Kokanee Crankworx is held for about ten days in Whistler, British Columbia, every summer. It is one of the biggest bike festivals in BC. This weekend in particular hosts many races and events involving mountain bikes. Because of the cold and rain last weekend I did not see too many bikers, but the great weather this weekend brought many of them out to play.
At different locations there are demonstrations of various techniques, along with downhill races near the Gondola station. Many sponsors do a variety of P.R. activities for kids and for families.
You can tell by sheer numbers how much people in Canada love mountain bikes. The speed they come down on the mogul course and from the top of the mountains is awesome. What they can do with their bike is impressive.
The first year I came to Whistler I tried the mountain bike course with an instructor. We went up to the bike station at the mid-point of the mountain by gondola and came down. It was very exciting, but I suffered from sore arms for a long time! You can also try more casual biking around the trail in the mountains, a lot of fun.
Yoko Ishikura is a Professor at Hitotsubashi University ICS in the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy in Japan. She has held positions as a professor at the School of International Politics, Economics and Business of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, as a consultant at McKinsey and Company Inc. Japan and a visiting professor at Darden School.
Professor Ishikura is a consultant to a number of multinational companies and has been a frequent speaker at management conferences, seminars, and workshops throughout the world. She was a member of the Regulatory Reform Committee for the Japanese government and the International Competitiveness Commission for METI. She is currently a Forum Fellow of the World Economic Forum.
She is the author of Strategic Shift from OR choices to AND paradigm, Building Core Skills of Organization , and the co-author of the following publications: Managing Diversity in the 21st Century, Strategy for Cluster Initiatives in Japan , and Building a Career to the World Class Professionals – all in Japanese. Her books in English include: Asian Advantage, Hitotsubashi on Knowledge Management and Trust and Antitrust in Asian Business Alliances.
Professor Ishikura’s current research interests are focused on global competition, innovation, and knowledge management. She received her BA from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; MBA from Darden School, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia; and DBA from Harvard Business School.
