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myself and sofagirl are finalising the plans for a canada road trip next year i've had the green light to carve out a few days of the itinerary to get some riding in at Whistler (probaly 2 days). having never been before, i was after some advice form those that have. we've got our accomodation sorted in the centre of the village, so main queries are:
Bike hire: any recomendations of bike hire companies in whisltler? i'll be riding in the park and it looks as if some companies won't hire for the park unless you have rent a full downhill bike, which maywell be obverkill for what i'll be planning (the techincal blues and maybe, if i'm feeling brave, and easy black). not adverse to a DH bike though. more important is hiring form somewhere that will set the bike up for me - moto / uk style for the brakess, get a rear spring rate for my weight etc. i'll only have a couple of days riding, so ideally i'd like to get used to the bike as qucikly as possible
Guide: i'm toying with the idea of getting a guide to show me a round on the first day. ideally to get me orientated as qucikly as possible given i'll only have a couple of days riding, but also to avoid heading down anything innapropriate and killing myself on the first day! any recomendations for guides for the bike park? any rough idea of costs for a day?
Thigs to do for the non-biking better half: any recomendations for things to do for sofagirl when i'm out playing on my bike - hikes, sights etc? she'll have acces to a car
must ride trails: i typically like technical reds in the UK (eg BPW with limited air time) or some easier blacks. i'm aware that whistlers garding system is a step up, but any trails not to miss?
any info greatfully received and anyt otehr hints and tipes for a first timer would be great
tia
I'm not convinced that a guide for the bike park is really necessary as the trails are really well sign-posted and, as well as color coding, the are classified as "flow" or "tech".
There'll be plenty of staff on hand who'll be able to provide you with a list of trails to start on and a recognized progression as they have thousands of riders a day from complete beginners to pro-level. There'll also be bike patrol staff on the mountain.
(Obviously, if you've got the cash and prefer a guiding, go for it!)
If you're "bothered" by having to use a DH bike, then just get one days DH rental for the park and rent an Enduro/xc bike for another day if you want to ride outside the park. And yes, they will flip the brakes (though I'm not sure about changing springs)
When I went back in 2022 I hired from these guys and they were excellent. https://arbutusroutes.com/
I hired a Yeti SB150 enduro 29er for 1 day, partially because I was going on a family ride in the morning so wanted to be able to pedal, but also because they were open late (8pm I think) and so I could lap all afternoon/evening until it was almost dark.
Bike was set up for me *perfectly* I didn't have to change any settings or pressures at all, brakes flipped, correct pedals.
I did kind of wish I'd hired a DH bike, or maybe super enduro, as I was doing fully uplifted runs and the trails definitely demand it.
And yes if just riding the park I don't really think a guide is necessary (which I guess is what you'll probably want to do to make the most of the lifts, if you've only a couple of days)
And yes some of the tracks are very very hard but they're mostly all do able. I had a go at the hardest tech track in the park at the time (Goats Gully) and I made it down most of it. Only walked a couple of bits.
I was absolutely battered after riding just for the afternoon and evening mind - really really physical despite no uphill pedalling hardly at all
Id recommend top flight travel insurance.
I don't remember my crash or what happened in the medical center. I do remember the £3000 bill racked up in about 3 hours.
I broke a bolt in my bike and Fanatic rented me a sweet dh bike for the afternoon while they fixed it. They must have swapped the brakes to UK normal.
First time I went I stayed with @bearback - thanks great trip. It came with guided rides in the morning. The bike park is signposted. It's graded. Just start with the wash stuff and work your way up. Maybe bear back might know some guides.
Any trails not to miss- all of them. I loved them all 🙂
Outside the park I did Lord of the Squirrels. A big half day ride starting at 6am finishing at lunch time, dark crystal awesome but shorter and valley trails a fun morning, much more mellow than the park. If I was going to get 2 days, I'd campaign for 3. I'd be happy just exploring the park.
I've been twice and now have a pair of kids. So I'll not be riding there again for 10 years untill both the wee ones can ride there confidently.
No tips on other stuff to do. I just rode my bike.
Other tips. Take loads of money. Second time I went was self catered. A basket of food was 3 times a UK Aldi basket. Eating out seamed cheaper.
Have fun it's the best riding I've done.
I'd get a DH bike for a rental. You might as well whilst you're there.
The main lift office was Commencals this year, they looked a bit tattier than some of the shop rentals. There were some Specialized and Santa Cruz fleets outside shops that looked mint.
If you're riding alone, I'd say go for the guide. It would be very easy to miss lots of stuff, or miss a turn and waste time unintentionally ending up Creekside (speaking from experience).
https://www.evo.com/locations/whistler/rentals
that’s who we used this year, we had a couple of trek sessions that were immaculate.
You don’t really need a guide for the park, just study the maps before you go so you’re slightly familiar with the zones and then head down the appropriate colour.
Might as well rent a dh bike for the park, it's the right tool for the job!
My usual warm up was B-Line into one of the lower blue trails. Then some laps of Crank It Up which is such a good confidence booster trail, the jumps aren't massive but so much fun. I could easily just spend a few days on the blue trails tbh though it's nice to spice it up a bit with some of the easier black trails too. I didn't really like the steeper double black tech trails, but I'm not really into steep techy trails anyway!
Other tips. Take loads of money. Second time I went was self catered. A basket of food was 3 times a UK Aldi basket. Eating out seamed cheaper.
This!!
Scandinav Spa for her while you’re riding?
