Had a provisional OK to go to Whistler for a week in September.
Never been or even looked into it so what do I need to know?
Have a friend going who will be out there at the same time but he'll be going from Oz..
In what respect?
It's a ice time of year there, much quieter than the busy summer months, a lot more 'locals' and season riders.
Trails are generally in better nick, weather can still be lovely and hot but it can vary wildly, we had some very cold & wet days.
Lifts shut a bit sooner (6pm rather than 8 from memory) and the Garbo lift runs a lot less hours.
I liked it later in the season, but it does lose the buzz a bit towards the end of the month as everything winds down to the dead season 🙂
I agree with the above, I managed a full season in Whistler and September was the best part of it. Quieter in the park, nice temperature and optimum trail conditions.
No advice really needed, turn up and have fun! I think a DH bike is best as the sheer amount of riding you cram in is a tole on any bike, but if you do take a trail bike there's some outstanding trail riding away from the park.
Hopefully it's fantastic as we're there for two weeks towards the end of September... I may never come back!
Went there for 2.5 weeks of a 4 week BC vacation. In early July we had 2 days of bike park. Then closed 2 days due to storm weather. We quickly learned it's boring unless spending money. Thankfully the park reopened on day 5
Mountain weather is random
I'm there in September, only been in August before. Can't wait
I've never been, be there for 3 weeks in September! Not great at jumping, so hopefully I should come back with wings, but will be doing a lot of singletrack around Whistler, have also booked the heli drop through BB. 😉
Is there anyone good to book through? Need to try and price everything up to clear with the [s]financial manager[/s] wife...
I've only ever been there in September as part of bigger BC holidays.
One year year it was cold(ish) and wet(ish) in the bike park, the next year it was blazingly hot and all the trails were blown out dust.
You'll have a great time either way.
If youre the same jack sprogis that i follow on instagram then youre bloody greedy :wink:...you'll have just come back from morzine.
Where's the best place to get flights? Would like to take my own bike too..
What about packing? Helmets etc?
I expect Air Transat will be fairly cheap into what is coming up to off season for flights.
Just be careful, the flights are quieter & they have a habit of combining them, our return in October ended up being much longer as they added a plane bound stopover in Calgary, which was a PITA.
Haha, afraid so
I carried my lid in my hand luggage
Check dialaflight out, always done mega deals for me.
this is a timely thread, i'm going to Whistler in september!
for 2 or 3 days.... as a stopping point on a longer (non-biking-based) road-trip.
in reality, i'll have 1 whole day available for biking, any tips for getting the most out of my short few hours?
I've only been riding in whistler in September. On both occasions the weather was lovely.
There are a lot of hotels there and they are relatively inexpensive in the summer. Many of the rooms have a kitchen in them, so you won't have to dine out for 3 meals a day. Washing machines and dryers are also common in the rooms, so you may not have to take tones of kit and clothes. I use trivago for hotels.
Get a box from a bike shop to pack your bike. I always take my lid and camel bak as hand luggage when flying with a bike. A DH bike is best for the park. Rent one if you don't have one. If you want a specific or fancy model, book in advance. Even if I wasn't renting a DH bike, I'd rent a full face helmet and some armour. At least for my first day.
Read up on technique for jumping and berms and drops. With a bit of theory you will be more confident. There are trails from very easy to (in my opinion) very scary. I'm no free rider, but I love whistler.
Don't forget to book a transfer from Vancouver. I think it is Pacific coaches that operate a shuttle. Check their timetable, it may be worth considering it when booking flights. The checkin for the shuttle is just by the arrivals.
Worca publish a map of the trails outside of the park. It is available in bike shops.
Have fun.
Drop me an email! My and 3 of my friends are off to Whistler for a third time for the first two weeks in Sept. We can show you around and share a few beers!
September is the best month by far and we book out in September before any other month.
Weather is hard to predict. Historically first half is sunshine, 2nd half changeable with precip. However July is normally blue skies and hot, but we've had mostly rain so far. I'm hoping this means we will get sun though well into October this year instead.
in reality, i'll have 1 whole day available for biking, any tips for getting the most out of my short few hours?
Get a guide. Don't [s]waste[/s] consume your time looking at a map/app/trailforks when our guides can figure you out and assess your ability at the start of the session then formulate a ride plan based in your ability, aspirations and expectations. They are very good at what they do!
we're going with Bear back as part of a package and are flying with Air Canada where you pay for bike extra luggage when you get to airport as well as normal suitcase so plenty of room!
Thanks for all the tips..
I'll, hopefully, be taking the Liteville so 180mm-F, 190mm-R travel so that should be fine.
Will look at the shuttle etc too and try and co-ordinate with the guys coming from Oz too.
Could be a tick off the bucket list 8)
I stayed with BearBack for my season! Amazing people and chalet!
Hi, me again...
hey Mr Bearback, what's the best email address to use for you?
(your web-form is a bugger to use, so i sent an email to the suggested address, to which i've had no reply...)
Hoping this remains a permanent feature