Whistler 2014!!

[rednightmare]

snip

Thanks for the tips, mate. Will definitely check out the 'top of the world' and 'blue velvet'.

It's rough at the start. After the first few days my hands were wrecked and I could barely hang onto the bars. Best thing I did was head straight to the chemist and buy some pretty strong painkillers. I smashed those in the morning before riding, and later on if needed and it made a night and day difference! Could happily do runs all day. Both times I was there it took about 1.5-2 weeks for my hands to adapt so I could smash runs all day without painkillers.

Yeah, this is what I'm worried about. Sounds like painkillers might be the go then! What were you taking, Panedeine Forte? Was thinking of trying to do some exercises to prepare for the arm pump but I guess it's probably just conditioning/pain management.

 

[whiteman]

Yeah, this is what I'm worried about. Sounds like painkillers might be the go then! What were you taking, Panedeine Forte? Was thinking of trying to do some exercises to prepare for the arm pump but I guess it's probably just conditioning/pain management.

Yeah they helped massively! I seriously could barely hang on before I got onto them. From memory they were Motrin Super Strength, which is just Ibuprofen.

I'm sure hand strengthening exercises will help quite a bit, but if you've never been, not much is going to help you prepare for just how brutal a day of runs there really is. It took me a good two weeks for my hands to start to feel good without the painkillers. So if you're only there 10ish days then the painkillers are definitely a good option, plus the strengthening exercises.

 

[Skydome]

Interesting to hear other's had their hands beat up too. I thought I was just a soft cock.


I even tried running those hand support things you use when you sprain them haha, but went back to trusty pain killers.

 

[jjperko]

Hey everyone and sorry for the thread hijack.

Heading over to whistler for ~2 weeks this July, yet to book flights.

I have three options for bikes:

1. Take my 09 Sunday over there (very comfortable on this bike, dialled in suspension and all that)

2. Hire over there (I understand there are some pretty schmick bikes for hire, but I hate the idea of it not having everything the way I like it)

3. Buy over there and bring it back ( I've heard about people doing this but definitely not sure about it)

Anyone had any experience with this?

 

[jazza_wil]

Hey everyone and sorry for the thread hijack.

Heading over to whistler for ~2 weeks this July, yet to book flights.

I have three options for bikes:

1. Take my 09 Sunday over there (very comfortable on this bike, dialled in suspension and all that)

2. Hire over there (I understand there are some pretty schmick bikes for hire, but I hate the idea of it not having everything the way I like it)

3. Buy over there and bring it back ( I've heard about people doing this but definitely not sure about it)

Anyone had any experience with this?

Option 1:
You have to add on the cost of excess baggage, extra cost for bike boxes if you’re getting the bus to up to Whistler, if you break a part you have to replace it to keep riding (you will break something, whistler will break stuff that you didnt know could break) Shit is expensive here Maxxis minion is $110 retail before tax…

Option 2:
The Demo Centre at the base of the chairlifts for example would cost about $500 for 7 days. They have V10s, gamblers, shockers, devincis, glorys, commencals, and norcos to hire and you can mix around and try all of them. If you break it you give it back, they give you a new one. If you use the same bike all the time and you can set it up the way you want it. And ou don’t have to walk around the airport with a bike box

Option 3:
Buying new depending on the exchange rate can be cheaper than in Australia, just remember they don’t advertise anything with tax included, its retarded… America is where the bargains are if you do your research but then you have to get it to whistler somehow. Buying second hand is very hit and miss around here. You might get a bike that has been ‘lady ridden ½ a season’ that the boyfriend destroyed the season before, or you get some punter with too much money that thought he needed a brand new v10 to do the occasional Crank it up lap and never got it off the ground.

That’s the way I see it

 

[rednightmare]

Option 1:
You have to add on the cost of excess baggage, extra cost for bike boxes if you’re getting the bus to up to Whistler, if you break a part you have to replace it to keep riding (you will break something, whistler will break stuff that you didnt know could break) Shit is expensive here Maxxis minion is $110 retail before tax…

Option 2:
The Demo Centre at the base of the chairlifts for example would cost about $500 for 7 days. They have V10s, gamblers, shockers, devincis, glorys, commencals, and norcos to hire and you can mix around and try all of them. If you break it you give it back, they give you a new one. If you use the same bike all the time and you can set it up the way you want it. And ou don’t have to walk around the airport with a bike box

I'm actually faced with a similar dilemma - take the bike there or hire one.

