CAN 2010 July - Whistler.

[[ta]]

Hello guys.

As some of you may know, a friend of mine and myself have decided that its about time we made the all glorious trip down to Whistler this year. Much planning, training and most of all, saving, has been considered and seems that we are going to make it. Building up bikes as we speak to optimize our riding over there. I personally will be going over between July 1st - 28th (only riding), my mate will be up there from march - october (~ roughly, will also be working up there).

Trying to work out a few things before i get there though;

I am now looking for anyone who will be up there during july, or any time this season, who is looking for accomodation or is looking for more people to share with.

For those who have already made the trip up to whistler;

Any personal remendations?
Cost of your flight, when did you go?
How much extra was it to get your bike over? (This is just for a comparison for me)
Did you have any issues with airline?
How was your trip from airport to whistler, did you go through vancouver?
How many days of riding did you do (days on and off?)
Did you work up there?
Whats the night life like?
What was it like, what gear did you use, did you have any problems with it?
Would you have wanted something else in terms of gear?
Any crashes or problems with gear while you were over?
Gear available at a reasonable cost there?
What to avoid?
Were did you stay? Were to look for accomodation?
Gear that you didnt bring that you would have found useful?
How much did trip totally cost you?
Food cost and location?
Did you stay in budget?
Did you travel out of whistler to do a day trip in vancouver?
Places that are a must to visit?
What was worth going to and wasnt, what you would want to do next time you went up?
Anything else?

Will be gratefull for any response. Would help me a lot and would probably be very informative to anyone else who has considered heading up.
Sorry if this was mention in another thread somewere.
If anyone else is thinking of coming up and wants any more information on it, regarding costs, flights or anything, feel free to ask me.
Hope everyone rides hard, and wishes us luck on our trip.
Will deffinetly get back and tell you all how it was.
Catch.

Stas

 

[wolfjjj]

Tons of other threads that should cover all this can be found with a quick search ...

But ...

Any personal recommendations? Don't go too hard too early

Cost of your flight, when did you go? $1500 Air-NZ in August

How much extra was it to get your bike over? (This is just for a comparison for me) - Didn't take a bike, just rented.

Did you have any issues with airline? Nup

How was your trip from airport to whistler, did you go through vancouver? - Car, Vancouver is great. You can catch the bus directly from the airport to Whistler if you want.

How many days of riding did you do (days on and off?) - 10/14 days

Did you work up there? - Nup but worked elsewhere at Canadian resorts on other trips

Whats the night life like? - Depends on what you're after, but can be a bit $$$. Personally, don't bother you can do that at home, you're there to ride so make the most of it.

What was it like, what gear did you use, did you have any problems with it? - Amazing riding, both DH & XC, as good or better than I imagined and I want to go back. Rented a bunch of different DH bikes which was fun, tried a few demos during Crankworxs, fun to be had by all. Had a few issues with rentals from one shop due to poor servicing but the others were great.

Would you have wanted something else in terms of gear? - Nup Specialized Demo 7 rocked and so did the S-works Enduro.

Any crashes or problems with gear while you were over? - Yep first day, got tired and kept riding because it was too much fun ... xrays, doctors, physio, but got back riding a few days later, althought in more pain and a bit slower. Get travel insurance and expect that you will probably need to use it if you are there for a month.

Had a few issues with rental gear from one place due to rubbish servicing, ie first run of the day trying to get down from the top of garbanzo with nothing left on the brake pads. Forks feeling rubbish, returned bike to shop only to have them say it's fine then having them blow their load on the next run. (Both same shop)

Gear available at a reasonable cost there? - Some things are cheaper ie bikes but others are more expensive like tyres (no idea why)

Depends on the time of year, towards the end of the season things get cheaper, you're going in July so expect higher prices.

What to avoid? - Crashing out early

Were did you stay? Were to look for accomodation? - Rented apartments, quite expensive. Find somewhere for a few days then once you get there look in the local newspaper for rooms to rent.

