WINTER PARK, CO (BRAIN)--The first two days of Crankworx Colorado at Winter Park were a mixed bag. But vendors were holding out hope that over the weekend it would draw a significant crowd of visitors. This is the first attempt by Intrawest, which also owns Winter Park, to duplicate the huge success enjoyed by Crankworx at Whistler.
Shane Hensley, working tech support Friday afternoon for DT Swiss, MRP and Thompson, was trying to salvage a bent rim and broken spokes for one rider. “Thursday was mixed at best,” he said. “A lot of vendors hadn’t set up and it rained most of the afternoon. But today, traffic has been much better,” he added.
Hensley, like others, said he hopes Winter Park becomes a major event on the summer circuit. Doug Stuart, who has launched a new company, Corsair, spent Friday afternoon answering questions from several dozen consumers curious about his bikes. This was the first time Stuart has displayed several models of his new line.
And across from the Corsair booth, One Ghost Industries, a Santa Fe, New Mexico, retailer was supplying free tech support and selling a variety of accessories. But late Friday afternoon as the Pro Downhill Finals was getting underway, crowds were sparse.
Instead, tourists were watching kids play on a climbing way, others were whacking golf balls on a mini-golf course, and several hundred were lined up waiting to take a lift ride up the mountain.
Still, a number of companies had booths on the mountain including Specialized, Trek, Shimano, Kona, Titec, Marzocchi, Bike Magazine, IMBA and a dozen others. Darcy Morse, communications manager for Winter Park, said there is a lot of interest by Colorado resorts in how well this event does. Denver and its surrounding metropolitan area boasts a population of more than 2.5 million and for most it’s a 90-minute drive to Winter Park.
“We’ll keep trying things so that we can give people a reason for them to come here,” Morse said. -Marc Sani
