[JustMtnB44]

Is this a good idea? Thinking of going Oct. 4th - 11th, ride Whistler for probably 3 days then hit up some other areas like the Shore, Squamish, maybe Pemberton? I went to Whistler last August but only rode the bike park and not anywhere else, I would like to check out some other stuff this time. Seems like weather can be hit or miss that time of year. All trails and Garbanzo at Whistler will still be open until Oct 12th right? Anyone have suggestions on specific places or trails to ride outside of Whistler? Any other info would be appreciated.

 

[Sandwich]

Hey Justin-
Looks like Garbanzo is closed after the 28th of Sep....but it looks like the village gondola and the other lift are open.

Dang, if I had known, i woulda planned a vacation out there...hmmm

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

ill give you the low down on where to go outside of the park, the trails we rode in the valley were great.

 

[Jason4]

The last week before WB closes is a great time to ride. The crowds are gone and the trails are tacky. Be prepared for cold weather and rain though. Last year it was snowing on me at the top of the mountain!

 

[JustMtnB44]

Hey Justin-
Looks like Garbanzo is closed after the 28th of Sep....but it looks like the village gondola and the other lift are open.

Dang, if I had known, i woulda planned a vacation out there...hmmm

The Garbanzo lift is closed, but the Gondola is still running on weekends and it looks like you can access Garbanzo terrain from there. Can someone confirm that? I just started thinking about this over the weekend, but if you can work it to meet out there that would be cool.

ill give you the low down on where to go outside of the park, the trails we rode in the valley were great.

Yeah I definitely need to discuss that with you, but need to decide first if it's worth going at this time of year.

The last week before WB closes is a great time to ride. The crowds are gone and the trails are tacky. Be prepared for cold weather and rain though. Last year it was snowing on me at the top of the mountain!

Yeah I'm sure dirt conditions will be good, but I'm a little worried that it could rain/snow every day and make it really slick. Cold doesn't bother me, but cold and raining every day would kind of suck.

 

[bdamschen]

Not sure if it's changed, but my wife and I just went on our honeymoon on from the 7th to 12th and the gondola was running during the weekdays too.

 

[FarkinRyan]

The Garbanzo lift is closed, but the Gondola is still running on weekends and it looks like you can access Garbanzo terrain from there. Can someone confirm that? I just started thinking about this over the weekend, but if you can work it to meet out there that would be cool.

Yeah I definitely need to discuss that with you, but need to decide first if it's worth going at this time of year.

Yeah I'm sure dirt conditions will be good, but I'm a little worried that it could rain/snow every day and make it really slick. Cold doesn't bother me, but cold and raining every day would kind of suck.

From now until the park closes it's Gondola access only during the week with the Fitzimmons and Garbo chairs running on the weekend.

The Gondola takes you up higher than Garbo and you ride down to it; mostly flat-out down the ski runs. This sounds more fun than it really is though. The other possible downside is the fact that the Gondola uplifts at a slower rate than the chairs and you have to share it with day-trippers, so even though the crowds are thinning out there's still a wait to get back onto the lifts.

Other than that it's Whistler, you'll have a blast! Weather is still giving us mad love at the moment too, few days of rain then a whole week of sunshine and 25-30C highs. Going to go ride it in 20 minutes, suckas!

Webcam at the top of the Gondy says; get thee to the bike park!

 

[Jason4]

I like the chair better than the gondola but as already said you can still access the top of the mountain, you just have to deal with the crappy ski run and you miss the first little section of trail from the top of the chair.

Whistler's fun in the rain, the rocks and wood get kind of scary but there is a lot of other good riding. It drains really fast too and dries up quickly.

If it does turn out to be raining be careful cleaning your bike and really take the time to tear it down and clean it well when you get home. Wet Whistler sand is tough on paint, drivetrain, and pivots.

 

[Kntr]

If you look at the webcam there is no one in line and no riders in sight.