How much did trip totally cost you? - 5k?

Food cost and location? - Varies, anything from cheap to $$$, tons of places to eat

Did you stay in budget? - Yep

Did you travel out of whistler to do a day trip in vancouver? - Been there a bunch of times before so didn't this trip but there are heaps of great things to see and do there.

What was worth going to and wasnt, what you would want to do next time you went up? - Definately worth it, just more time in the bike park and more XC around town.

 

[whitey89]

great thread,

can we add:
- insurance cost and cover
- how to get from vancouver to whistler
- cost of buying a bike over there

 

[beardi]

Any personal recommendations? Don't try to tick off too much too quickly.....most people that get injured are only staying for a week or two and stress that they'll miss something!

Cost of your flight, when did you go? $2200 air canada nov 2008

How much extra was it to get your bike over? Bought one in canada....my massive ski bag was free

Did you have any issues with airline? Nup

How was your trip from airport to whistler, did you go through vancouver? - Pacific coach lines....from terminal to your accommodation....$60 well spent.

How many days of riding did you do (days on and off?) - 65 days

Did you work up there? -Yep at the Fitz Pub and Blackcomb liquor store. Easy to get work, not easy to get a good job

Whats the night life like? - Lots of beer, coke and sluts.....something happening everynight

What was it like, what gear did you use, did you have any problems with it? - I bought a nomad because i wanted to be able to do more than just the bike park...perfect for all except really technical decents (goats gully etc....) You already know the riding's ridiculous thats why you're going! Go with the most durable/easy to service gear you can...... DU bushes like mad.....3 rear derailleurs, 2 hangers, lots of tyres otherwise smooth sailing.

Would you have wanted something else in terms of gear? - We always want something

Any crashes or problems with gear while you were over? - Got off lightly with a cracked rib and 6 stitches in my arm for the season. its $500 to be seen at the medical centre and $100 per stitch...my friend ruptured his spleen.....be very insured and make sure you have some capital to pay bills up front. If you can get to one of the other doctors like northlands they are cheaper. No issues with gear except you go through tires like you wouldn't believe.

Gear available at a reasonable cost there? - As above....for a resort town its pretty good. Locals never pay full price for anything so if you're there for the season you'll start to see some famous whistler hookups. If you're there for 2 weeks expect to pay full price.

What to avoid? - overdoing it early....avoid the massive bars like longhorn unless you like paying double for your beer than other bars.

Were did you stay? Were to look for accomodation? - Rented a house, go to pique magazine website

How much did trip totally cost you? - No idea....i'm still here

Food cost and location? - Lots of places to eat for all budgets....it's no more expensive than australia its just you dont earn as much so it seems real expensive

Did you stay in budget? - n/a

Did you travel out of whistler to do a day trip in vancouver? - yes, lots of places. BC is awesome and there is world class riding everywhere

What was worth going to and wasnt, what you would want to do next time you went up? - Dude, you're gonna be riding your bike every minute...when you get tired you'll eat and drink and when thats done you'll sleep....you wont want to do anything else!

Don't stress dude its all super easy. Bring more cash than you think you need coz it goes real quick. I rode chainless for a month because i couldn't afford to fix it. If you are coming for the season try to get away from all the other aussies in town and hook up with some locals. My best times and the most learning came from hanging out with canadians. Drink at the small out of the way bars, visit the trails in the valley.

Lastly, there are lots of arrogant/ignorant aussies in Whistler that give us a bad name....have fun but be cool, respect the people who's town you visit. Dont tailgate people on blue trails, dont think you're gods gift to mtb and stop bitching about how expensive booze is to the clerk who has heard it a million times and doesnt give a fuck! Remember to tip - servers need to tip the kitchen 3-5% if you dont tip they lose money by serving you! 15-20% is the going rate, accept it and move on.

Sorry bout the last bit getting all serious but canadians will like you more that way!

Have fun!

