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Crankworx Whistler 2014 (euro monkey trip)

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Guys, does anybody know the date of 2014 Crankworx Whistler festival?

I want to start making some preparations for my biggest bike trip, so far :)

BTW, there were rumours about 2-3-4 weeks bikes passes for euro bikers... have you heard anything about it?

Thx in advance for info.
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Thx, but when I checked it 3 days ago, it wasn't there, yet ;)

What about 2nd question?
 

FarkinRyan

Monkey
Dec 15, 2003
611
192
Pemberton, BC
I sincerely doubt that there are 2/3/4 week passes being considered. Doesn't make any financial sense when you only have to ride 14 days to pay for/justify a season pass as it is.
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Well, that's the problem... Season pass is expensive (from my/our) point of view. I will not spend 2 months in Whistler. 3 weeks is what I can afford/leave family and work for(?). So, if I had to pay i.e. 50% of the season (nearly 6 months) pass, for 1 month pass (consecutive), I would save 225CND (+tax) and I really doubt Whistler would loose money on it ;>
 

FarkinRyan

Monkey
Dec 15, 2003
611
192
Pemberton, BC
Here's how it works, a day pass costs in the worst case $61 when bought same day at the ticket window or in the best case scenario $51 when bought online, 7 days ahead as a Triple Play / 3 day ticket.

A season pass costs $599 when bought at the early bird price which if you're planning a trip this far ahead, you'll be able to take advantage of.

So $599 / $51 ~ 11.74 days. If you're coming for 2 weeks and planning to ride 12 days out of 14, it's better value to buy the Seasons Pass.

I can't imagine they're in any rush to offer a 2/3/4 week pass at any better deal than $50 a day. It makes no financial sense for them to do so, they're not motivated by the public good or the fact that prices are cheaper in Europe. If you're coming for a 2 week holiday they want you to buy a full season pass and if you don't want to, they'll happily sell you day tickets for slightly more.
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
I plan to spend 3 weeks in whistler, hopefully riding 19-20 days. So, it's 30$ a day, which is twice more than in Portes du Soleil (not to start discussion which region is better).
Look here http://en.portesdusoleil.com/mountain-holidays-offers.html Somehow ppl in France and Switzerland can figure out prices that will allow them to earn some money and riders choose from many options and be happy.
I just have an impression that in Whistler they don't care about it that much.
Don't get me wrong... Whistler is a DH mecca in my opinion, that's why I want to go there, but...
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
Yeah it's more expensive at whistler because whistler puts an order of magnitude more money into their bike park than any other place in the world. From what I hear, places like PDS and other euro bike parks spend somewhere in the neighborhood of zero dollars on maintenance (compared to Whistler). If you're really worried about saving $10/day for 2 weeks when you're already spending god knows how much on airfare and accommodations, then you probably should just stay home.

Edit:
Go to sun peaks. Better DH riding, and way cheaper.
 
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frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
It's not 0, but sometimes it looks like not enough money...

If you're really worried about saving $10/day for 2 weeks when you're already spending god knows how much on airfare and accommodations, then you probably should just stay home.
I'd like to save some money everywhere I can, that's why I am asking about rumors I've heard few months ago...
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
There are much more important places to save money than lift tickets, namely food and accommodations. If you go after September 1st they drop the cost of the season pass in half I believe.
 

tabletop84

Monkey
Nov 12, 2011
891
15
Yeah it's more expensive at whistler because whistler puts an order of magnitude more money into their bike park than any other place in the world. From what I hear, places like PDS and other euro bike parks spend somewhere in the neighborhood of zero dollars on maintenance (compared to Whistler). If you're really worried about saving $10/day for 2 weeks when you're already spending god knows how much on airfare and accommodations, then you probably should just stay home.

Edit:
Go to sun peaks. Better DH riding, and way cheaper.
Pds has some parks who have daily maintenance and new trails every year like chatel and morzine and other areas like les crosets and lindarets wwhere the trails stay unmaintianed for years and are the same for years. But the prices are pehnomenal compared to some outrageous pricing like todtnau with 40(!)€ for 10 uplifts (who are slow as **** and you have to wait for the boblseigh-riders who are the reason for the pricing in the first place).

The weird part is that in some parks prices are almost as high as in winter where more skiers come but in summer most parks do **** on the tracks and in winter every evening they send the bulldozers out there which must be way moe expensive.
 
