Whistler Sessions Grand Finale: Photo Recap
Words By lisa Mason
Photos by Ronia Nash
Practice day for Whistler Sessions was open to anyone who wanted to come watch, hangout, and bike. The sun, riders, and the crew made it all time!! Hope to see you here next year!
Kaylee Gibb’s first time learning X-Ups was at the comp!! That’s badass, the force is strong with this one! To see the progression right in front of my eyes was exciting! Once the confidence was flowing lots of ladies were trying new tricks, myself included!! #evolutionisnow
Nikki Way was sending all day with a 180 onto the deck of the smaller jumps to 180 off, her goal was to get a 360. A few crashes would take her out of the competition. Stoked to see what she has in store for us next year.
Some of our favourite LIV ambassadors, Kristen Courtney and Meg Valiant, were on hand to bring the stoke and represent the brand that has been driving ladies events for a while now! Kristen’s winning run was one hander, bar turn, and she started working on one footers! #progressionsessions!!
Canadian DH racer and local girl Georgia Astle came out to rips some dirt jumps with us. Smooth as butter, this one was.
Someone got their ride pimped out by Senderella! Kathi Kuypers made this girls day and the stoke is evident with a smile like that!
Kat Sweet of Sweetlines came second in the semi pro category!! She has been an advocate for ladies events since 2012, Sugar Showdown! Since then she has created a coed gravity race team and jr girls race team, and created events across the globe. Great seeing her clean the black line for the first time and then send it in the comp!!
T-Bog with Kathi Kuypers for fouth place at Whistler Sessions! She travelled a long way to ride at this event and we were so stoked to have her!! AKA Senderella this German rider travels the globe riding at events like the Audi Nines, Bikes Days, and Crankworx. So inspiring!!
Heather Baroody Adams no footing her way into second place. Her run also included tuck no handers, tables, one handers, and knack knacks. Although Heather’s trick bag was deep, Joey Gough edged her out with amplitude and extension!
Keeping the event rolling was Angi Weston, RockShox/ SRAM athlete and owner of Radical Roots. If you haven't heard her emcee your missing out, she’ll be back for 2020, she’s a crowd pleaser!
Joey Gough was definitely leading the charge with smooth style and amplitude! Taking the win with a no footers, tire taps, tables, and tuck no handers. Riding like a boss and motivating all the ladies to step up, who knows what will get thrown down next year!!
All the stoked athletes, judges, and volunteers!
Big shoutout to our judges Lynne Armstrong (2nd from right middle row) a FMB judge, a dirt jump coach, and the creator of Air Maiden. And Marcel Hunt (far left blue shirt, rocking the horns) a jump coach, rider for Chromag, and competes on the FMB World tour. Getting 13th at the Big White Invitational Gold event last summer, congrats!!
Your semi pro podium (L to R) Kat Sweet, Kristen Cortney, and representing Berny Jacques is Carolyn Kavanagh.
Your Pro podium (L to R) Heather Baroody- Adams, Joey Gough, and Brooke Trine. SRAM/RockShox hooked it up big time with some sweet prize money!!
Chelsea Kimball smiling after earning a fifth place in the Pro category with a one footer, turn bar, and a no footer. #ridebikesbehappy
Results 2019
Pro Women
1 Joey Gough (UK)
2 Heather Baroody Adams (USA)
3 Brooke Trine (USA)
4 Kathi Kuypers (GER)
5 Chelsea Kimball (USA)
6 Kaylee Gibb (USA)
7 Georgia Astle (CAN)
Forerunner: Lisa Mason (CAN)
Semi Pro
1 Kristen Courtney (CAN)
2 Kat Sweet (USA)
3 Berny Jacques (ZAF/CAN)
4 Meg Valliant (USA)
DNF Nikkay Way (CAN)
Sick Tuck No Hander by Joey Gough!!
Want to give a big shoutout to our volunteers, Amy Artel, Jen Cham, Isabelle Lang, and anyone else that helped, offered advice, and their time to get this series off the ground! Thanks so much! Thanks to our photographer Ronia Nash for catching all the action and sharing it with everyone! And thanks again to Lynne Armstrong, Marcel Hunt, and Angie Weston for helping run the show!
Bye bye for now! Heather Baroody Adams with the one hander.
See you next summer! We have bigger and better things on the horizon, including Bronze status with the FMB World Tour, and Airhouse event, and we’re gonna let the boys come play with us for the dirt jump comp!! Stoked for the future and to ride with you!!
Sponsors who believe in the future of ladies dirt jumps and provided some money, swag, and support!! Thanks for hooking it up!! SRAM, RockShox, Whistler Bike Park, Five Ten, CLIF, Sombrio, Chromag, Fox Racing Canada, LIV Cycling, Coastal Culture Sports, Evolution Bike Shop, Tag Cycling, and Live to Play Sports. A few shy peeps also helped out too, thanks for your private donations!