 

[SideFX]

Some advice . Jenson USA do FREE overnight shipping to Canada , so dont pay $90 Canadian for a tyre get on Jensons web sight . Dont upgrade small things on your bike now , you`ll trash the hell out of your bike over there . Replace parts just before you leave for home . If your worried about weight leave your tyres at home , thats about 2.5 kg your saving .
When you go to airport loosely tape your bike box up and take a roll of tape with you . This way if your bike box is over weight or your bag is over weight you can shift things around to get the correct weight for box , bag and hand luggage .
Make sure you can or understand how to service your bike , forks and rear end being the main ones .
Clean your bike and shoes well before you go and return . Run over your bike with an oil rag after you wash it , this makes it look extra nice and clean .
Food recommendations in whistler village . SPLITS GRILL . They do bergers for about $6/7 and hotdogs $5 . I ate one just about every day and i was there for five weeks . There cheep and good . < im a chef > . Putine is crap , dont believe the hype . Make sure you know were the putine stall is in Whistler village near the chair lift , because behind the Putine stall there is a snow boarding shop that sells REDBULL for cheep . Chicken is the best buy in the supper market . Kokany beer is the best beer and has a picture of the GLC drop on the can , so buy it . Putine is that bowl of chips , instant gravy and fake cheese , its shit ! and it will stop you from doing a shit !

 

[beardi]

Kokanee is a terrible beer....don't beleive the hype

 

[S.]

Hello guys.

As some of you may know, a friend of mine and myself have decided that its about time we made the all glorious trip down to Whistler this year. Much planning, training and most of all, saving, has been considered and seems that we are going to make it. Building up bikes as we speak to optimize our riding over there. I personally will be going over between July 1st - 28th (only riding), my mate will be up there from march - october (~ roughly, will also be working up there).

Trying to work out a few things before i get there though;

I am now looking for anyone who will be up there during july, or any time this season, who is looking for accomodation or is looking for more people to share with.

For those who have already made the trip up to whistler;

Any personal remendations?
Cost of your flight, when did you go?
How much extra was it to get your bike over? (This is just for a comparison for me)
Did you have any issues with airline?
How was your trip from airport to whistler, did you go through vancouver?
How many days of riding did you do (days on and off?)
Did you work up there?
Whats the night life like?
What was it like, what gear did you use, did you have any problems with it?
Would you have wanted something else in terms of gear?
Any crashes or problems with gear while you were over?
Gear available at a reasonable cost there?
What to avoid?
Were did you stay? Were to look for accomodation?
Gear that you didnt bring that you would have found useful?
How much did trip totally cost you?
Food cost and location?
Did you stay in budget?
Did you travel out of whistler to do a day trip in vancouver?
Places that are a must to visit?
What was worth going to and wasnt, what you would want to do next time you went up?
Anything else?

Will be gratefull for any response. Would help me a lot and would probably be very informative to anyone else who has considered heading up.
Sorry if this was mention in another thread somewere.
If anyone else is thinking of coming up and wants any more information on it, regarding costs, flights or anything, feel free to ask me.
Hope everyone rides hard, and wishes us luck on our trip.
Will deffinetly get back and tell you all how it was.
Catch.

Stas

Any personal remendations?
Don't drink Kokanee, it's like somebody spilt beer in your water.

Cost of your flight, when did you go?
Mine was $1100ish one way, in June last year.

How much extra was it to get your bike over? (This is just for a comparison for me)
$60 flat charge for excess baggage with Air New Zealand.

Did you have any issues with airline?
Yes but none you're likely to encounter - the retards in the Air NZ customer service hotline told me a lot of stuff was fine to go through security as carry-on, then when I got there they cracked it. Apparently allen keys constitute a potentially deadly weapon.

How was your trip from airport to whistler, did you go through vancouver?
Easy enough - I stayed 1 day in Van to get my SIN sorted out. Get on the Pacific Skylynx or whatever it's called, it goes from the airport, through Vancouver to Whistler. It's pretty expensive, roughly $50 each way, but it saves you the hassle of trying to transfer or find your way around in an unfamiliar place when you're tired as hell.

