[Floor Tom]

My girlfriend and I along with another couple of friends are planning on spending a decent amount of time in Whistler during the '10 season (hopefully a couple of months at least) and I was wondering if anyone here has done similar and would have any advise.
What sort of price are we looking at for Accomodation? I have heard that it is possible to stay in some of the staff accomodation through the summer even if you arn't working there, is this true? Are there any smaller places that the four of us could rent out? What sort of price should we expect to pay?
I have searched for season ticket prices but can only find a reduced rate for the remainder of the '09 season, what is a full summer season pass likely to cost?
Is it really worth my while taking out some 2.5 Maxxis Wet Screams to sell to people? (I cannot believe they are not avaliable out there )
Whats the cost of living like out there? I have a pretty decent job just not and should be able to put away quite a chunk of money, but what am I likely to need?

Thanks very much guys.

 

[Iridemtb]

Bump, I am curious too.

 

[w00dy]

I did it last summer. You can stay in staff housing for $100 a week if I'm not mistaken. The other thing to do is pick up the local newspaper and just look for an apartment. It's much slower in the summer than the winter and there are plenty of openings.
Expect to pay $400 for a season pass unless you get a job with the mountain which affords you a discount.
Cost of living in whistler is pretty high if you're not smart about it. It's a resort town, everything is expensive. If you get a good place with a kitchen and don't go out too much you'll be good. Beer is really expensive in BC, high taxes. You might want to switch to smoking weed.

 

[Floor Tom]

Thanks for the advise Woody. I'll not be smoking, thats for sure, it doesn't agree with me (not that I've ever tried it, honestly) but I don't drink that much either so that shouldn't be a huge problem. I have been looking at the '09 summer prices and you could stay in the Glacier staff accomodation @ $315 for 30 days. What taxes will that have on top? ANyone know the place, is it any good or a total dump?

 

[d-tard]

Staff accom is fine, really small but not a dump, and cheap, not sure if you can take your bike int the room though......

 

[Tetreault]

you should be able to rent a nice appartment or condo for around $1000 a month, this is the best thing to do in my opinion.

 

[IH8Rice]

I'll not be smoking, thats for sure, it doesn't agree with me (not that I've ever tried it, honestly) but I don't drink that much either so that shouldn't be a huge problem. I

i lol'd

 

[Floor Tom]

i lol'd

Glad I amuse you

 

[CBJ]

There is so much good riding in BC why not plan a bigger trek. Get a car and a tent and see more of this beautiful place and meet tons of nice people. As much as I love Whistler its like mini universe of its own and not the real BC.

 

[FlipFantasia]

There is so much good riding in BC why not plan a bigger trek. Get a car and a tent and see more of this beautiful place and meet tons of nice people. As much as I love Whistler its like mini universe of its own and not the real BC.

what's the real BC? I've lived here for 7 years and have still yet to ride all that the region offers....i don't disagree that there isn't a ****ton of amazing riding in this province....this is a freaking amazing town, surrounded in all direction by amazing riding, from the north shore all the way to the chilcotins, and super varied....can't really get better biking bang for the buck than the sea to sky region...

 

[OB1]

what's the real BC? I've lived here for 7 years and have still yet to ride all that the region offers....i don't disagree that there isn't a ****ton of amazing riding in this province....this is a freaking amazing town, surrounded in all direction by amazing riding, from the north shore all the way to the chilcotins, and super varied....can't really get better biking bang for the buck than the sea to sky region...

I think you just agreed with CBJ.

 

[CBJ]

I think more or less he did

Its just that in Whistler you meet people who are from anywhere but BC every else I rode they worked at the local mill or had just worked at the mill.

 

[Floor Tom]

I'm sure there are amazing trails all around BC and if I get the chance to visit some of these places I certainly will. However I am only going to be in the continent for 2 or 3 months so buying a car and then selling it on will be too much of a headache, renting will be too expensive. The way I see it Whistler will be a good base and I'd hope to meet up with some locals and possibly tag allong with them on trips else where. I'd be very keen to race some of the Canadian cup downhills if I get the chance. The Mount 7 psychosis is something I would love to experience.

