There seems to be a brilliant zest soaring around Whistler lately as riders gear up and head to the freshly opened bike park. The park opened for the season on Friday, May 16th, and the joy is palpable; I swear I can almost taste the sweat and feel the dirt hitting the calves of each eager rider all the way from inside the museum. With this current excitement, I decided to have a look through a mountain bike specific issue of the Whistler Answer from 1992. What a treat!
Along with the so-90s cover shot and its slightly dated articles, this issue provides a slew of hilarious and relatable experiences with mountain biking in Whistler. With so many interesting facts and stories to choose from I settled on two to highlight below.
In his article “Biking for Pleasure and Pain,” Bob Colebrook takes us on his bike buying journey, discussing his gear ignorance and honest desire to ride–something many of us can relate to. He tells of his past relationships, his learned vocabulary and his truly amazing connections made with numerous fat-tired friends.
Keeping it literal and not without an impressive knack for visual, Colebrook begins by describing the pleasure and pain of mountain biking, while ultimately focusing on the sport’s essence — fun. He continues by discussing his costly, sometimes torturous journey with gear, from the chafing and pinching of bike seats to finally understanding the word “treadle.”
I let out an audible laugh while reading of Bob’s financial struggles with his one hundred and fifty dollar bike turning into a six hundred dollar bike: “…I started thinking that maybe I could get a lot of taxi rides for six hundred dollars, and if I really needed to go to Lost Lake I could hire a few Sherpas to carry me up.” But of course, he assures us that it was all worth it. Without splurging on the bike, he never would have realized his great love that is Margaret (his two-wheeled beauty).
Entangled in the article is also a list of the “Ten Crucial Things To Know About Mountain Biking.” I’m sure most of you seasoned bikers can get behind a lot of these, such as “Bike mechanics are like doctors, always seek a second opinion,” “Pedestrians should be banned from the Valley Trail” and of course “Don’t ride the Valley Trail drunk on a moonless night in the rain.” All very 
standard facts and practical tips, I’m sure.
Colebrook ends his article with an elegant and encapsulating statement:
“Mountain biking is more than just recreation, more than just a way to spend unwanted dollars—it’s a hobby that makes masochism acceptable, if not desirable.”
The second piece from this issue that I’ve decided to include is very short and sweet. It concerns the reasoning behind bikers shaving their legs!
In “Bikers May Shave Their Legs, But Panty Hose Still Remain a Fantasy,” Grant Lamont discusses one of the “strange customs and bizarre practices that seem ridiculous to the normal person.” Need I say more?
For the full issue (and many more issues), visit our digital archive of the Whistler Answer.