How many days of riding did you do (days on and off?)
Over 70 for the season. Probably rode roughly 2 days out of 3.

Did you work up there?
Yep - work is pretty easy to get but jobs pay very little.

Whats the night life like?
Whatever you want it to be like - there are quiet bars, jam nights, sports bars, nightclubs, everything you could wish for. Something going on every night of the week. As a general rule the "locals nights" are the best ones - they usually have drink specials and the best crowd.

What was it like, what gear did you use, did you have any problems with it?
Damaged, broke or wore out nearly everything on my bike. Your bike WILL get trashed.

Would you have wanted something else in terms of gear?
More money to fix it with!

Any crashes or problems with gear while you were over?
Few crashes, nothing spectacular.

Gear available at a reasonable cost there?
Except for tyres, most stuff is roughly the same price or slightly cheaper than in Aus. If you have a seasons pass you get 20% off RRP at GBB and I think possibly the same at Summit.

What to avoid?
Landlords and herpes. Herpes you might see coming but landlords in Whistler are fucked up and sneaky bastards.

Were did you stay? Were to look for accomodation?
www.alluradirect.com has a lot of vacation rentals.

Gear that you didnt bring that you would have found useful?
Workstand.

How much did trip totally cost you?
n/a - still here!

Food cost and location?
There are three supermarkets in town (plus Creekside but you don't wanna be down there unless you just rode RDS), all are ~10% more expensive than typical Aussie supermarkets (except for cheese which is like 1000% more expensive). If you're eating out there's something to suit every budget - Old Spaghetti Factory does some cheap deals on certain days of the week, you get discounts (might be 10% or something) off food at the GLC with a season pass, etc etc. There are so many restaurants and cafes in whistler that it's a bit pointless listing em.

Did you stay in budget?
Hell no.

Did you travel out of whistler to do a day trip in vancouver?
Not yet.

Places that are a must to visit?
Make sure you ride Ride Don't Slide while you're here. Sun Peaks and Silverstar are also solid bike parks that are worth spending a few days roadtripping out to. Most people seem to like Silverstar more but personally I preferred Sun Peaks - it's steep, fast and loose.

What was worth going to and wasnt, what you would want to do next time you went up?
Not much there that isn't worth seeing or doing... except dealing with the landlords. It's all about how much money you can afford to blow really - you're gonna go home broke as shit no matter what.

Anything else?
Don't eat the red snow. Yellow snow might taste bad but red snow may kill you.

 

[[ta]]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Good to hear you are enjoying yourselves up there and the feedback is really giving me an idea of what to expect.
Thought i might aswell ask you guys a few more questions if thats alright. Would be awesome to run into you if you are still up there in July too.