The forcast looks sweeeeet!!

 

[JustMtnB44]

If you look at the webcam there is no one in line and no riders in sight.

The forcast looks sweeeeet!!

Yeah it does, I think I am going to go for it and hope the good weather continues. So is it possible to ride Garbanzo during the week? According to the website no lifts are running up there except on weekends. I think the plan is 3 days at Whistler and the rest of the time checking out other places. Any monkeys in the area want to meet up?

 

[Kntr]

The Gondola is open during the week.

 

[JustMtnB44]

Sweet. Plane tickets and rental car are booked. Let's hope the weather stays as nice as it currently is.

 

[JustMtnB44]

Ok so trip is on, we will be flying into Seattle Oct. 6th and flying out Oct 13th. Plan is to ride Colonnade on the 6th, North Shore Oct. 7, Whistler area and bike park Oct 8-11, and Squamish on the 12th.

I'm not sure which part of the Shore I would like to ride given I'm only planning one day there. There are only two of us so shuttling is out unless we meet up with other people (anyone interested?). Looks like Fromme and the Woodlot are best non-shuttle areas. Seymour looks fun as well, even if we didn't shuttle. How many trails could be ridden in a day at any of those places? Which riding area would you guys recommend?

Also I haven't been able to find much info on the DH/FR trails around Squamish, but I know they exist. Is there any info on teh interwebs about them or should I just go to a local shop and ask?

One other thing, does anyone have any lodging recommendations around the Shore and Squamish?

Thanks.

 

[bikerpunk98199]

Hey man, I'll be in whistler from the 9-12. I also live in West Van, I have class in N.Van until 2 on the 7th if you want more people so you can shuttle I could come and help out. Pm me and let me know.

-Kris

Ok so trip is on, we will be flying into Seattle Oct. 6th and flying out Oct 13th. Plan is to ride Colonnade on the 6th, North Shore Oct. 7, Whistler area and bike park Oct 8-11, and Squamish on the 12th.

I'm not sure which part of the Shore I would like to ride given I'm only planning one day there. There are only two of us so shuttling is out unless we meet up with other people (anyone interested?). Looks like Fromme and the Woodlot are best non-shuttle areas. Seymour looks fun as well, even if we didn't shuttle. How many trails could be ridden in a day at any of those places? Which riding area would you guys recommend?

Also I haven't been able to find much info on the DH/FR trails around Squamish, but I know they exist. Is there any info on teh interwebs about them or should I just go to a local shop and ask?

One other thing, does anyone have any lodging recommendations around the Shore and Squamish?

Thanks.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

justin, i would actually ride the whistler valley trails instead of Squamish, i have spent quite a bit of time in squamish (never ridden there) but talked to many that have...The feeling that i get is the squamish stuff (that you will be able to find) is more pedally while the valley is a bit more freeride (think garbo style on quite a bit of it)

I can get you exact directions with landmarks prior we should meet up or talk this weekend. I'll give you the loop we did which was completely amazing. If you do that then go do gargamel it will be a FULL day of riding your ass will be kicked. I would def get up early for that day...

Won't be riding with the crew tonight but let's talk.

Oh and on the shore I would ride Fromme, the woodlot is awesome but a bit beat up and they are logging it right now. You can hit the classics on fromme which would be rad. Talk to woody i know he has the low down to.

