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Crashing and Burning at GoFest

Failing is fun at Whistler's summer outdoor festival

By Seattle Mag April 29, 2015

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GoFest, the second annual Great Outdoors Festival at Whistler, B.C., kicks off May 16 with four days of activities, including several extreme sports competitions that are fun for both participants and spectators alike — especially if you don’t mind getting a little wet. And dirty. And maybe a little envious.

Here’s a quick rundown of the feats and fails you can see — or experience — at GoFest 2015.

Slush Fun

What better way to honor the arrival of Spring than to ski across a giant pool of melted snow?

The Great Slush Cup is open to everyone of all ages and skill levels — just don’t forget to bring a towel for moments like this:

Mountain Biking Insanity

The North American Enduro Tour extreme mountain biking race kicks off at GoFest this year, and brings you great entertainment like this:

And probably lots of moments like this:

Kayaking Insanity

The Great Cheakamus River Extreme Kayak Race includes individual races, and a four-person head-to-head King of the River race.

Never seen extreme kayaking? It looks like this:

With an occasional moment like this:

A Relay Race That’s Exhausting Just to Think About

The Great Snow-Earth-Water Race is a team relay race that includes skiing/snowboarding, mountain biking, running, and canoeing — basically just about every fast form of movement without a motor that allows you to quickly traverse the mountain terrain.

Here’s a clip of the race back in the ’80s:

Still not convinced to go to GoFest? Watch this winner of last year’s GoPro video contest, and see if that motivates you:

For more information, visit whistler.com/gofest for details.

 

 

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