* Will it be worth the season pass for a 3-4 week trip? Should I be buying a season pass before I go? Please correct me if I $220AU isn’t the price for a season pass, I may have worked it out wrong.
* How do you go about setting up your mobile or getting a calling card/sim of some sort?
* Internet- what accommodation includes it, or would you just sign up for a mobile internet usb stick for 5 months?
* What can we expect to pay/features included in ultimate budget accommodation?
* What was the weight of everyone’s hand luggage and bike bag (with all other things inside, clothes, parts, etc.)?
* Dodgy locals and travellers: what, who, and places to avoid while travelling with shitloads of gear and $$$, especially ALONE??
* Cash- how much to carry around, safest and most convenient way to hide it/carry it, best overseas money card?
* If there was one thing you would’ve wanted to upgrade on your bike before you left home?
* Would it be worth bringing a 2.5 kilo foldable workstand if I am there for five months and can service 90% of my bike (I’ve worked in wholesale and retail)? What about a 2kg truing stand?
* I have all the necessary bike tools, although some are heavier than others. What should I bring, or should I just bring everything (with obvious exclusions such as headset presses, vices, truing stands, etc)?
* Are cross country dualies fairly cheap for all-day hire?
* Contour HD helmet cams: Anyone keep breaking their mounts? Any spares worth taking?
* If you wanted to check out some sights or do other EXTREME activities without all your bikes and gear, say around Vancouver for 2 days, is there a luggage lockup somewhere?
* Might be mixed results, but what were employer’s attitudes in regards to your reliability and the outside-work activities you were doing (MTBing)? Where I’m getting at is they know there is a high chance that some days you wont show up- because you’ve either crashed and gotten injured or are just too worn out. They also expect this since they are used to it so they may be lenient.
* Do enough employers accept 3-4 days (week A, week B [8-9 hours/day]) per week of work? Doing trail construction one day and riding the next all season would be too much work wouldn’t it?..
* Would there be any real use for night trail lights?
* Are those freeride camps with the pro’s worth it?
* I was originally going to use a non-for-profit company like OWH and IEP to help me get a job and set everything up, but they both bitched out for WHISTLER ONLY as too many people are staying on from the winter Olympics this year. Any ideas on how to possibly persuade them to help me? Any other ways to get help/backup?
* Is there any skydiving around Whistler? Or is it too high J
* Tubes/tubeless? What tires and tubes to take.
* Wet weather. How often, and what do you need to be prepared?
* How NOT to pick up women in Whistler, and where TO do it.

Thanks for putting the time and effort into this. Cant wait.
Catch.

 

[SideFX]

You save money if you buy the season pass early , 50 i think . Buy a phone over there , they are about $60 at the seven eleven . Internet is free so take your laptop . Not having my phone , laptop and car made me feel a little stranded over there < cars are cheep > . If you do buy a car buy one in Victoria , the capital of Canada . There is less snow there so less salt on the roads , so less rust in the cars . We stayed at ticket to ride in Whistler k , it was cheep and close and had a small work shop . Shared room of two single beds was $750 for 5 weeks .
Check out THE PEAK , THE PIQUE online i think the name is , its a local paper with all the classsifises /jobs /accom/ bla bla bla .
In whistler village there is a night that all the locals go to a certain club every night of the week , there is lots of parties and the STD `s a rife in Whistler so practice safe sex ! .
Make sure you get insurance for you and your bike it should be around the $500 mark , GOLD VISA offer instant holiday insurance if you buy your plane tickets with them but this will not cover you if you put yourself in harms way . Contact SPU or MR636 members on this sight in regards to insurance , they dont sell it but they will know the name of the company we used

 

[Reubs]

There are big lockers (from memory) in the bus depot in Van and possibly the train station at Canada Place. You may want to check on that though. Failing that, my wife and I will be living back in Van from April and can possibly help out. The beer economy goes a long way.....

Wet weather? they dont call Vancouver "rain city" for no reason. Bring a decent light weight rain jacket as a bare minimum. Alternatively- Helly Hansen and Columbia are hella cheap (by comparison) so you could buy one. I caught the lift up one rainy day with a bike park guide who was wearing a set of waders- you know, those stupid fly fishing pants with built in gumboots. Bit of overkill but you get the picture.

Everyone is "outdoorsy" so dont expect to necessarily be able to not work on a "powder day" -remember, the job might have been easy to get but its also easy to take away.

Dodgy locals? nah, more like dodgy poms. Dont leave your bike out of sight (duh!) when having lunch etc. I bought a cheap shit combination lock 1st time i was there and left it on a bike rack when not in use. Doesnt need to be good, just makes 1 of the other thousand dh bikes next to yours more enticing to a possible theif.

I'd pack any odd tools that are non standard for your bike (if any). I always carry just enough to be able to rebuild my bike in a hotel room - allen keys, 15mm open ender for pedals, pump, 6" shifter, phillips head and flat blade screw drivers, tire levers, a hand full of cable ties and a few rolls of electricians tape. A leatherman can be handy too.

my maximum bag weight coming home was 2 items of luggage (bike bag weighing 33.5kgs and suitcase weighing 34kgs) with another 10kgs stuffed in my carry-on. I paid no excess baggage! I rocked up to the airport an hour before checkin with a smile on my face and a credit card at the ready. Sometimes being polite can really get you a long way. Thanks Air Canada check-in lady! I like to think she was a cougar that wanted me... my wife says otherwise! That was before the limits were dropped from 32kg each.

