I might get to go during Crankworx.
Whistler!!
- Thread starter shelteringsky
- Start date
Haven't ridden in the park since 2014, my calendar for this year means I'd need to go the week after Crankworx. Contemplating flying in on the Thursday night, then doing Fri, Sat and Sun in the park before heading to Sun Peaks.
Sounds like a dumb idea to me with Fitz being out of service, but it's the only time I can make it work this year :/
Sounds like a dumb idea to me with Fitz being out of service, but it's the only time I can make it work this year :/
I broke my 11 year whistler streak once Covid hit and have not been back since. Was really hoping to go this summer but I think it's going to be a complete shitshow w/ fitz being down. I really do love all the fitz zone classics and using the gondola probably won't be the same. Creekside is an opportunity but all those flow trails bore the crap out of me. I know there is some natural stuff in there like delayed fuse and saber, I guess I really haven't put enough time in on it yet.
That's my concern, shit show, but it's very unlikely I'll make it back up there for another few years if we don't go this year - too many other places to visit.
I've never ridden Creekside as that's all new since my last visit. I don't go there for the jump trails and don't want all flow.
Original Sin to In Deep is my good time there off the top of Garbo.
edit: I guess trail closures in the Fitz construction zone will eff things up more, hadn't pondered that.
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even regular weekends (with all lifts turning) are a shitshow these days. even though i'm 1.5 hrs down the road, the whistler lustre has worn off. paying a premium to sit in lines gets old quick & driving to the interior is becoming increasingly appealing.
that said, this year's crankworks dh sounds epic; may have to swing through for that.
that said, this year's crankworks dh sounds epic; may have to swing through for that.
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I am w/ you along w/ No Joke, Joyride, No Duff etc, love all those mid mountain tech trails. There is a pretty good sprinkling of new ones throughout that zone as well. I don't want to paint a picture that creekside is all flow it's not but I'd say it's heavily weighted in that direction. There are some really fun tech trails on that side but less density.
I think the Creekside hate is pretty funny personally, and not really relevant to what it is moving forward. There's, I think, approximately 6 new trails that were built in creekside last season, including I've heard, rebuild of Insomnia with jumps, and the 1199 downhill trail will be complete this year too. rode a few of them late fall and they should set up super well after winter, and are a lot of fun. Also a new one off TOTW that will be very popular I'm sure. Bunch of them were built by Howler Contracting (Howler, Zanarchy, LESS, Blackcomb Helicopters trail on Ipsoot, among many many others), and are legit imo.
is TOTW still a once per day and extra $ thing?
extra money, yeah, no idea if there's a limit. I haven't had a park pass in probably 5 years and only ever do the TOTW thing couple times per year to hit out of park trail combos. Fitz just got too busy too often and personally prefer the valley trails away from the crowds.
It's not hate I mentioned I haven't been to the mountain since pre-covid. I love Whistler, it's one of my favorite places to ride, it's almost a second home to me. I'd love to hear more about recent construction etc. I rode delayed fuse the day it opened and it was a sublime trail (was it called some kind of muffin or something then?). The lines at the mountain are off putting, I hope it's not a mess this summer. We might still try to head up there...
Also I'd love to hear about the new line off TOTW, that trail was so good when it opened then after a few years of abuse it became a bit 'rough'. I guess that's to be expected. Where does the new line take you?
Totally agree.
I did ride creekside a little and up higher there was a lot of rooty crap that just wasn't super fun, as it was more random chance than skill and fun IMO. There was the flow stuff too, but that wasn't interesting to me. The trails you mentioned and the ones Manhat mentioned stick out to me as ones that I did multiple runs on, because they were good.
Been a few years, but will be heading up with a NC posse in July. Based on previous Creekside experience, Delayed Fuse to BCs trail is better than the other stuff on the planet. Mix in TOTW and RDS, and its lol good. Also doing 3 days in Sun Peaks, so amped about that as well
plz don't burn down whizzle and then sun peaks before I get there kthx.Been a few years, but will be heading up with a NC posse in July. Based on previous Creekside experience, Delayed Fuse to BCs trail is better than the other stuff on the planet. Mix in TOTW and RDS, and its lol good. Also doing 3 days in Sun Peaks, so amped about that as well
Like others it's been a few years since I've ridden up there (tried but got turned back at the border in 2021, thanks COVID), but there are several options off TOTW, some of which take you outside the park (and some of which eventually bring you back, or close to it). Super fun stuff and not super secret, but as is often the case it helps to have a local show you around.
No creekside hate here - Delayed and BCs are mint.
TOTW was an extra cost last time I went, but worth it to do the top half of RDS and to get across to Khyber and Kashmir without the hour long climb.
I'm thinking of heading back for a week sometime this year, but mostly just to catch up with the Aussies there and ride Squamish and Pemby. Will sneak in some park laps obviously but it sounds like such a gong show with the lift situation its hardly worth wasting too much time and money there.
TOTW was an extra cost last time I went, but worth it to do the top half of RDS and to get across to Khyber and Kashmir without the hour long climb.
I'm thinking of heading back for a week sometime this year, but mostly just to catch up with the Aussies there and ride Squamish and Pemby. Will sneak in some park laps obviously but it sounds like such a gong show with the lift situation its hardly worth wasting too much time and money there.
I've ridden RDS but never went out and did Khyber. What was I missing that we can talk about on the internet?