Just a few questions about hire bikes:

-if you break something, don't you have to pay for it? The few bike parks I've been to, you were allowed 2 flats and then for the third one, you had to fork out $20-30 for the repair. Never broke anything major, but assumed that I'd have to pay some kind of penalty (maybe not the replacement cost though).

- are shops happy enough to swap brakes around so the front brake is on the right etc.?

- do people actually run Maxxis tyres over there? I've heard it's all about the Schwalbe (not a fan, personally)

I have heard that Whistler is extremely hard on bikes, but do you reckon you could spend the money you would otherwise use on hire bikes to 'Whistler-proof' your bike (get your forks serviced before you go, spokes re-tensioned or new rims, put a new chain on etc.)?

 

[sedifus]

I'm actually faced with a similar dilemma - take the bike there or hire one.

Just a few questions about hire bikes:

-if you break something, don't you have to pay for it? The few bike parks I've been to, you were allowed 2 flats and then for the third one, you had to fork out $20-30 for the repair. Never broke anything major, but assumed that I'd have to pay some kind of penalty (maybe not the replacement cost though).

- are shops happy enough to swap brakes around so the front brake is on the right etc.?

- do people actually run Maxxis tyres over there? I've heard it's all about the Schwalbe (not a fan, personally)

It is you break it you pay generally but for an extra $20 or so you can get insurance on the bike to cover pretty much everything to my knowledge.

No problems swapping breaks from side to side.

People do run maxxis but they're a $90 tire in whistler making "boutique" tires like schwalbe the same cost. There's a bit of everything tire wise

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[s.dogg]

Its no harder on bikes than normal riding, I would say less hard than most Australian trails as there are actual transitions on jumps! No hucking to flat (unless you get into the garbo hidden stuff)

People say it is hard on the bikes purely from the amount of riding you get done. 4 weeks in whis would be a lot lot more than a year of riding here. So have a think of what you have busted in that time frame and budget for those maybe?

I went through a couple of chains (never broken, just worn), one derailleur, fair few brake pads (just go the cheap ones from Summit), tyres (see below) and one rim. This is over 2 seasons with over 100 days each season. Helps when you work in the park.

I did replace/upgrade things but definitely didn't need to, just wanted to try new things.

It is really hard on tyres if you get anything soft, 60a minions are amazing there and should last you a while.

Remember if you break anything drive chain, it gives you the perfect excuse to run chainless like all the poor locals do. I would regularly just take the derailleur and chain off for a week at a time just to change things up. Makes every trail completely different and teaches you a lot about riding. And also makes the bike so quiet over the brake bumps! You can hit every jump on the jump trails without a chain easily.

 

[scuba05]

I just booked Camp of Champions yesterday night, and have been looking into the byo/hire bike situation.

I am going to byo for a few reasons:
1) I know my bike pretty well, and will have it dialled in for my riding style before i get there. No rude surprises!
2) Hiring looks to be quite expensive. I don't really like the way Glory's ride (one mate has had an 08,11,12,13,14 model).
3) I'm pretty good at maintenance (do all my own work), so anything that breaks will just be parts. Might even bring a few spares to keep me going (pads, chain, derailleur...)

That being said, I thought they didn't do the demo bikes that jazza_wil alludes to. It is still quite expensive though, but i guess the lack of worry about getting your bike to/from Whistler, and the damage thing is a big pro.

I'm in a bit of a stick, as I'm doing some other travelling after I finish @ Whistler. Going down to LA/Vegas for 8 days for Contiki, so I can't bring my bike with me. I'm therefore storing my bike @ LAX for $12 a day with LAX Luggage Storage. The rest of the costs are as follows:
Syd-Vancouver: CAD70 for the 2nd bag declared as sporting goods with Air Canada (one way)
Vancouver-LA: USD50 for the 2nd bag declared as sporting goods with Alaska Airline (one way)
LA storage: USD12 per day for bikes
LA-Sydney: USD35 for the 2nd bag declared as sporting goods with Virgin Australia (one way)

All in all, it looks to be the better option in my case. I will give the bike a bloody big service before I go to minimise the chances of shit breaking due to bad maintenance, and anything else I'll just have to wear.

 

[Skydome]

I think you're best taking what you've got already dialled in, that way you maximise your fun factor and don't have to learn a new bike and dial things in while you're their thus eating into your enjoyment time, take something you've already got dialled in and smash those trails harder than a slut on Friday nights.