 

[Steve M]

Staff accommodation is $15/night ($450 a month), you share a room but the places are in good locations (10 mins walk or 5 mins ride from the gondola) and have everything you need - kitchen, bathroom etc. I stayed in staff for 2 months this year and it was great, you meet lots of cool people too. In summer you don't need to be working for the mountain to get in.

Get here before mid-June and you can get the early-bird seasons pass price. I think I paid about $460cad for mine including tax (they don't advertise any frigging prices with tax in BC, which is really annoying), but full price is more like $500cad. In any case it's excellent value, if you ride every day it's like $5/day.

Don't bother with mud tyres here (though bring Minions and whatnot and you'll probably manage to flog em off), cos the tracks don't really require it when they're wet - you tend not to get much of that cloggy clay stuff that just turns your tyres into slicks. I brought a set and they still have the Maxxis tags on them. I wouldn't bother bringing tyres to sell though, everyone here is hooked up somehow anyway and it's unlikely that you'd make any profit. However it IS worthwhile bringing a supply of tyres for yourself if you can - I personally recommend bringing 60a Minions as they last a fair while and have decent grip, and the bike park is a place where cornering grip isn't usually your big concern (grip on wet roots however definitely IS a big concern!), so no need for the sticky rubber really. RRP on pretty well all DH tyres other than Kendas is $89cad here, at a minimum.

Budget $200/week minimum for food and booze ($300+ if you think you're gonna be going out a lot or aren't willing to eat cheap/cook at home) and probably a similar amount for bike parts/repairs if you want everything to stay in A1 condition. It's VERY easy to spend over $1000/week if you eat out a lot, drink tons, buy lots of stuff etc. Food and drink are not cheap here - I don't know what food/booze prices are like wherever you're from (if you're from the US then probably quite cheap) but the Longhorns bar charges $7.50 for a pint of Kokanee, for example (which tastes like someone spilt some beer in your water anyway).

If you've got a few mates you can try to find accommodation on craigslist or www.piquenewsmagazine.com classifieds, otherwise there are websites like www.alluradirect.ca that let you find houses to rent. Get something as close to the village as possible though, no point getting a bus in summer if you can help it. The best areas to live, in my opinion, are the Village itself (if you have $$), the Upper Village/Benchlands, Brio, Cay Heights and White Gold. These are the mini-suburbs directly surrounding the village. Staff accommodation blocks are located on Glacier Drive and in Brio - Brio is definitely the better option of the two as it doesn't involve pushing up a bastard of a hill at the end of every day, and the rooms are newer/larger. It costs slightly more though ($450/month vs like $420/month or something, I forget) but it's worth it. I highly recommend staying in staff accommodation though - you know exactly what you're paying and what you're getting, the locations are great, you never get hassled for anything, it's cheap and it's fun. Landlords in Whistler, by and large, are absolute ****ing cunts - the number of horror stories about landlords in this place (I have a couple and I've only been here 4 months!) is insane. I don't mean to tar them all with the same brush, but they're ALL bastard cunts from hell with no exceptions.

Also, while you're here, make sure you do a few riding roadtrips out to wherever you can manage. Silverstar and Sun Peaks are not too far away if you hire a car, quite cheap and sick fun. There's tons of other stuff in Pemberton and Squamish too if you can find someone to shuttle with; I'm told it's amazing but I haven't ridden either of them yet.

 

[Floor Tom]

Nice one Socket, thats the sort of stuff I was looking for. I am currently in the UK so probably not as big a shock on beer prices as the guys from the US but still a step up. I was thinking of bringing some harder tyres but I think I am going to be hooked up with Michellins for next year so I'll have to wait and see what they have in the way of harder wearing compounds.

 

[Floor Tom]

The Mount 7 psychosis is something I would love to experience.

Just found out that this no longer happens, bummer. I'd love to have riddin this race, nevermind.

 

[FarkinRyan]

Just found out that this no longer happens, bummer. I'd love to have riddin this race, nevermind.

