Whitefish

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Enduro Pescado.  It’s everything you need for good tacos and the best racing in Northwest Montana imaginable.  From the top of the lift to the bottom of the run, you’re going to be grinning from ear to ear.  Glacier National Park in the back yard.  Techy, steep, rocky, palm-removing runs down, and a base area that leaves nothing to be desired.  What else could you expect?  It’s Whitefish.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_js]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[/vc_raw_js][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Weekend Timeline

Saturday 7/14

All day: Practice riding.  We will still be finishing up course marking but all trails will be accessible and marked with normal resort signs.  If you see any problem areas or have any questions, let us know! Lifts run 10am – 5:30pm

Discounted lift tickets will be available for racers at the Big Mountain ticket office located at the bottom of the Chair 1 lift.  $29 on Saturday, lift tickets provided on Sunday via race registration.

Evening: Join us at Bonsai Brewing Project for dinner and drinks.  Expect to see folks showing up shortly after the lifts close at 5:30.

Practice Notes

All trails are regularly open to the public.   We will be marking the course on ThursdayFriday and Saturday, but full wayfinding won’t be in place until Saturday evening.

Sunday 7/15

WHERE:  Whitefish Mountain Resort, Registration and Racer Meeting will take place near the gazebo at the end of the Birch Lot (closest to Chair 1 lift)

7:00 AM: check-in opens

8:30 AM: racer meeting (MANDATORY)

8:45 AM: Pro racers depart on Chair One for Stage 1 start

9:05 AM: Expert racers depart on Chair One for Stage 1 start

9:25 AM: Sport racers depart on Chait One  or Stage 1 start

9:30 AM: Race course open

3:00 PM: Race course closed

4:00 PM: awards at the Bierstube, 3896 Big Mountain Rd

Our sponsors provided a ton of great swag to give away this weekend, so make sure to stick around for the podium ceremony!

Course

This year’s race crosses the resort over four stages.

Transfer 1 – Ride Up Chair One.

Stage 1 – Kashmir (Face) to Freebird (Upper section to summit trail crossing mid ptarmigan bowl.)  Stop at Summit Trail crossing.

Transfer 2 – Climb Summit Trail to Runaway Train

Stage 2 – Runaway Train to Maiden (located in the badrock area.)

Transfer 3 –  Continue from the end of Maiden on Slow Ride to the lift plaza.  Climb Summit Trail to Top of Kashmir

Stage 3 – GNR to Kashmir to Cindy’s Loppers

Transfer 4 – Climb Limelight

Stage 4 – Careless Whisper

As always, our course is published on Trailforks.  We strongly recommend downloading the Trailforks mobile app to navigate during practice. The app has a tab for “My Routes;” if you add the Enduro Pescado 2018 route to your wishlist in a browser, it will show up as one of your routes in the app.  This will be a really handy tool for Saturday Practice. Be sure to add/update the Montana database to your downloaded regions.

Food, Activities, etc.

Whitefish resort has many options for food throughout race day. http://skiwhitefish.com/dine-and-shop/

Plan to stop by the Bierstube after you’re done racing for drinks and food while you wait for the award ceremony.  Finally, in addition to the nibbles in your swag bag, Kate’s Real Food has a 30% discount coupon (Enduro30) for use in their web store through 2018.

FAMB (Flathead Area Mountain Bikers) will be set up in the base area on Sunday afternoon providing information about local trail riding in the Flathead Valley and selling raffle tickets for a sweet new Yeti   frame of your choice.  $10 and more info can be found at http://www.flatheadamb.org/yeti-raffle.html

Parking

Plan to park in the Cedar Lot located below the Chair One lift on both Saturday and Sunday.  Additional parking is available at the Base Lodge.

Lodging

Discounted lodging is available at the resort using promo code SUMMEREVENT (15% off regular rates).

http://skiwhitefish.com/lodging-maps/

Camping

Camping is permitted in the Hemlock Lot (near the base lodge) at the resort.  Please check in at the lodging front desk located at the Kintla lodge in the village to let them know where you’re setting up.  There are no bathrooms or showers provided.  Please be prepared and pack out all trash.

http://skiwhitefish.com/lodging-maps/

That New Timing System!

As you saw last year, the MES made a significant investment in our timing system, and you now ride full speed through the gates. While this means that you’re no longer responsible for your timing punches at the start and finish of each stage, you are responsible for following our procedures for checking in and heading out to the course. The timing chips must be switched on in order to collect time stamps, and they must be switched off after the last stage. Finally, they must be returned to the timing tent for scanning in order for you to have results.

We will start the race on timed intervals. We still allow self-seeding so that friends can chase each other and transfer together, but we strongly recommend that Pro, Expert and sporty Sport riders make sure to be towards the front.

Rules

We will cover rules and course-specific concerns during the racer meetings. The basic rules are:

  • Enduro format – timed stages are mostly downhill, and transfers are mostly climbs. Transfer stages are untimed, but don’t linger because we have a course closure time.
  • Helmets must be worn at all times when on the bike. This includes uphills/transfers.  Anyone riding without a helmet will immediately be disqualified.  Full-face helmets are strongly recommended but not required.
  • You must be able to hear an overtaking rider. If you intend to race with music, one ear must be open.
  • Our complete rulebook is available on our website.

If any of your traveling companions would like to volunteer out on course, we’d be happy for the help. True story: Running an enduro race on multi-use front-country trails takes a lot of volunteers.

We’ll see you this weekend![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][/vc_row]