Experience the thrill: Big White's Freeride Days promise a weekend of high-flying mountain biking action

Big White Ski Resort is the place to be this weekend as it transforms into a mountain biking paradise for the annual Freeride Days Mountain Bike Festival. With the sun shining and the energy high, the resort is ready to host a series of thrilling events that are sure to excite both spectators and participants alike. Andrew Daly of Big White gave us the inside scoop on what attendees can expect.

"Yeah, we're here at the base of the Freeride Days Slopestyle course, and ready for Freeride Days action today," Daly said, setting the stage for a weekend packed with mountain biking excitement. "This weekend, we've got the Freeride Days Mountain Bike Festival. All the action's going to be kicking off this afternoon and then tomorrow as well."

The festival features a variety of events that will showcase the skills of some of the best mountain bikers in the world. "We've got the Gold Men's Slopestyle on Saturday," Daly noted. "This afternoon into the evening, we have a bunch of events. We've got the Grom slopestyle, women's slopestyle, best trick, and the whip-off. There’s going to be tons of pro athletes here throwing down, and there's going to be heaps of action."

Spectators are in for a treat, as access to the event is completely free. "We're actually partnering with Toyota to provide free shuttles to the bike park as well," Daly added. "If you have a valid bike park ticket or season pass, they're going to be running free shuttles to the top of the bike park. It's a really cool, sort of once-in-a-lifetime experience to shuttle to the top, you know, access that you wouldn't normally get."

The festival atmosphere is further enhanced by a range of activities and amenities available to attendees. "For spectators, it's completely free to attend. We have a beer garden, food trucks, and a bunch of our brand partners are here as well," Daly explained. "They'll be doing some retail, so you can come up, check out some of the latest gear that's in the marketplace. We've got our own retail brands here as well."

In addition to the mountain biking events, the festival offers a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the athletes. "It's a really great chance to come and meet some of the world's best athletes. It's super accessible," Daly said. "We have the athlete lounge just here in the background—the Monster Energy Athlete Lounge—so yeah, it's as good as and as close to the action as you can get in the mountain bike world."

For those planning to attend, Daly provided some helpful tips on timing. "Pretty much 5 p.m. this evening is probably the best time to head on up. You'll catch a bit of the gold slopestyle practice for tomorrow," he advised. "And then we've got three or four main events this evening. We wait till the evening just because it allows for the wind to die down, cause these guys are gonna be sending it massive, 30, 40 feet in the air, so you don't want too much wind."

Saturday promises to be the highlight of the weekend, with the main events kicking off in the afternoon. "From 2 p.m. tomorrow, that's when all the action starts. You can come up, have some lunch in the beer garden from the food trucks, and then catch all the action into the evening," Daly said. "If you want to come up and stay tonight, I think we've got rooms from around $150 a night. That's not per person, that's just for the room."
In addition to the biking events, visitors can enjoy the many other summer activities Big White has to offer, including hiking and exploring the village. "We've got our hiking and biking in the bike park as well, and tons of activations going on throughout the village," Daly mentioned. "If there's a weekend to come up for summer, this is the weekend."

With so much to offer, Freeride Days at Big White is shaping up to be an unforgettable event. Whether you're a mountain biking enthusiast or just looking for a fun weekend getaway, this festival is not to be missed. For more information, head to bigwhite.com.