You do have to account for the extra weight and the penalty they slug you, than there's your check in baggage limit I believe most airlines have.


I think what we did when we went to Whistler is we had things like helmets, gloves goggles riding cloths and other cloths packed into the bike box, we also had another bag packed up with shit in there as well..

 

[HimynameisMike]

Whats peoples opinions on what lift pass/ park pass to get for 3 weeks? To be honest I'm going solo so probably won't venture outside the park too much. Also, stupid question - whats the difference between the lift pass and a park pass?

 

[binner]

choices choices

Whats peoples opinions on what lift pass/ park pass to get for 3 weeks? To be honest I'm going solo so probably won't venture outside the park too much. Also, stupid question - whats the difference between the lift pass and a park pass?

its usually cheaper to buy a season pass and get the early bird discount if possible. When yr 3 weeks are over you will be saying "I'm coming back next year" so it's even easier to get yr pass as they have all your details and give you a discount. Not sure it still happens but worth getting info on.

 

[HimynameisMike]

cheers. I noticed the sale starts today. Though the page still hasn't loaded, I'm assuming it starts 9am canadian time

 

[zen zen]

Moving over there for a year or more at the end of this month super keen, be mad to get some tips from people that have also done this. Plan is flying out april 30th get to Vancouver spend 5 nights there then heading to whistler. Have not got accommodation in whistler yet was gunna sus out the staff housing untill i find a permanent house to rent. Keen to hit the slopes as soon as i get there so i can get a lil snowboarding in before it melts, so if anyone is gunna be there and wants to join would be sick. Lastly jobs ive been applying to stuff with alot saying to come see them when i get there for an interview, i got 2 years bar experience aswell as baristaring. So if anyone has some good places to apply to would be mad helpful.

Hopefully ill see all you guys over there when you head over.

 

[wertmewert]

Submitted my canadain visa app for visitor / worker and now they need my traffic history as well.... more time delay and money to the government. OH well will be worth! to keen!

 

[jazza_wil]

Moving over there for a year or more at the end of this month super keen, be mad to get some tips from people that have also done this. Plan is flying out april 30th get to Vancouver spend 5 nights there then heading to whistler. Have not got accommodation in whistler yet was gunna sus out the staff housing untill i find a permanent house to rent. Keen to hit the slopes as soon as i get there so i can get a lil snowboarding in before it melts, so if anyone is gunna be there and wants to join would be sick. Lastly jobs ive been applying to stuff with alot saying to come see them when i get there for an interview, i got 2 years bar experience aswell as baristaring. So if anyone has some good places to apply to would be mad helpful.

Hopefully ill see all you guys over there when you head over.

5 nights in Vancouver? Ever been in a city before? Then you've been to Vancouver, same shit just more homeless people asking for money and cigarettes. Better off going straight up to whistler to sort out work before the bulk of summer people come to town looking for jobs. Then after destroying yourself in the bike park and in need of a break then go to Vancouver for a day trip etc. At least then you can pick good weather days and bike around Stanley park in the sun.
There is heap of bars and coffee shops in town so you should be in luck finding work, im sure you would have to do the responsible alcohol serving stuff for here too, pretty sure its an online test you can do for British Columbia.

 

[zen zen]

5 nights in Vancouver? Ever been in a city before? Then you've been to Vancouver, same shit just more homeless people asking for money and cigarettes. Better off going straight up to whistler to sort out work before the bulk of summer people come to town looking for jobs. Then after destroying yourself in the bike park and in need of a break then go to Vancouver for a day trip etc. At least then you can pick good weather days and bike around Stanley park in the sun.
There is heap of bars and coffee shops in town so you should be in luck finding work, im sure you would have to do the responsible alcohol serving stuff for here too, pretty sure its an online test you can do for British Columbia.

yeahhh true but came in a package deal with the people we are flying with, so might aswell use it. Yeah i read into that rsa stuff alot of people say its super easy.

 

[Rats]

Staff housing is really good especially if you rent out the 3 bedroom apts. best location and cheaper than anywhere else, well it was back in 2000 and not as busy in summer.

 

[Skydome]

yeahhh true but came in a package deal with the people we are flying with, so might aswell use it. Yeah i read into that rsa stuff alot of people say its super easy.

RSA is piss easy, at least for Australia it is, you'd have to be a super grade A retard to fail it.

 

[Holf]

Gonna be going in about july 21st to aug4th to ride, if any1 wants to share some acomm iam keen , not booked flights yet so can b a bit flexible on dates