As you've got to hire a bike anyway, 100% hire a DH bike. No reason not too. The braking bumps were vicious on my Trek Slash gen 5 last year that I bought as my 'park bike'. It was OK on the tech stuff like Original Sin, Goats Gully (except that 'that' corner that I always walk....), In Deep etc. It's the easier trails that really beat you up due to the higher speed.
The Spa could be a good non-biking option. Also going to the top of Whistler Mountain, then Peak To Peak to Blackcomb and down is a good easy adventure. There is a chill walk from Whistler peak back down to the P2P gondola with great views from the back of the mountain. It's just a rough access road so not the most amazing walk, but the views are well worth it. I've done it a couple of times. There's bigger hikes up there too if the missus is a proper hiker!
Heaps of information here on Whistler for a first timer
https://singletrackworld.com/resort-guides/whistler/
I'd dearly love another trip to Whistler while I'm physically capable of doing it.
All my mates have retired from big, expensive missions like this. It's hard enough to arrange a day at Hamsterley.
Swimming in lost lake or hiking around it is a nice way to while away a few hours.
Bike Hire: The couple of times I been there, I've used Evolution Bikes, great bikes, well looked after, I've done split rentals with them - DH bike for a couple for days in the park and a trails bike for a bit of exploring. they have Santa Cruz Transition etc.
Guiding For the park I don't think you'll need a guide, after a few runs you'll get a feel for the layout, but if you're looking to explore outside, then with hindsight I wish I'd hired one. Don't get me wrong; the local trails are easy to find, but there's so much choice and variety, with limited time, having an experienced local would made a big difference let them know what you want. Some (read most) of the climbing outside the park is pretty bloody stern, don't forget to pack your legs (do some training beforehand)
Must do: In the park, the obvious trails are obvious, there's a really good progress built in, so don't aim straight for A line, start on things like B line Crank it Up and so on and get your eye in. In a couple of days with a bit of commitment you can really progress fast, the jumps are built so that the average Joe can feel confident after a couple of runs, and there's spots all over the park that allow you to learn your drop-in and jumping technique at progressively larger and faster jumps. Trust me, I cannot jump to save my life and even I was eyeing up rally quite large takeoffs and saying "If I could just come out of this corner with a bit more speed..." It's genuinely amazing fun. Explore Creekside, the trails are often less busy and they're really really good fun - the lift is definitely less busy. Special call out for Top of the World. You'll get folks saying its not all that, and I get where they're coming from, from a technical riding perspective it's barely anything above average Welsh trail grade, but man, the sights, just getting there, the whole thing is an experience. On the other hand, I didn't think Lord of the Squirrels was all that...six of one, roundabouts.
Stuff for Sofagirl: Whistler is vacation world. There's too much to list from; great walks, beautiful lakes, shopping, spas, golf, peak gondola up to the hiking trails, a walk along the river, Cheakamus lake...bears... there's a local museum of native art, Vancouver is only about 90 mins up the road, Squamish is 45 mins
When we went we had a guide for days outside the park and figured it out for our self inside the park. If you don’t mind some climbing then a day outside the park is definitely worth it if you prefer more enduro rather than than dh trails
Me and the Mrs were there first week of September this year, tis brilliant! Can't make many recommendations in the park as it all blurs into one. It also depends on what you're into, neither of us are into jumping and I'm not really into flow trails but pretty much any of the tech trails are great fun, even the greens. The double blacks get pretty spicy but if you're confident you should be fine. We also did Top of the World which is well worth doing if you have the time.
If you're up for a pedal, Dark Crystal is one if the best trails I've ever ridden, it's got a bit of everything including slabs which I love and is easily done from Whistler Village. And if you want a full morning/day pedal, as tall_martin says, Lord of the squirrels as fantastic.
Also bumped into Rob Warner & Elliot Jackson which was nice.
Lastly, if you can include a day or two in Squamish, do it. I enjoyed it there more than Whistler.
Another vote here for Evolution for rentals. I've used them on 2 trips and they do a top notch job on bikes. Suspension and brakes set up for you and the bikes were faultless.
You definitely don't need a guide for the park from a navigation perspective.
This year, I took a 3rd day on a trail bike (almost new Santacruz nomad from Evolution) and headed up on the west side, just followed my nose with trailforks. Ended up on a loop around chipmunk rebellion. There's some VERY steep climbs involved for what is shown as a blue run on trailfork (well, steep compared to anything I'd normally get to in England, Wales or the Scottish borders!).
A DH bike will be ideal for the bike park. You’ll probably adapt to it quickly. There really isn’t a lot of peddling involved. And don’t be worried about ending up in creek side, there is a lift thst will bring you back up.
if you can cover the expense, a guide wouldn’t hurt. They’d probably be able to give you some coaching if that appeals to you.
it is physical in a different way to trail riding, upper body conditioning exercise (if you need it) would go along way to getting the best out of the day. There is little time to recover while riding the lift back to the top and the descents are long and fast and rough. Youll also be out the saddle more than on a trail ride.
It’s great. So good. One of the best places on earth, if you’re thst way inclined. Possibly the best!
if you’re self catering, stock up on groceries before you arrive.
Scandinavian spa is popular if you like that sort of thing.
thnaks for all the input guys, some really handy tips.
DH bike form Evolution it is then!
was mainly thinking of the guide for orientation, but doesn't sound like an issue. the secondary consideration was that i would be riding on my own, so if i did have a big off or injured myself, there would be somebody around to assit. but i guess i ride solo a lot in the UK so similar risk (all be it different level of trails)
i would be riding on my own
If you're in the park then you wouldn't have to wait that long for someone else to come down the same trail. And the main lift queue is a pretty sociable place, if you're the chatty type I reckon you'd find someone to ride with pretty easily.