Looking at whistler for my honeymoon

Will not be until May next year – looks likely will be 1st / 2nd week the uplift is open.

The wife to be rides regularly with me, and we are both off to the Alps this summer for a holiday with trail addiction – most of our riding in the UK is trail centres – will do most black features, but nothing too gnarly (gap jumps / doubles) etc
Just wondering if there is stuff there to keep us entertained for a few days ? from the looks / descriptions it looks like we will be OK on the green and blue runs.

Would like to know the following:

1. How many days would you recommend in order to do the majority of the blue and green runs ?

2. What style of bike ? as we have to hire them we have the option of a typical xc/am bike, or a full on downhill rig – obviously we are used to riding a more xc orientated bike – but if it is all lift accessed anyway would a downhill be better / more fun ? or is it a bit overkill for the green / blue runs ?

Firstly, you must be the luckiest man alive to get to go on a biking trip for yoru honeymoon!!

I went boarding there just before Xmas and got chatting to a few people who ride Whistler during the summer

Most of the rental places rent out big DH rigs and 120mm trail bikes. They avoid stocking 140mm bikes because they get destroyed in the bike park

Some of the shops where hoping to stock some 120mm 29ers as well

Enjoy!

Loads of people do exactly what you are talking about. So you won’t be laughed at for lapping the easier stuff on a big rig. Also, the jumpier blacks like A-line are perfectly fine if you are confident jumping. There are no mandatory doubles or drops. Plus you get to come back and brag about riding the famous A-line.

Whistler is amazing! Even more amazing is the riding lower down the valley in Squamish. If you can it is well worth getting a guide to take you out off the main trails. We did it as a family, with a youngster who is now an elite rider, and it blew us all away. Make sure you visit Corsa cycles in Squamish, they are the friendliest group of people ever. 🙂

Check out http://www.ticket2ridebc.com for holiday info, as well as providing a full holiday they also do daily guided rides to Pemberton, Squamish and Whistler valley and also hire out a range of Commencals to suit.

Bike park usually opens the 2nd weekend in May and depending upon how much snow they have had, there could be limited trails open for the 1st couple of weeks. You could do 1 run of every blue and green in a day easy and the 2nd day you just do the ones you like the best. One word of warning though, even the blues and greens vary in level and ‘Crank It Up’ is at the top end and a lot of novices come to grief on that run!!

Don’t let that put you off though, start on the easy one’s and slowly build up. Unfortuanately the best Blue won’t be open in May as that starts from the top of the mountain, which doesn’t open until the end of June.

Something to consider, it’s actually cheaper to take your own bike than to pay for 2 days hire!

As well as cycling whistler is an adventure capital, there’s lots of things to do.

As I’ve said before after all the build up whistler was a real let down, as was river runs through it and thrill me kill me

Squamish however was completely fantastic

whistler bikepark is fantastic but if you are just going to ride green/blue runs you may get a little bored after a few days. imo it suits a dh rig and commitment to riding the big stuff, but you can have a great time in the area just by riding other trails like the xc stuff round emerald lake and at different spots like squamish as others have said above

thanks for all teh info – yes I am very lucky that the mrs will ride with me – i think i may have a day to myself to try some of the bigger stuff – whilst she is off at the spa – thanks for all teh input though ! looks like the big rig will be the way forward

Walleater is the man to talk to. Used to ride in the UK till he went to live in BC about 3 years ago and did guiding and riding in Whistler and all those places. I think he works in a bike shop there now. Top bloke. (Hi Will *waves*)

He posts on here fairly regularly so he’ll probably join in when he wakes up. If not tag onto one of his posts.

great – thanks – will keep an eye out for walleater !

Hi John!

Whistler does get some differing opinions. Personally when it comes to XC type stuff, I agree with Plumber above. I’d also leave it as late as possible to come out as also mentioned above. Snow can be slow to melt and it would suck to come out when few trails are open if you could delay your honeymoon a bit.
As for bike, if logistically possible, you could look to rent a RM Slayer or something similar from Squamish or Vancouver if the Whistler shops are anal about what bikes go where. IIRC in Whistler you could either rent a DH bike which is obviously great for the Park, but suck everywhere else, or some horrible steep angled XC bike which pretty well suck everywhere around here. Maybe do some research on that sort of stuff before you come out.