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frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
There are much more important places to save money than lift tickets, namely food and accommodations. If you go after September 1st they drop the cost of the season pass in half I believe.
I will gladly here about accommodation and food savings :) but I think I will look for some info on RM before I ask you to share.
If I go to Whistler I want to see Crankworx. The plan was to get there in the and of July and stay till the end of the festival. There is no way I could leave work in September.
 

wiscodh

Monkey
Jun 21, 2007
833
121
303
I will gladly here about accommodation and food savings :) but I think I will look for some info on RM before I ask you to share.
If I go to Whistler I want to see Crankworx. The plan was to get there in the and of July and stay till the end of the festival. There is no way I could leave work in September.
Har, worrying about 10$. My best advice. Have a budget, then add 30%. Its expensive and the beer is **** there.
 

RayB

Monkey
Jan 31, 2008
744
95
Seattle
You want to come to Whistler (from Europe), during Crankworx, and you're complaining about cost??

What're you going to complain about next? That there are "too many people on the trails"?

Re: lift tickets

Call the ticket office, speak with one of their travel agents, and you can work out a deal for a lift pass. On a per-day basis, it'll be cheaper than say buying a Triple-play card and just adding additional days, and may be marginally cheaper than a full-season pass, depending on how long.
 
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gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
Interior BC is worse.
beer is **** there.
Okay, I thought I was crazy, glad it's not just me. There beer there is basically all terrible. I tried buying the most expensive stuff, still sh*t. I think that's almost reason enough to keep me from ever moving there.


I will gladly here about accommodation and food savings :) but I think I will look for some info on RM before I ask you to share.
Food: Either buy food at the supermarket and cook. Or go here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-furniture-warehouse-whistler

Or, for lunch get one of the deli sandwiches at the supermarket. Good stuff, and only like $6-7. I found the biggest challenge of eating while in BC is getting enough food, without buying two entrees at every meal. I think I dropped 7 pounds my first week until we had a condo where we could cook and make massive meals.

Accommodations are tricky. Try to just split a condo. But yeah, crankworks time is gonna be $$$$$$$$$$
 
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MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
Okay, I thought I was crazy, glad it's not just me.
I will ammend: some of the Victoria breweries are getting with it and producing some pretty decent IPAs (although you won't find them on the racks in the Whistler markets). And Fernie Brewery does a handful of tasty brews.
 
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fred.r

Dwangus Bogans
May 9, 2006
842
0
Best beer tip for Whistler: When you show up to the Village grocery store at 8 o'clock on a Sunday to buy beer and get bummed because they close early, go up to Blackcomb and hit the liquor store at the far end. They're open until like 11 EVERY night and they actually have COLD beer.
Also, there are condo deals out there during Crankworx. We found a 1 bedroom w/ full kitchen in Blackcomb for something like $70 a night.
Your plan is exactly what we did this year. Got to Whistler 10 days before Crankworx, rode the park everyday, then stayed/rode until the end of Crankworx. It's nice getting up there before the events start so everything is open for you, once the festival starts the are multiple trails closed everyday (but still plenty to ride).
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
You want to come to Whistler (from Europe), during Crankworx, and you're complaining about cost??

What're you going to complain about next? That there are "too many people on the trails"?

Re: lift tickets

Call the ticket office, speak with one of their travel agents, and you can work out a deal for a lift pass. On a per-day basis, it'll be cheaper than say buying a Triple-play card and just adding additional days, and may be marginally cheaper than a full-season pass, depending on how long.
No, I am not complaining about cost, generally. I am just looking for savings. If there is not season pass alternative I will come anyway... just will not drink the worst beer on the planet ;)

It's probably first and last time I do such a trip due to several reasons I will not explain. So, being in Whistler and not seeing Crankworx festival, it's like skipping Eiffel tower while visiting Paris ;)
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Food: Either buy food at the supermarket and cook. Or go here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-furniture-warehouse-whistler

Or, for lunch get one of the deli sandwiches at the supermarket. Good stuff, and only like $6-7. I found the biggest challenge of eating while in BC is getting enough food, without buying two entrees at every meal. I think I dropped 7 pounds my first week until we had a condo where we could cook and make massive meals.