The track's still there though, so it's not a total loss.

 

[Floor Tom]

Yeh I know, it'll never be the same as the race though. Still, it might come back some day and if it does I'll try and get there.

 

[Steve M]

Nice one Socket, thats the sort of stuff I was looking for. I am currently in the UK so probably not as big a shock on beer prices as the guys from the US but still a step up. I was thinking of bringing some harder tyres but I think I am going to be hooked up with Michellins for next year so I'll have to wait and see what they have in the way of harder wearing compounds.

Michelins wear fairly well from what I've seen. In any case, bring what you can with regards to tyres, but even in the wet, dry/intermediate tyres are usually what the doctor ordered.

Oh yeah and make damn sure you've got good insurance. Lots of people get hurt here, and if you do get messed up you don't want to be $20,000 out of pocket as a result.

 

[Floor Tom]

I will have insurance when I'm out there. I have always had it on my trips mountain biking and snowboarding. Never used it yet but its still not worth missing out on getting it.

I havn't ridin Michi's for years so I'll see how I get on with them once the season gets going again. Hopefully the wear won't be too bad.

 

[d-tard]

Hey Tom if you're going to travel at all and want to check out somewhere epic with lots of riding head to Nelson, it's a bit of a trek but so worthwhile and prettymuch the opposite of Whistler with some unbelievably long trails, just a suggestion, and if you have some money to burn check out www.rilorwilderness.com not that I'm advertising for him but that heli drop into powerslave has me drooling.....

 

[missiongravity]

I will second the insurance comment. Been riding Whistler for four seasons now and this is the first time I have been injured up there. Guess I was banking up injuries and cashed in with one big one!

This..

Equals This...

From Here..

And This...

Equals This..Turned out to be five stitches by moonlight in the parking lot. Ended up with five more before the trip was over.

 

[Floor Tom]

Hey Tom if you're going to travel at all and want to check out somewhere epic with lots of riding head to Nelson, it's a bit of a trek but so worthwhile and prettymuch the opposite of Whistler with some unbelievably long trails, just a suggestion, and if you have some money to burn check out www.rilorwilderness.com not that I'm advertising for him but that heli drop into powerslave has me drooling.....

I'll look in to traveling but its only going to happen if I hook up with guys out there who have transport. I'd love to see a bit more of the riding around canada but only being there for 3 months from another continent means that buying a car would not be viable.

Also, Mission, that arm looks nasty. How much would that have cost you without insurance!

 

[Floor Tom]

I thouht I'd resurect this thread since the flights have now been booked. O will be there on the 1st of July and my girlfriend is arriving on the 9th of August, both leaving to continue our trip on the 4th of October (1 month roadtripping down to LA taking in some bike spots and then working/living in NZ for a year and a half, I think the road trip may need another thread). This means I will be by myself foa the first month, so I can either book into the Ticket 2 ride EP lodge or search for a room. The T2R place is a good option as it has a workshop and spares at ok prices but it does cost quite a bit, is it worth it? Are there any good websites for sorting out house shares with other people as a room in a 4 larger house is going to be cheaper and potentialy more fun (could end up with a twat in the house but its a risk I'm willing to take) than getting a studio for the two of us.
So who is going to be there? Does anyone have any advise for me? Would anyone be intrested in a house share?

Thanks
Tom

 

[Steve M]

I thouht I'd resurect this thread since the flights have now been booked. O will be there on the 1st of July and my girlfriend is arriving on the 9th of August, both leaving to continue our trip on the 4th of October (1 month roadtripping down to LA taking in some bike spots and then working/living in NZ for a year and a half, I think the road trip may need another thread). This means I will be by myself foa the first month, so I can either book into the Ticket 2 ride EP lodge or search for a room. The T2R place is a good option as it has a workshop and spares at ok prices but it does cost quite a bit, is it worth it? Are there any good websites for sorting out house shares with other people as a room in a 4 larger house is going to be cheaper and potentialy more fun (could end up with a twat in the house but its a risk I'm willing to take) than getting a studio for the two of us.
So who is going to be there? Does anyone have any advise for me? Would anyone be intrested in a house share?