Headed up to northern Idaho and Washington this summer a couple times going to try and get a day at whistler...if not I'll linger in Bellingham...good to see the look of what's ahead with a lift down and lines..
the new trail off TOTW is a WBP commisioned build, starts below Khyber Pass and goes towards Kashmir, which is probably getting modernization work this season too. Khyber is fast tech with a few punchy climbs and connects to either Middle of Nowhere about 2/3s of the way down for more of the same connecting to Kashmir and heading back towards Creekside. Babylon by Bike is one of the steeper more gnarly trails in town, but is a bit slower speed and that heads towards Function and also connects to other options. RDS had some decent upgrades a bunch of years ago but subsequent Creekside trail development has kinda chopped it up a lot with overlapping trails so I feel like it's lost a bit of it's appeal to me.
Apologies for projecting PB attitudes here, seems to be a large contingent with overly negative views towards Creekside whom also think the world will be ending with Fitz being down this year, to the point of creating petitions against the replacement, lol.
Apologies for projecting PB attitudes here, seems to be a large contingent with overly negative views towards Creekside whom also think the world will be ending with Fitz being down this year, to the point of creating petitions against the replacement, lol.
Thanks. This is super useful and makes me fired up to head back up to TOTW soon. I am really hoping we can head up for a week or so in September when the crowds have hopefully died down a bit. No need to apologize, I understand what you are saying. Crazy hate for Creekside is weird, there is good stuff in there. I'd love to check out 1199, is that drop as big as it looks?
Keep the info coming boys. Any intel will be appreciated as I'm part of @jackalope's crew headed up this summer. As we are locked into the days prior to Crankworks we'll be looking for strategies inside or outside the park to deal with crowds, etc. Def wanna see if we can pull of a TOTW day--perhaps trying to make 2 laps if that is allowed/doable.
Thanks in advance--can't wait to be on the DH bike again.
Thanks in advance--can't wait to be on the DH bike again.
Remember when that stuff was all fresh fresh. I can still close my eyes and remember riding down that decomposing log on Kush.
I need to get Barham to export me a folder all the shots from that shoot we did there.
now why would you think this guy
would cause any problems? i mean, you can't even see the purple drank in his fanny pack...
Oh man--had forgotten about that purple drank. Shit was savage.
That said, we need to get that trip rebooted!
doesn't that fella have another birthday in may? let's do wilsons!!! or rock creek!
Once I sort dates I'm there I'll see when you guys are there. Be good to go for a skid or beer with some Monkeys.
FWIW, the last trip I did to Whistler I spent probably 75% of my time riding the valley trails rather than in the park. Complete change from my earlier visits where I had the DH bike and spent weeks just doing park laps. There's some amazing shit around the valley though, I'm keen to explore more - although it wasn't till the last few days of my last trip that the locals explained there was a mountain lion warning and that I shouldn't have been out riding alone.
Couldn't agree w/ you more on this statement. So much goods in the valley, it really helps if you know a local to help you loop it properly and or show you the fresh fresh.
oh yeah, that was so good! Was that deep summer in 2009? here's Kashmir/Kush in all it's duffy glory end of it's first year 2008
For the visitors, best TOTW lap is Function 5000, Peak to Coast Mountain Brewing in Function Junction...only bit that isn't trail is a short section of access road between end of Khyber and start of Babylon. Send me a DM closer to your trip for more info.
It’s pretty easy to figure out on trailforks IME and if you know how to spot “those” kinda trails, its not hard to find the goods. Most low intermediate riders wouldn’t consider some of these “ridable” so they just don’t even ping on their radar riding past. But the Whistler high country is also not to be missed, not as technical, but spectacular in its own and well worth the vert.
Jeez man, nsfw tags plz. Can't get too excited out in public like this.
Who's the genius who added trespasser as a strava segment?
Seriously, I can smell this video.Jeez man, nsfw tags plz. Can't get too excited out in public like this.
Who's the genius who added trespasser as a strava segment?
It's, much rootier and rockier now! hahah
Someone refresh my memory... does the early bird special end just before the opening weekend?
I feel like I want to wait a couple weeks into the season and see how much of a gong show it is before I commit to a 10 day pass. Regardless of how bad it may be this year, that chairlift needs to be replaced. Those lineups are getting exceptionally bad, and I'm finding more and more people are waiting on the side because their wheelbases are too long for their bikes to hang on the hook.
I already have my eye on Sun Peaks this year. I went skiing for there for the first time this winter: it's awesome....but not enough bars.
I feel like I want to wait a couple weeks into the season and see how much of a gong show it is before I commit to a 10 day pass. Regardless of how bad it may be this year, that chairlift needs to be replaced. Those lineups are getting exceptionally bad, and I'm finding more and more people are waiting on the side because their wheelbases are too long for their bikes to hang on the hook.
I already have my eye on Sun Peaks this year. I went skiing for there for the first time this winter: it's awesome....but not enough bars.
Just checked the Whistler Bike park page to see if there was anything: May 19th is the season opener. Also if I read things correctly, Creekside and Garbo are only open June 10th. So between May 19th to June 10th, everything has to use the village gondola. We'll see how that goes....
Fitz lift is already down.
www.mtbr.com
Whistler Bike Park 2023 - what a mess
Vail has just dropped the info for this season in the bike park. As expected, Fitz won't be running for most or all of the season (more on that later). Also as expected, the Village Gondola will be servicing the Fitz zone and Garbo base. What is not expected: The gondola will be servicing...
www.mtbr.com