Accommodations are tricky. Try to just split a condo. But yeah, crankworks time is gonna be $$$$$$$$$$
We usually cook on our own, so if there is no problem with getting food to prepare pasta, that is a good news.

By splitting condo Do you mean coming in a group of few ppl? i.e. 4-5?
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Best beer tip for Whistler: When you show up to the Village grocery store at 8 o'clock on a Sunday to buy beer and get bummed because they close early, go up to Blackcomb and hit the liquor store at the far end. They're open until like 11 EVERY night and they actually have COLD beer.
Also, there are condo deals out there during Crankworx. We found a 1 bedroom w/ full kitchen in Blackcomb for something like $70 a night.
Your plan is exactly what we did this year. Got to Whistler 10 days before Crankworx, rode the park everyday, then stayed/rode until the end of Crankworx. It's nice getting up there before the events start so everything is open for you, once the festival starts the are multiple trails closed everyday (but still plenty to ride).
As the beer seems to be really poor... can I buy whiskey? :D

Yes, this is it... I'd like to ride as much as I can before Crankworx and then see the festival and ride a bit more during the event. From my experience, after riding each day for 10-12 days, I start to be tired of riding ;) So, less riding, more watching is a good plan :)
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
It's probably first and last time I do such a trip due to several reasons I will not explain.
Woman? kids? Don't worry, it needs no explaining :P

We usually cook on our own, so if there is no problem with getting food to prepare pasta, that is a good news.

By splitting condo Do you mean coming in a group of few ppl? i.e. 4-5?

Yeah, the more people you have the better. Condo prices scale sub-linearly with bedrooms usually. I did a BC trip with just me and another guy this year. It probably ended costing us a bit more per person thanks to lodging than if we had a third or fourth and could go the 2 bedroom condo route.

Food is easy enough to buy there. The supermarket in Whistler is legitimate.
 
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frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Woman? kids? Don't worry, it needs no explaining :P
Both... and money... and money ;)

Yeah, the more people you have the better. Condo prices scale sub-linearly with bedrooms usually. I did a BC trip with just me and another guy this year. It probably ended costing us a bit more per person thanks to lodging than if we had a third or fourth and could go the 2 bedroom condo route.
So, I will be looking for 2-4 cool guys and a nice condo with kitchen.

Food is easy enough to buy there. The supermarket in Whistler is legitimate.
Good news :)
 

sethimus

neu bizutch
Feb 5, 2006
4,881
2,132
not in Whistler anymore :/
Best beer tip for Whistler: When you show up to the Village grocery store at 8 o'clock on a Sunday to buy beer and get bummed because they close early, go up to Blackcomb and hit the liquor store at the far end. They're open until like 11 EVERY night and they actually have COLD beer.
Also, there are condo deals out there during Crankworx. We found a 1 bedroom w/ full kitchen in Blackcomb for something like $70 a night.
Your plan is exactly what we did this year. Got to Whistler 10 days before Crankworx, rode the park everyday, then stayed/rode until the end of Crankworx. It's nice getting up there before the events start so everything is open for you, once the festival starts the are multiple trails closed everyday (but still plenty to ride).
there are also a lot of monthly deals when you stay at least 30 days, studios start then at 30$/night
 

Tomasz

Monkey
Jul 18, 2012
339
0
Whistla
Unibroue is great, but it's closer to wine than beer. I don't sit down after a long day of DH riding, looking for a nice beer to quench your thirst, and grab a 9% Unibroue.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Both... and money... and money ;)



So, I will be looking for 2-4 cool guys and a nice condo with kitchen.



Good news :)

Are you planing to start breeding like a rabbit or is Giant Poland going broke since you think it's your last chance? It's not like you're 70 ;)
 
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frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Are you planing to start breeding like a rabbit or is Giant Poland going broke since you think it's your last chance? It's not like you're 70 ;)
Don't be such a smart a$$ and start saving money ;>

Guys, what about so called "staff accommodation"? Is it worth anything? What's the standard of these "flats"?
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Don't be such a smart a$$ and start saving money ;>

Guys, what about so called "staff accommodation"? Is it worth anything? What's the standard of these "flats"?
That's the plan though I think I finally need to get a car, even if a cheap one. Can't be bummin up rides from friends all the time


@Ryan he shouldn't worry. For some crazy reason we have an outbreak of contact herpes every time we go to France and it all stars with Frango ;)
 
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