Thanks
Tom

Unless they move every year, the T2R guys are at the far end of White Gold which is not a bad place to be, it's about 10 mins cruisy ride to the gondy (or 20-25 mins walk to the village)). From the couple I met, they seemed like nice guys too. Spares are great if they're cheap, but the bike shops in whistler (esp GBB which is right at the bottom of the gondola) put out courtesy tools for anyone to use. However, they obviously don't have specialty stuff like BB tools out there, just the basics. If this is important to you because you can't supply your own specialty gear for whatever reason, then the T2R place would be sweet (btw the house they have/had last year is super nice), and they do have the advantage of a properly decked out workshop and workstands as opposed to working on your bike upside down using flogged out tools.

Most housing stuff in Whistler is sorted out via www.piquenewsmagazine.com or http://whistler.en.craigslist.ca/roo/, beware of scams though - there are quite a few. Otherwise www.alluradirect.com has a lot of owner-direct rentals, but these are more useful if you already have a group of people together. Whatever you do though as far as renting goes, whether it's face to face or not, get RECEIPTS and get everything you agree on in writing. No exceptions - just cos someone seems nice doesn't mean you can trust them. Landlords in that town are the absolute scum of the earth, nearly everyone there has a horror story about being bent over by a landlord. It should be easy enough to find housemates if you're looking for em though, advertise on Craigslist or the Pique and you'll find someone soon enough. Prime areas to stay in - Brio, Village (costs substantially more though), Village North, Upper Village/Benchlands, Cay Heights (not Cay as that's down an annoying hill and a bit further away) and White Gold. Further out than those and the ride/stumble in/out gets annoying.

Barring catastrophe of some sort, I'll be back there for the whole season. Can't wait, cos winter is nowhere near as fun.

 

[sethimus]

I thouht I'd resurect this thread since the flights have now been booked. O will be there on the 1st of July and my girlfriend is arriving on the 9th of August, both leaving to continue our trip on the 4th of October (1 month roadtripping down to LA taking in some bike spots and then working/living in NZ for a year and a half, I think the road trip may need another thread). This means I will be by myself foa the first month, so I can either book into the Ticket 2 ride EP lodge or search for a room. The T2R place is a good option as it has a workshop and spares at ok prices but it does cost quite a bit, is it worth it? Are there any good websites for sorting out house shares with other people as a room in a 4 larger house is going to be cheaper and potentialy more fun (could end up with a twat in the house but its a risk I'm willing to take) than getting a studio for the two of us.
So who is going to be there? Does anyone have any advise for me? Would anyone be intrested in a house share?

Thanks
Tom

i'm staying the whole season with the ticket2ride extended play offer

it's a little bit pricey but i don't want the hassle with looking for a decent accomodation, plus the chalet is only a 3min walk away from the gondola. also there is a good internet connection, which i essentially need...

 

[Steve M]

3 mins? Do they have another place in the village or Cay Heights or something?

 

[sethimus]

yes they do, the chalet bon ami is for the extended play guests, its in cay heights:

http://www.seasonit.co.uk/bonAmi.htm

 

[stepanov]

Sounds like a f'ing amazing trip you're about to embark on my friend. I left for Canada a little over a year ago and planned on living in Whistler during the summer, but got stuck in Vancouver as it is a much more interesting city. If you're only in it for the biking though, Whistler is the place to be.

Never say never about the weed-smoking though... it is BC after all. It's just different, trust me.

 

[Floor Tom]

Good info guys thanks very much. Socket you are a legend. If you are out there next season give me a shout and I'll get you a beer to say thanks for your help.
Specialist tools would be good as I'm coming from the UK and this is the start of a long time away so there will be things I dont have, but if I can get some place cheap then I can probably muddle by without as I will have the basics. I'll check out those links and sort something out, thanks.

 

[sethimus]

ticket2ride has early bird offers till the end of january...

 

[dexter]

Looks like I might be heading back there semi permanently this spring-???. Anyone down for road trips I will have a full size truck to haul people and gear where ever!

