17,000 give or take a few. Photo by Blake Jorgenson

Photo: Russell Dalby

 A dreamy vantage point for the slopestyle finals was the Monster Energy Hospitality Rig nestled beside the SRAM Tunnel of Love feature on the course. Here you could catch the perfectly stomped landings alternated by bone crushing slams including Cam Zink’s over-rotated front flip which left him with a broken foot (but I heard he enjoyed a self-administered cocktail of over-the-counter pain killers and bubbly to ensure he didn’t miss a moment of the slopestyle). The crowd reaction was insane! “This is our X Games!”, exclaimed Kona’s Graham Agassiz who was sidelined because of a broken collarbone from a previous event. Other contenders joining Graham on the bench were injured Monster athletes, and Kranked's "Revolve" film stars, Jamie Goldman and Lance McDermott.

Monster rig: deluxe roastbeef sandwiches and premier viewing for Monster Energy Slopestyle. Photo by Blake Jorgenson.

Contributing to the allure of one of Whistler’s most anticipated annual events were the professional athlete sightings including Monster Energy Athletes Sam Hill and legend Shaun Palmer. Twenty-four year old Australian Sam Hill is infamous for crushing races with massive time gaps and Sunday’s Canadian Open DH (Downhill) event unfolded accordingly with Sam crossing the finish line eight seconds ahead of fellow Monster Energy athlete, UK’s Brendan Fairclough. Steve Smith rounded out an impressively stacked podium by placing third. Racing in a different category was Monster Energy athlete and action sports legend Shaun Palmer who dropped into the Giant Dual Slalom course and made an impressive Quarter Final finish.  An amazing achievement for someone who is pushing fourty years old and is simultaneously a professional mountain biker, snowboarder, skier, and amateur tattoo artist (the latter is just a speculation).

Shaun Palmer. Pushing fourty….and his bike. Photo by Russell Dalby.

As the slopestyle acrobatics came to a close, anticipation began to build for the grande finale party presented by Monster Energy at the Longhorn Bar featuring Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys. Joining Mix Master Mike were some of the finest music makers in Canada; DJ Illo from the EH Team DJs, Vinyl Ritchie and Mat the Alien. People arrived exceptionally early to claim a piece of Longhorn property so they wouldn’t miss one of the world’s most celebrated turntablists perform. When Mix Master Mike finally took the stage it was body-sardines all the way to his turntables. He blazed through songs in one-minute intervals providing a constant blast of ear candy and turntablism with a good number of Beastie Boys songs thrown into the set. Hands were up in the air for a long time and when they finally came to rest and the bar lights turned on and the smoke machine turned off there was satisfaction in the air. Before the gang at Troy Lee Designs headed out, including Troy Lee himself, Mix Master Mike was handed a limited edition helmet signed by Shaun Palmer and Troy Lee. An appropriate gesture at an event that celebrates the evolution of mountain biking and having a collective good time.

Dont' let the lasers cut your fingers. Mix Master Mike show. Photo: Blake Jorgenson.

Mix Master Mike show at the Longhorn Bar. Photo: Russell Dalby.

And this is what he looks like. Photo: Russell Dalby.