And yes, you should really try and escape Whistler for a day or two!

I can add more info later if you like.

Whistler bike park is awesome,lots of big DH rigs as expected but lots of single crown 6″ travel bikes as well. Its super smooth compared to the runs in Les Gets/morzine so no real need for monster travel unless you ar hucking some of the really big stuff which is easily avoidable and the few gap jumps are clearly marked (unlike France). I would never ever get bored of riding Crank it Up alone, the runs are really special and pretty much everything is rollable and/or has chicken runs. T2R are IMHO pretty crap unless you are young and used to living in a student house. The place is in dire need of work,has a mouse problem and feels like a 6th form common room. I was recommended Bear Back for my next trip though ideally i’d stay in the village centre so no scary walk home after a few pints . The bike shops in the village all rent bikes but the insurance is pretty hefty. I’d get a 3 day pass and renew if you felt the need. It is awesome.

Ex Vancouverite here… nothing like the bike park but it’s hard work, In May the Garbanzo /top of the world section is unlikely to be open at that time and you will probably kick yourself for missing on that descent…

Having said that the green runs are not much, the blues are fun but you could have fun in a day and be dog tired its hard going on the forearms etc… 4hrs is more than enough per day if you ask me…

Opt for some back country rides there are ton around whistler (eg Lost Lake Trails) and well marked super stuff…. you could also use http://www.whistlerbikeguide.com I used them last year excellent…

I would suggest split your rides in 2/4 hr bike park days and 1 back country ride… in between you can hit the airdome or go fly fishing, bungee jumping, ton of spa’s too.

I’m over there in August for a Chilcotin ride (CFO approval pending)

There’s also some great stuff in Squamish and North Shore, but the North shore has some serious stuff beyond my abilities…

For backcountry stuff a longtravel HT is ok or something with abt 5inch travel will suit …for the bike park you can rent the bikes off the bikepark, last year they had Giant Glory’s, you will need something with 6inch min forward and rear if you hit something like HoChiMinh or Devil’s Club having said that depending on your skill you could also do the blue run’s on a nice HT.

If you do go try the Crepe Montagne for a good breakfast best damn crepes ever.

FYG Whistler Blue runs I think are the UK equivalent of the Black runs… you can also pay for a guide on the bike park including bike lessons… if you feel super rich sign up for Richie Schely’s adventure camps the likes of Wade Simmons etc instruct

Have fun and congrats

speak to Walleater as well

First week of the bike park being open.. dont expect to see much more than A-line, B-line, Crank It up and a handful of other trails open.

As walleater points out, bike park opening has been limited the last few years. It seems we’ve had a seasonal shift trend with the summer lasting much longer into september/october and winter lasting longer into spring. Bike park trail crew and volunteers have been up early season in years past digging out trails in order to get them open as soon as they can!
Late June and things are getting pretty good, the rains almost done for the summer and its generally more buzzing aroudn teh resort.

We’ve had a few honeymoon couples out with us. They’ve enjoyed the chalet experience but if you’re more focussed on doing it more privately and focussing on each others company, we do have hotel and townhome options available, however from a pure $value point of view, our half board Whistler Experience package is unbeatable!
Right now, we are the only option in Whistler for a catered and guided mtb specific holiday package but still maintain our high value for money.

If you’re more into pedalling, I highly recommend bringing your own bikes (assuming appropriate), with the intention of riding the XC trails and add in a day or two on the bike park with rental DH specific bikes.
We’re Whistler’s only tenured guiding operation for the trails outside of the bike park and our guides are seasoned professionals.. they guide and coach as a career.
IME, Plumber is in the minority of visitors I would say. I can’t think of any of our guided guests who have been unimpressed wth the riding on offer. We are however expecting adding in a Squamish XC option though as the riding is superb. (I live in Sq)
Both Whistler and Squamish can be overwhelming though as there are less easier trails than there is challenging stuff. We can absolutely put you on the right trail for yoru ability/confidence/expectations though.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. email in profile.

