The world famous Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains in British Columbia, Canada are entrenched in ‘Bear Country’ as locals call it. There are dozens of resident black bears who call Whistler home year-round.

While the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort is among the most popular in the world for Winter recreation, the region is also hugely popular in the Summer with hikers, campers, mountain bikers, and more. One mountain biker, @willlewwismtb on TikTok, just came face to face with a black bear and then made a dangerous mistake.

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is open from May 16 through September 1st with times ranging from 10am-8pm and 11am-5pm during the season, which typically isn’t the ‘witching hour’ for most black bears but in ‘Bear Country’ anything can happen.

Mountain Biker Comes Face To Face With Whistler Black Bear

Will Lewis learned that lesson firsthand when he was riding one of 70 trails found at the Whistler Mountain Bike Park and rounded a turn to come face to face with a juvenile black bear.

His first instincts were strong. He made himself look as large as possible and made a lot of noise to signal to the bear that he was larger and not to be messed with. But then he made a mistake that led to over a hundred thousand people on TikTok agreeing was a bad one…

https://www.tiktok.com/@willlewwismtb/video/7523826792889584904

He got lucky…

The top comment on his post from u/Kynan has 121,800 likes. They wrote “turning your back on the bear is crazy.”

That comment is followed by “my anxiety when he turned away from the bear” and “bro you turned away too quickly. That was still like mid-game. Luckily bear bro shared the sentiment.”

On the WhistlerBlackcomb website, they warn that “Skiing, snowboarding, biking and hiking involve various risks, dangers and hazards including, but not limited to the following..” and then list “encounters with domestic and wild animals including dogs and bears.”

Another report from Tourism Whistler claims that there are ‘an estimated 50-60 black bears’ that are full time residents in the area. Encountering a black bear is common to visitors so it is best to be prepared.

How To React During A Black Bear Encounter

That same report on the full-time resident bears lists 4 key points of bear safety: don’t go alone, be alert, let bears know you’re there, and bring bear spray.

All of that is easy in practice however there are still going to be instances where you can be surprised by a black bear encounter like this mountain biker was.

In the event of a close encounter, they suggest:

— Speak in a calm voice and back away slowly
— Never go near a bear cub and take special care to stay far away from them
— Never ever run away as it could trigger a bear’s instinct to attack
— Raise your arms up to look as large as you possibly can
— Do not panic if a bear ‘bluff charges’ you, which is common, just remain steady and keep eye contact
— If attacked, protect your face and vital organs

Bear spray is a commonly used tool in preventing bear attacks. It is contained in a canister and can be sprayed up to 25ft, sending a noxious/odorous spray at the bear that causes them to flee. That should only be used as a last resort.

In this instance, the main mistake the mountain biker made after riding up on the black bear was turn around too early.

Ultimately everyone went on their own way but it could have ended in disaster with his back turned while straddling a mountain bike in a defenseless position.

The post Whistler Mountain Biker Comes Face To Face With A Bear On The Trail, Then He Got Called Out By Thousands For Making A Huge Mistake appeared first on BroBible.