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Whistler advice?

jimw

Monkey
Aug 10, 2004
210
24
Santa Cruz, CA
So, I'm finally going to Whistler next month. Woohoo! I'm looking for some input from folks who have been there. A few questions:

- Is it a good idea to rent bikes up there? Or should I send my bike up? A friend of mine said he mailed his through FedEx and it was surprisingly cheap. I have a fairly built-up Enduro... not a downhill bike but it can take a decent beating.

- Any "must do" trails, places to see, eat at, etc?

- What about North Shore riding? I gather it's a couple hours drive from Whistler to the North Shore trails. Any words of wisdom?

All tips/hints/things you wish you knew before you went appreciated! Also any online links (other than the main Whistler bike park site).

Thanks,
Jim
 

Five

Turbo Monkey
Mar 8, 2003
1,506
0
West Seattle, WA
I live in Seattle so I go up to Whistler regularly. Renting a bike isn't cheap - check the prices online. However, if you do bring your Enduro keep in mind that Whistler thrashes bikes. An Enduro is fine for most of the intermediate and maybe some of the expert trails, but depending on your riding ability a bigger bike may be better. You can ship your bike to the hotel you're staying at or one of the bike shops. Best to call a bike shop first to make sure it's cool w/ them. Some bike shops up there are Evolution, Fanatyk and Garbanzo Bike and Bean.

As far as trails are concerned - the most popular would be A-line and Dirt Merchant. Lots of jumps. Just about every trail is worth riding - again depending on your ability.

If you wanna do the shore. Check out www.huckwagon.com (I think) Anyway, it's a shuttle service for Mt. Seymour.

Good luck and have fun!
 

sapdesigns

Chimp
Dec 22, 2004
34
0
nor cal / sc
there are some pretty challenging shore trails in whistler with ladders etc. Just check a trail map out up there..."a river runs through it"...i think that's one of the names
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
If you do a search you will find tons of advice. There are great rentals up there if you want something with a bit more squish than your enduro. If you and your bike are not built up for big mountain riding I would suggest getting a rental - check out Evolution bikes and maybe call ahead to reserve.

As for trails in the bike park, just check out everything but take it slow the first time down each trail, it's easy to get real excited on the first day but there are some surprises that you don't want to hit blind at Mach 10.

Outside the park you should definitely check out River Runs Through It for a taste of shore-style woodwork without very serious consequences. If you can hook it up there are great helicopter trips on nearby mountains - I did a Rainbow mountain trip earlier this year that was super rad. There is also great riding in the Squamish area (between Vancouver and Whistler) but you should probably call some bike shops in the area and try to get a guide or a map.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Whistler is awsome (only resort ive been to). A line and dirt merchant are my favorite.

Aline is fast and full of jumps that are easy to clear. If you don't clear them they are all tabletops. DIrt merchant is definatly my favorite. Its step downs and step ups. Most of the step ups are easy to clear going moderatly fast. Or you can go slower and roll up them. on the sides of the stepups there are bigger lips and landings (your not going to want to land in the middle, its a double.).

When you first ride a trail, go slow and roll through so on your second run, you will have an idea and there won't be any suprises.

YOu should rent a dh bike. You will have much more fun.

On your enduro, you will have a really hard time on stuff like Monkey Grips (huge ruts/roots and very thin with trees tightly next to you. It is still a challenge with a dh bike.
 

jimw

Monkey
Aug 10, 2004
210
24
Santa Cruz, CA
Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll just rent a DH bike and stick to the park and the trails around Whistler since I won't have all that much time there. Looking forward to it! :)