Norco VPS-Fest: Blue Mountain
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
We got a chance to attend Norco’s VPS-Fest at Blue Mountain Resort near Collingwood, Ontario July 7th-8th. VPS-Fest is one of the ways Norco gives back to their customers.
We had a excellent time at the event meeting some great people and riding some amazing trails. To find out more about what VPS-Fest is and how our weekend was, check inside for lots of photos and video.
What is Norco’s VPS-Fest?
“VPS-Fest is Norco’s one-of-a-kind Rider Appreciation Day. In 2003 Norco created their first VPS-Fest event as a fun way to give back to the riding community and a great excuse to get Norco riders together for a great time. Since the first event, VPS-Fest has grown and expanded into a much anticipated event on many Norco riders’ calendars. This event gives Norco the opportunity to say, ‘Thanks!’ to our riders by providing discounted lift-accessed riding, FREE tech support by mechanics, FREE flat and wheel repair, the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes, and much more.”
For a quick preview on how our weekend at Blue Mountain was you can check out the video below. It gives you a great snapshot about how much action happens during a VPS-Fest weekend.
Now that you’ve seen some of the action that happens at a Norco VPS-Fest event, we figured we’d give you a more detailed account of our experience at Blue Mountain. You can also check the gallery for a lot more pictures not featured in this article.
We arrived at the Grand Georgian hotel late the night before the event. The hotel was very nice. It is designed to look like a railway hotel, with 199 suites ranging in size from studios to three bedrooms. The hotel is right at the base of the hill and there was a lot of amenities readily available. Our room was a large one bedroom with a fireplace and a full kitchen. If you’re staying at Blue Mountain this would be a great choice! We got to bed quickly so we would be fresh the next morning for the start of the event.
The following day we got our gear together and met up with our Norco friends to see how things were going. There were lots of riders milling around getting registered and set up with all the proper forms.
Registration area getting setup. (click to enlarge)
We took a look around at the area to scope out Norco’s goods a little bit. They brought along a nice size trailer for the event to house all the test ride bikes and mechanic’s equipment.
Test bikes and mechanic’s area.
Norco brought a lot of bikes for riders to test out. (click to enlarge)
Mechanics were on duty all day making sure riders were being taken care of. Norco offers free tech support by World Cup mechanics and free flat and wheel repair.
Mechanic checking out a rider’s bike. (click to enlarge)
After taking in the sites we wanted to get down to business and shred some trails on a few Norco’s. Once we were done with our required paperwork it was time to get on some bikes and start hitting the mountain.
Filling out the all important paperwork. (click to enlarge)
We got to test out several Norco bikes while we were at VPS-Fest. Norco made sure that we were set up properly for each bike and let us adjust everything to our liking.
Making sure things are set up for personal preference. (click to enlarge)
After everything was set up to our liking we headed towards the lift to get to the top of the mountain.
The line wait wasn’t bad considering the amount of people at the event. (click to enlarge)
Once at the top of the mountain the view was great. You could see the entire resort complex and a nice panoramic view of Nottawasaga Bay.
The view from the top. (click to enlarge)
Blue Mountain has a ton of quality trails to ride. There is something for everyone here. They have trails with varying levels of difficulty and obstacles. In all Blue Mountain has about 18 trails to choose from. You can check out the map here for more information.
One of the multiple trail heads showing trail information. (click to enlarge)
There were riders of every skill level at event. Some were much more seasoned than others but everyone had a great time on the mountain as you can see from the pictures below. Jay Hoots was also leading rides throughout the day with anyone that was interested in riding with him which the kids enjoyed a lot.
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During the day there were several different events going on. There was a fastest tire change contest, ride with a pro, and trials shows.
Norco’s trial team tore it up for the fans (click to enlarge)
One of the biggest draws was towards the end of the day. Norco gave away a ton of gear for all of those that came and registered. They had everything from wheels and tires to frames and forks as well as lot of other goodies.
Table filled with swag to be given away. (click to enlarge)
A highly scientific system was used for choosing the winners. (click to enlarge)
A bunch of attendee’s walked away with some great prizes. Everyone who won was super pumped and those that didn’t stick around for the whole day missed out on a great opportunity for some new gear.
A few of the happy winners. (click to enlarge)
The biggest prize of the day was a brand new Norco A Line frame. The A Line is great bike and we’re sure the owner will have a great time building it up. The picture of the winner is above.
An A Line frame was also given away. (click to enlarge)
After it was all said it done we had a great time at the Blue Mountain VPS-Fest event. We got to ride some excellent Norco bikes on some ripping trails. All of the people we met were super nice and all of the attendee’s looked like they were having a great time.
If you ever get the chance to go to a Norco VPS-Fest event you should take the opportunity. Norco makes some great products and they really enjoy giving back to their customers.
The next VPS-Fest event is at Mount Washington on Sept 14th and 15th for their big end-of-summer bash.
“Mount Washington offers gravity fed and adrenaline fueled mountain biking down 1657 vertical feet. The Hawk and The Eagle, two High Speed Lifts gives you full access to sixteen trails, or 35 km of single track. Plus, the expanded cross country terrain from the Hawk provides options for novice to advanced. Other highlights are: a Downhill Race Course, Biker Cross, Proline/Slopestyle Course and a Skill Center.”
For more information about VPS-Fest check their website: VPSFest.com
[Norco VPS-Fest Blue Mountain Gallery]