Summer Gravity Camp- you'll totally fit in with all the other 12 to 15 year olds. Camp of champions- do you really want to wear a shirt with COC written all over it? Skip.

How not to pick up women in whistler: use this line "hey honey, got any aussie in ya? what some?"

Mobile phones are stupidly exxy. remember- you get charged the same even if the person calls you. Internet is cheap, free wi-fi is everywhere.

Visa or master card is king. Amex is usually no probs but not always - like here really.

Vancouver is about 2 hours drive from Whistler. I recommend riding the shore for at least one day. You can buy trail maps from all LBS for $5 per mountain. If you have a car and balls between your legs, ride Cypress. Its so much fun- 5th horseman or Sex Girl. Mt seymour and Mt Fromme are easlily accessed. CBC on seymour is worth the extra hike (see 1stlittle bit of shandro's Seasons seggy)

Ride Squamish! if you get the chance. Steep and loamy goodness. Refer to it as "Squampton"...

When buying lunch, head over to blackcomb. There is a restaurant called Portobello. They have an awesome sandwich bar, its like a gourmet subway but cheaper and it costs the same no matter how much you cram on it. Its tends to be locals only as its out of the way but definately worth the 4 minute ride. You'll thank me for that!

Poutine is awesome. Caesars (like a bloody mary) are good too, but full of MSG.

 

[DbD]

Wicked thread - keep it coming

 

[at the drive in]

I figured seen as Im sick and cant do anything i may as well do something productive, here's a few tips;

Everyone tends to go on about tyre prices, yeah they are expensive but theres also alot of aussies coming over for short holidays that dont want to take tyres home due to weight restrictions so you can often find yourself with free tyres.

Theres more riding wise to Whistler then the bike park, roughly the bike park has 20% of the trails and the valley surrounding whistler has the other 80%. The trails over there are incredible, professionaly maintained, all sign-posted. Alot of the desencts put downhill tracks in awesome to shame, were talking double black diamond XC trails. An All mountain bike is one of the best thing you can have in Whistler.

Tipping is part of Canadian culture, deal with it, if you dont want to tip just see how far you get.

Alot of people think they are going to turn up and get a job as a bike guide, trail builder of bike shop employee, forget about it, youve got no chance. Those jobs go to those in the know who have connections and or have been there for a long time. Whistler is full of mountain bikers so dream jobs like that arent going to be floating around.

Take as much money as you can, even put yourself is debt, its worth it.

Get the best travel insurance, make sure they know your mountain biking and are aware of any past injury's.

Drink Fireball whisky.

Biggest tip of all is to just go with the flow and not stress about things to much. As long as you have some accomodation lined up, A bike, an Airfare and money everything else will be sweet as.

 

[binner]

the truth

All I can say is ..........Capt n morgans spiced rum, seven 11 hotdog all you can cram on after a massive nite dancing to 20 thou beats per min (ask sox on here about hotdogs), the french , the chinese resturant above the seven 11, buy a season pass from aust if you are going longer than 2 weeks, take a helmet cam, take a gold amex, dont be a typical aussie douch bag...there are soo many there already, be prepared to be served/helped by an aussie on the other side of the counter just about everywhere you go, be nice after all you are in somebody elses country, tip yr life away(it gets you far), dont go to bed early..lifts open late...
more to come

ohh and i cant believe it , nobody has said ....GO TO THE LAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so I suggest you GO TO THE LAKE

 

[at the drive in]

All I can say is ..........Capt n morgans spiced rum, seven 11 hotdog all you can cram on after a massive nite dancing to 20 thou beats per min (ask sox on here about hotdogs), the french , the chinese resturant above the seven 11, buy a season pass from aust if you are going longer than 2 weeks, take a helmet cam, take a gold amex, dont be a typical aussie douch bag...there are soo many there already, be prepared to be served/helped by an aussie on the other side of the counter just about everywhere you go, be nice after all you are in somebody elses country, tip yr life away(it gets you far), dont go to bed early..lifts open late...
more to come

ohh and i cant believe it , nobody has said ....GO TO THE LAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so I suggest you GO TO THE LAKE

Its an Indian restuarant now.

