Red Bull Elevation will reinvent itself, providing a spectacular course and venue that will challenge and inspire the best BMX dirt jumpers in the world. Confirmed riders for this years competition already include Corey Bohan (2006 Elevation Champion), Ryan Nyquist (2005 Elevation Champion), Luke Parslow, Anthony Napolitan and MTB crossover athlete and BC native Darren Berrecloth to name but a few. With all this talent in the field the crowds will be thrilled with their hardcore riding skills and will be sure to witness a series of back and frontflip variations, high flying combinations and massive tricked out transfers. “Red Bull Elevation is huge,” says last year’s Elevation winner, Corey Bohan. “I’m really looking forward to getting back up to Whistler because I know the course will be the best and everything surrounding the event is just so perfect.”
Construction on the course has already begun and truckloads of dirt have been unloading at the base of Whistler Mountain as the crew develops the best trails in the world to hold a contest. New additions this year include a lot more burms, bigger sets, more transferability and a massive hip jump on the corner. “Red Bull Elevation is the crème de la crème of BMX events,” says 2005 Elevation winner, Ryan Nyquist. “There’s no better contest, no better setting and no better field in any contest. I can’t wait to get up there this year.”
Bohan took home the grand prize of $10,000 last year, with his perfect style and mind blowing combinations of tricks. Bohan and the other 35 invite-only riders will clearly have to step it up this year to impress the judges. Judges will grade riders on their trails style, the difficulty of their lines and of course what tricks they decide to pull off of this amazing course. Speaking of tricks, there is an additional prize up for grabs this year, “The Big Trick” with its own prize purse of $5,000. This prize is open to all competitors and will be a half an hour jam format immediately following finals. After riders hit the dirt and the champion is crowned, the crowds will be kept on their feet with a live concert by Metric, a fitting end for this Canada Day celebration. Metric smashed onto the Canadian music scene in 2003 with their debut album 'Old World Underground' and their current album ‘Live It Out’ is approaching platinum status. Whistler inhabitants and visitors this Canada Day will definitely enjoy fireworks of a different kind on and off the course.
Red Bull Elevation blazed onto the BMX scene in 2005, taking the sport to new levels by bringing dirt-jumping back to the trails and became known world-wide as the must-attend contest for international top riders.
The competition begins with practice on Friday, June 29, qualifying on Saturday, June 30 and concludes with the Canada Day finals on Sunday, July 1. Metric hits the stage immediately following the awards ceremony at 6pm. For more information, pictures and video, please visit our website at www.redbullelevation.com.
For information on accommodations and the many other attractions Whistler has to offer, visit www.whistler.com.
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