acrobatics there are two big aspects of the sports that I fell in love with: the community and the freedom of movement. The community in parkour and acrobatics/circus-arts is what has really kept me involved in the sport. The people you meet in the community are some of the coolest, most genuine, unique and kind people I have met in my life. Everyone is so eager to share their passion, advice, and knowledge even if they just met you.

The second aspect of my sport I enjoy is the pure freedom you get by mastering your body, learning parkour and acrobatics has helped me in so many different aspects of my life. They force you to learn how to learn, every trick or move you learn is teaching you how to tame your fear, consciously manipulate your body, and figure out your own learning process.  

How important is it to you to achieve your sporting goals?

Sport goals are very important in my opinion without them it's too easy to stop progressing. I try to set a new goal per month so that when I come in to train I don't just work on the same tricks I can already do.

Goals keep my excitement and motivation alive, when I stop progressing it can kill my enjoyment and love for the sport but by making sure I'm constantly pushing myself in some way I remember why I originally started the sport.

What are the physical aspects of your sport that you do well in, and what do you want to work on?

I have always been naturally strong and springy but this has been a double edge sword. These strengths have helped me a lot in my sports but because of them, I have not paid any attention to my flexibility. This is one aspect that I'm trying to work on, making sure that I treat my body well has truly changed the way I move. Now that I'm working on taking care of my body and stretching I can move better, progress faster, get less sore, and can train more frequently. 

“Sport goals are very important in my opinion without them it’s too easy to stop progressing.
”

What are the mental aspects of your sport that you do well, and what do you want to work on?

I think that the biggest mental aspect I do well in is being a fast learner. Over time I have come to really understand my body which has allowed me to learn new moves and tricks quickly. The biggest mental aspect I'm working on is making sure I continually practice the basics. I always want to do the cool new tricks and I can forget to come in and have a practice session that is just focused on making sure my basics are still solid.

What fears did or do you have? And how do you help control those in order to progress?

Fear is a normal part of anything but especially these types of sports. I have found that learning how to bail safely on a trick and practicing or making sure you know what to do if it does go wrong has allowed me to feel confident in trying new things. If I'm working on a new trick I will think of all the things I'm scared of happening and then practice the bails for them to make sure if it does happen I will be safe.

Can you give a piece of advice either that you’ve been given by someone else or that you would give to others when starting out or progressing in their sporting journey?

Focus on the little wins you achieve while you start rather than the big ones if you do that in little to no time you will be just as good as the people you look up to. The more you pay attention to small wins the better you feel, the more fun you have and the more you're going to want to continue training or practicing.