15 Hours on Whistler’s Lord of the Squirrels
Karsten Madsen attempts Everesting on the already epic alpine loop
Photo by:
Pelle Gustavs YouTube
Any Everesting attempt presents challenges beyond the physical difficulty of climbing 8,848 vertical metres in one ride. The length and effort require logistical wizardry, creating a range of problems from fueling to location and strategy. Worrying about grizzly bears isn’t usually one of the problems. But, when Karsten Madsen decided to Everest Whistler’s epic Lord of the Squirrels loop, bears were a big consideration.
Madsen started his alpine epic at 3AM on September 5, with a goal of finishing in under 18 hours. The pre-dawn start meant riding in the dark, and being the first on trail to encounter and furry friends that frequent the area. To make sure he stayed safe, Madsen recruited a field of friends to join him on his LOTS laps.
Into the Mystic
While Lord of the Squirrels is Whistler’s epic alpine descent, the climb trail portion of the loops is Into the Mystic. To reach his elevation goal, Madsen had planned 7.2 laps. With each 28.9km lap adding 1,235m to his total, Everesting would take 208km on singletrack, and nearly 20 hours. To build the two trails took Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) over three years, with a full time crew working tirelessly through the short window the alpine terrain is open. WORCA had its budget slashed this year so Madsen, to thank them for their ongoing work, was aiming to raise $8,848 for the organization.
Karsten Madsen Rides Into the Mystic and Lord of the Squirrels for 15 Hours
In the end, Madsen exceeded his fundraising goal. The Whistler resident raised over $12,200 at time of publication. The donation page remains open if you would like to support his epic ride and WORCA’s incredible work.
After 15 hours of riding, and 6 laps of the alpine loop, Madsen made the call to end his ride early. Everesting is hard at the best of times. Riding in the late summer heat, and descending rough, technical singletrack added significant difficulty to the challenge. Madsen no longer thought he could descend safely enough to avoid crashing, and potentially an injury (and further draw on some of the resources he was fundraising to help).
While the ride might not meet the specific requirements of Everesting, it is still an awe-inspiring feat. A huge congratulations to Madsen for taking on this challenge, and for such an incredible ride!
