The AIRprentice is a two day job interview NSMB.com holds in the Whistler Bike Park. They invite as many as twelve riders for the try out and choose one for the team by the end of the weekend.
This year’s contestants:
Britnee Boychuk
Leroy Chase
Mitch Chubey
Andrew “Shrew” Sherry
Sheldon “WeeMan” Fitzgerald
Brendan Howey
Luke Fulton
Ben Glassen
Kyle Hansen
Dylan Sherrard
Curtis Robinson
Dylan “Stubz” Dunkerton
All these photos are screen grabs from video I shot of the weekend........
Day 1
I had to get on the road pretty damn early to get up to Whistler to meet up with the NSMB crew. But the good thing about driving north at 3:30am on a Saturday is that you make pretty good time.
All the riders showed up for some pre-ride group shots. Then the contestants headed up the lift to get some warm-up runs in before the first session at a section of A-Line that has a nice four pack of doubles.
We then headed down to “Crabapple Hits” so the riders could show their stuff on some high speed booters.
After a lunch break the crew headed up to the lower section of the Whistler boneyard, Then up to the Airdome form some ramp / foam pit.
I cut out to meet up with Clinton, J and some of the other Project 529 crew, cleaned up, had a little dinner and called it........
Day 2
Sunday was all about riding the Whistler boneyard which was prepped and getting ready for the upcoming Crankworx Slopestyle competition, the highlight of the Whistler Crankworx mountain bike festival.
The riders had the option of opening any of the boneyard stunts, which most are blocked off to keep the average bicycling weekend warrior from killing themselves.
The big blue stepup box, and the road gap stepdown leading to a big double were the lines to impress the judges. There was so much stuff being thrown, it was hard to keep track, but it was clear to see that there was a handful of the riders that were rising to the top of the judges list of finalists.
The riding wrapped and all went down to the GLC for the announcement of the finalists.
Finalist: Curtis Robinson
Finalist: Andrew “Shrew” Sherry
Finalist: Kyle Hansen
Finalist: Mitch Chubey
Cory LeClerc led the question and answer session, then the decision was in the hands of the judges.
And the new AIRprentice for 2007 is Mitch Chubey.
Congrats Mitch, and see you next week at Crankworx.
Big thanks to Cam McRae, Trevor Hansen, and Jay Sinclair from NSMB.com for the hook up on a killer weekend.
Also thanks to Clinton Fowler, J Allard and the rest of the Project 529 crew for hooking me up a place to stay the night, instead of another night at “Casa da Mazda”.