I lived in Brio staff housing a few summers ago while guiding up there and bouncing at cittas. best summer of my life and cant wait to go back!

 

[Steve M]

Looks like I might be heading back there semi permanently this spring-???. Anyone down for road trips I will have a full size truck to haul people and gear where ever!

I lived in Brio staff housing a few summers ago while guiding up there and bouncing at cittas. best summer of my life and cant wait to go back!

Brio staff is the place to be if you're on a budget IMO... cheap, meet tons of people, sick views, private balcony, chances are you're 20 seconds walk from heaps of mates, close to the village, rooms a bit larger than Glacier staff and not up that bastard hill, never any hassle with landlords, can keep your bikes in the room, never have any troubles unless you don't get on with your room mates. I'll be back there in summer unless I happen across a really good house somewhere.

@ Floor Tom - no worries mate. That T2R EP place in Cay Heights that Sethimus linked to is in a seriously good spot - pretty well dead flat between there and the village so about the easiest ride in you can possibly have, and it's super close too. No idea what the place is like inside but if it's anything like their White Gold place it should be pretty sweet.

 

[zahgurim]

Looks like I'm heading there with a handful of friends for the start of July as well. Maybe for a month?

We're living in Asia now, but most of us grew up in Van/Fraser Valley and we'll be hitting up the old stomping grounds, as well as other places.

 

[Floor Tom]

Another little bumpity bump for this thread. I now have most things sorted out and should be riding my bike in Whistler on the 1st of July. If anyone wants to show me around then that'd be rad.
I have booked myself into the Ticket 2 Ride EP lodge in Cay Heights for the first month, after that my girlfriend will be comming to join me out there until the start of October so we will be living in a rented studio or a room in a shared house. Craigslist seems pretty full of options right now but I am a bit nervous of getting something sorted out before I arrive. For those of you that have been there before will I still be in a good position to sort out a rental for the both of us after I arrive? That way i can go and view places rather than relying on photos.

 

[Steve M]

Another little bumpity bump for this thread. I now have most things sorted out and should be riding my bike in Whistler on the 1st of July. If anyone wants to show me around then that'd be rad.
I have booked myself into the Ticket 2 Ride EP lodge in Cay Heights for the first month, after that my girlfriend will be comming to join me out there until the start of October so we will be living in a rented studio or a room in a shared house. Craigslist seems pretty full of options right now but I am a bit nervous of getting something sorted out before I arrive. For those of you that have been there before will I still be in a good position to sort out a rental for the both of us after I arrive? That way i can go and view places rather than relying on photos.

If you have a month to sort stuff out you should be fine (though August is pretty busy), just make sure you're very pro-active about it. Accommodation in Whistler usually gets snapped up within HOURS of being posted up, not days, so you gotta be checking Craigslist every day and chasing up housing. Pique magazine website gets updated at 8am every Thursday, you want to be calling people before 9am to actually have a good chance of finding stuff.

 

[Bench]

Moving out in mid June with another buddy, can't wait! Great thread with lots of good information. I was planning to post something up, but this answered most of my questions. Thanks to all who posted.

 

[Bench]

A question regarding staff housing. I know someone mentioned in this thread that in some of the locations you can take your bikes into the rooms. I was wondering if there is any secure storage options available in the staff housing building, such as storage lockers or other options?

 

[Steve M]

A question regarding staff housing. I know someone mentioned in this thread that in some of the locations you can take your bikes into the rooms. I was wondering if there is any secure storage options available in the staff housing building, such as storage lockers or other options?

Nothing like that in Brio, pretty sure nothing in Glacier either. What are you wanting to store? Just the bike or other valuables? Bikes are best off in your room no matter where you are, Whistler is literally the world centre for mountain bike theft, there are professional thieves who will get into virtually any lockup that doesn't actually contain people who might fight them. Even the Syndicate truck got robbed a few years ago, among other things.

 

[Bench]

Thanks for the heads up, knew it was sketchy but not that bad.

Was just thinking that the room would get jammed by the time you have 4 guys with bikes and gear.