The height of summer for bikers around the world: Crankworx, an extreme mountain bike competition mecca located in Whistler, B.C.
Once a small ski town finding the majority of it’s revenue during the winter season, Whistler has now created a booming summer season that is beating its winter counterpart*. With the likes of Crankworx and recently The Ironman series drawing larger and larger crowds, the town gets pumped to maximum occupancy during these weekend or weeklong events.
But, along with them creates a boiling problem to local health care facilities:
More extreme, adventure driven people, inevitably leads to more crashes, cuts, bruises, and broken bones (hence, bone yard) being had within the towns limited capabilities.
Pro Rider Cam McCaul crashing during the Red Bull Joyride event during Crankworx in Whistler BC // Andrew Mitchell Photo
“It was dealt with. It was safe. But boy, one more (injury) for example, it would have been tough to deal with,” Dr. Bruce Mohr, Chief of staff at the Whistler Health Care Centre concerning the busiest day of Crankworx during the annual Red Bull Joyride. Overwhelmed with increasing rates of major trauma, the WHCC staff get’s pushed to their limit, unable to maintain critical response times.
A question, then, for these big name event sponsors like Bud-Light, Red Bull, and Ironman is drawn. Is it within their business’s interest to bring in their own or extra lines of support for the village’s resources they break to pieces?
The Ironman, who had it’s first debut this summer in Whistler tried to address this problem with extra medical resources, but for an event that statistically sees the majority of it’s trauma hours after the event it self, the extra staff were already gone. For Crankworx, with its ever-changing sponsors, the problem still exists. Its something that a company like Red Bull, or previous Monster Energy, who is constantly under health scrutiny it self, may want to step up and take responsibility for.
*Hilariously measuring how many people are in town by Slopeside Supply, the major supplier of toilet paper.
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