Go to all the lakes

A good strategy is to pick one Bartender at a bar and give them an awesome tip to begin with and always go back to them with normal tips, it will pay of dividends later on.

 

[[ta]]

Cheers for all the replies guys. Definitely cant wait to head up there, feel free to give any more tips or recommendations. Also, if anyone finds any amazing prices for flights, do tell. Can someone also please that me what price i should aim for id be grateful. Student airfare employees, riders and people are all giving me different information at how much a ticket should set me back, so atm having difficulties working out whether I'm getting a decent deal with an air company or not, going by what I'm seeing online (also depending on cost to send the bike over). Can anyone give me a downright number for a reasonable cost for a ticket (return)? Ive been told anything from 1.8 to 2.5, can anyone narrow it down for me please?
Also, still happy to share accommodation with some Aussies, do PM me or reply if you'll be around, or if you live up there and are happy to share.
Cheers everyone, happy to get so much feedback! Ride hard.
Cant wait.

 

[beardi]

At the drive in is on the money! Wise words my friend. I just had a 40 y/o cougar sing Rod Steward at the top of her lungs for a free beer at my local.....fuckin' love this place!
You'll also be pleased to know that many of the trails in the valley are becoming rideable as we speak, saw 3 dudes out today and they said it was pretty good out there.
This will be my last post on this thread - i'm too depressed to do any more as I have to return to Oz in 5 weeks - My parting tip is this......
While in squamish go to Wal mart and purchase an "explorer 200" inflatable boat for around $20. It comes with paddles and a pump! Head down to lost lake, throw a 6 pack in the boat and spend the day out on one of the floating pontoons. Warm weather, cold beer and no cops pouring your beer out. Don't question me on this one.....DO IT!
Best of luck to all you rotorburners/farkiners for a sick 2010 in Whis - i'll be there in spirit.
Beardy

 

[Dragonwoody]

Can someone also please that me what price i should aim for id be grateful. Student airfare employees, riders and people are all giving me different information at how much a ticket should set me back, so atm having difficulties working out whether I'm getting a decent deal with an air company or not, going by what I'm seeing online (also depending on cost to send the bike over). Can anyone give me a downright number for a reasonable cost for a ticket (return)? Ive been told anything from 1.8 to 2.5, can anyone narrow it down for me please?

I believe prices are a lot higher this year due to near end of GFC. I could not get anything cheaper for a direct flight with Air Canada for $2,600 with Student Flights (even though I am not a student). Cheaper flights are there if you have stop overs though it takes 24 hours instead of 14 hours. I like less hassle so went direct. Got medical and bike insurance through Student Flights as well for about $300 (they use Covermore Insurance which was recommended to me).

Can't wait. Heading over mid June to mid July. 2 weeks travelling around Nelson, Silverstar, Revelstoke, Sunpeaks and Kamloops and then 2 weeks in Whistler.

 

[ElectroFunkster]

Never been but planning a trip from the 21st to 28th of july ... catch up for a ride ???

 

[pieno]

You'll also be pleased to know that many of the trails in the valley are becoming rideable as we speak, saw 3 dudes out today and they said it was pretty good out there.

Yeah that was probably me and couple of mates, Blueberry trail and some of lost lake are good to go. Danimal North is 70% melted too. Squampton and Pemby are amazing right now! Flank Trail not so good......yet

 

[beardi]

Yeah pretty sure I sold you a post ride pitcher there Pieno....loving the avatar by the way.