 

[d-tard]

Fromme and Cypress before Seymour for riding up (trust me Seymour is a retardedly long climb up) - if you want trail suggestions PM me what your comfortable with, Woodlot's about an hour out of Vancouver so may not be worth the drive if your only in town 1 day. I can email you a few maps if you haven't got anything or try gutsploder.com

Accom in NV - Holiday in just over the iron workers memorial, all right bar/resto/cold beer store and 5 minutes from Seymour or Grouse, not sure on $$$, there's a number of hotels to choose from in Sqaumish, at this time of year nothing will be booked up

not sure if this is helpful to you or not http://adoptatrail.ca/trail_list.php
19th hole is a classic, if not any of the Sqaumish shops will be really helpful

PM me if you want to know anything else

 

[d-tard]

http://www.squamishmountainbike.com/Maps/Powersmart_500x.jpg
Powersmart's another classic, 19th hole would be right at the corner of the swithcback with 2 entrances and blow out your candles is the one a little before the switchback

 

[JustMtnB44]

Hey man, I'll be in whistler from the 9-12. I also live in West Van, I have class in N.Van until 2 on the 7th if you want more people so you can shuttle I could come and help out. Pm me and let me know.

Thanks for the offer, I will send you a pm later this week.

justin, i would actually ride the whistler valley trails instead of Squamish, i have spent quite a bit of time in squamish (never ridden there) but talked to many that have...The feeling that i get is the squamish stuff (that you will be able to find) is more pedally while the valley is a bit more freeride (think garbo style on quite a bit of it)

We are definitely planning on one day, probably Thursday Oct 8th to ride the valley trails, then ride the park for 3 days. I know there is cool stuff in Squamish, but finding any info on it is proving difficult.

I can get you exact directions with landmarks prior we should meet up or talk this weekend. I'll give you the loop we did which was completely amazing. If you do that then go do gargamel it will be a FULL day of riding your ass will be kicked. I would def get up early for that day...

Sounds good, Spurk sent Rich that loop but I will review it with you to make sure we got it figured out.

Oh and on the shore I would ride Fromme, the woodlot is awesome but a bit beat up and they are logging it right now. You can hit the classics on fromme which would be rad. Talk to woody i know he has the low down to.

Yeah, and Woodlot seems out of the way. Fromme looks like the best non-shuttle option. If we do find people to shuttle with then Seymour looks like the best choice.

Fromme and Cypress before Seymour for riding up (trust me Seymour is a retardedly long climb up) - if you want trail suggestions PM me what your comfortable with, Woodlot's about an hour out of Vancouver so may not be worth the drive if your only in town 1 day. I can email you a few maps if you haven't got anything or try gutsploder.com

Accom in NV - Holiday in just over the iron workers memorial, all right bar/resto/cold beer store and 5 minutes from Seymour or Grouse, not sure on $$$, there's a number of hotels to choose from in Squamish, at this time of year nothing will be booked up

19th hole is a classic, if not any of the Sqaumish shops will be really helpful

Thanks for all of the info. I've been checking out gutsploder to get an idea of what trails I want to do. I'll pm you when I narrow it down.

 

[aj-monkey]

Hey JustMtnB44, I live in Squamish and would be happy to show you around. If I'm not doing anything on the 12th (for thanksgiving) and am not working. PM me.

 

[rigidhack]

I'm in Vancouver, and if you can, ride Seymour. Send me a PM and if I can help shuttle, I will. Hit CBC before it is done for the year. It may not the the very best that the Shore has to offer, (there is excessive debate about what is) but it is certainly classic Shore riding. Not super hard (for the Shore) but enough to be challenging. Fun as anything too. No trip to the Shore is complete without a run down the full length of Boogieman (also on Seymour).

 

[FarkinRyan]

Hey man, another Squamish 'local' here (not really but I live here). There's a great local trail map available at any of the local bike shops, $8CAD, has a good whack of all the local trails on it and is super accurate.

Who ever said the riding here was pedally is telling lies. Get out to 19th hole and get it done, so fricken' steep it's not even funny!

Mark me down as another one who can possibly come out and show you a thing or two if you're in the area. Not sure of my schedule on those dates yet but could probably get out for a lap or two.

 

[FlipFantasia]

only time I ride in squamish is for xc'ish pedalling....if it's rainy I say head for pemberton, amazing riding in the fall

 

[JustMtnB44]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. The trip was awesome. I posted a ride report here:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225004