Congrats!

Riding scared.. scary walk? Have you heard about the guy flashing single girls on the valley trail at night this winter, or are you referring to bears? Only 1 human/bear conflict in Whistler that I know of since I’ve been here.. and the guy was sitting in the bears hot tub.. what did he expect 😉
Bear swats man sitting in hot tub

Thanks for all the info – a lot to mull over ! Now I have to see if I can get her to push the honeymoon back so it’s not the week after te wedding but a month !

I’m heading out there this summer and will be looking to hire a bike for a few days. Website isn’t giving much info to actually hire a bike at the moment – is it sensible to assume bike hire wouldn’t be available until the bike park is open again after winter?

Check here for Summit sport’s rentals.

2012 Rates, but use as a guide. Their rates haven’t increased significantly year by year in teh past.

Whistler is amazing, there really is something for everyone.
I’ve been 4 times and spend most of my time here wondering how to get back there 🙁

If you’re going for a week or 2 you’ll probably have more fun if you try and ride a bike that is closer to what you normally ride in the UK and Alps etc. You don’t need a DH bike for the greens, blues and reds.

Stay with BearBack, they will guide you around the valley and bike-park and make sure you have a great holiday. Stayed with them in 2008 and the holiday was perfect, couldn’t fault it.

Right now, we are the only option in Whistler for a catered and guided mtb specific holiday package but still maintain our high value for money.

What happened to the ‘other’ company?

I guess I should go back to Whistler and ride some XC again (I’ve not bothered since leaving in 2007…). If I want chunderfests I can stay in Van, if I want fast flowy stuff I’ll go to Squamish. Other than the rip down from Kadenwood I’m struggling to think on an XC trail above Whistler that I actually like!

The ‘other’ company, T2R, is still operating and taking orders for 2013 holidays and guided rides during the ‘MTB’ season. He’s being clever with his words as they aren’t there ‘right now’ as it’s the snow season!!

T2R hire properties for the MTB season, Bearback own property, i.e. are ‘tenured’. They both ‘legally’ operate guiding operation for the trails outside of the bike park.

The ‘other’ company fills their off season time distributing Commencal, Spank and IXS MTB products to Canada.

100mph, Nothing clever with my wording. It is the off season for all of us.

T2r are still about but no longer offering a catered package. Their accommodation is bed and breakfast. No evening meals.
They’ve shifted their focus onto the components they do best, the Sq, Pemby and NS shuttles. As well as most recently their well received and successful BC bike park road trip, and of course heli/float plane stuff.
They do represent a great option if your main priority is to ride the locations around Whistler, however, we are worlds apart as far as what we offer from a guided and catered, accommodation package.

Walleater, the west side has had some superb trail additions in recent years, closest riding you’ll get to real squamish riding. plenty of other additions to make stuff link better and rideable access to foreplay. 5 seasons is a long time, especially if your memories are off back of a season of work. If you plan to head up, let us know, we’d liek to change your perspective if we can :)!

100mph, tenure isn’t about owning property. T2R have applications in, but no tenure yet for Whistler yet afaik. Tenure covers everything outside Lost Lake, River runs through it and Riverside. Which are great trails maintained by the town council.

I see. Although you don’t have to own property in order to get a Crown Land Tenure IIRC.

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/Land_Tenures/tenure_programs/programs/adventure_tourism/index.html

I could be wrong. But then why would the previous owner spend a whole summer faffing about with (cutting his handlebars down one millimeter at a time and) trying to fill the forms out if he had to own property.

Oope, BB dived in first. Thanks J. Yes, I should head back and check the area out again. It’s been a long time. Speaking of a long time, it’d probably take me all day to get up to the top of the trails these days 😀

Lucky you, me and the Mrs couldn’t afford Whistler so we’re having to settle for Alpi Bike park, PDS and Pila for our honeymoon. I worked out we could get a month riding around Europe for less than a week in Whistler. So jealous of you. Have fun

Someone is looking for the OP to give him his “luckiest man in the world” medal.

Enjoy your honeymoon, and don’t forget the chamois cream son!