Tbh Whistler is okay but super expensive for what it is, i still prefer Les Portes du Soleil. Whistler's lines up are insane and next year it will be worse because they are changing the Fitzimons chairlift.
@@skippylegrandgourou2069 oh yeah it’s cheaper to fly from North America to France and get accommodation and transport and all that. Most people watching this video are from North America, specifically BC, as the channel name suggests
We have done the trip 5 times from NZ. Not cheap but worth it. We get a large group together and share a big house. We take turns to cook saving money. We get a private shuttle from airport. Slightly more expensive than bus but more convenient. We spend 1/2 the time in park and 1/2 outside. We don't rent a car as we have bikes. We bring our own which again saves money. Yes expensive put 10 of your mates riding Whistler, priceless.
I second the concept of a bunch of buds renting a house or a condo. Much easier to coordinate as a group, and way cheaper on food as you stay away from restaurants. One thing to note, you might be on vacation but your neighbours might not be and have to get up early to get to work. Party responsibly.
@@chrzzzzz not 100% sure at this stage. Probably Amish. We have postponed next year's trip due to the Fitz lift upgrade. Ashame but a long way to go to stand in a queue and have trails closed.
Coming from someone that lived in Whistler for all of the 2022 summer season your list of tips were right on the money. I’ll just add that there are some very good trails on the Blackcomb side of the Whistler area such as Dark Crystal that are definitely worth checking out. Also if you ever run out of groceries, the Independent in the Rainbow area of Whistler has much less of a markup on food.
Whistler is a great way to find(make) problems with your hardtail bike. After two 2 days of riding there, I found I needed a new back wheel, cassette, and crank set.
What an awesome video! We have kids and downhill ski so when we visit a resort we use a plug-in water heater to boil water for Ramen (ala college days). We also have this little egg-sandwhich maker that we got for $19 (US$) that we make breakfast sandwgiches with. The bowls of oatmeal and some fruit are super easy, barely an inconvenience, and healthy. Also, don't forget a boot dryer for rain days so your gear can dry out.
Only thing I really disagree about is the trip down the river of golden dreams in an inflatable boat. It's glacier fed so if your boat gets popped by the bushes on the sides or underneath you, you're now stuck in a freezing cold river with few good places to get out. Plus you need to know to go when it's not too low. Fun to watch as always!
Wow, you just saved my 20yo who has lived there for a year a good lashing, lol. I've visited twice, and that sounded amazing, but we did the loggers lake hard hike, and swam there, so thank you very much because shiza, that was cold
I ride mountain bikes to get away from people and enjoy the outdoors for only the cost of my physical labor. The bike parks are a special place in hell for people like me: absolute heaven at the cost of heavy anxiety and your savings account. Great video!
I'm the same but if you avoid the summer it's not bad. I find riding mid-week in May/June to be the best as most of the crowds are at work/school, the mountain hasn't been trashed due to Crankworx and the trails aren't dried out like they are in the summer.
There are bike parks where you won't see many more people than you would on an average ride. Silver Mountain in Idaho is awesome. Nice tech trails, and LONG runs. I've put in days there where I didn't see a single other biker other than in the base area.
@@skippylegrandgourou2069 Except when Whistler closes Creekside for the entire season but then still charges full ticket prices! But yeah I agree, Creekside is a fantastic area to ride and as Eric mentioned in his video they have free parking!
For the bike rentals i can recommend Arbutus Routes, they have yeti knolly and status for 120 to 140 per day, slightly below average price and a perfect occasion to try out some nicer boutique bikes. PS also one of the few shops that allows its enduro bikes on the lift
Eric, I've only been to Whistler back in the early 2000s and even then the trails outside the park were so much fun. Jump forward 20 years and I couldn't agree with you more about hitting the trails outside the park unless you are a jump junkie. Stress less ride more! Stay safe.
I love mountain biking, my dream is to start hiking. Here in Brazil there are many trails, but unfortunately bikes and accessories are extremely expensive, I'm trying to get my bike for two years, I'm still saving money, one hour the dream will come true.
If you rent a condo, some of the private vacation rental companies will pick you up from the airport and bring you to Whistler for a fee. If you have a large group, this can be quite affordable.
As I live in the UK what I would do is sort all my stuff out before I leave so get health insurance and hire a condo before I leave then find the cheapest flight to Vancouver which will be an arm and a leg then get the bus to Whistler then spend the other arm and a leg on I nice meal and a couple of beers An early night for the next day of shredding lol
Went to Whistler a couple weeks ago from the states. What I learned the hard way, is that even though I arrived there a day after crankworx the bottom lift was closed, so the gondola line was SSOO long. Took 2 hours (on a Wednesday), to get up.
For Whistler Valley fun you can't beat Dark Crystal to Bring on the Weekend via Yummy Nummy and Land of Confusion. Pretty much an all day adventure with more rock rolls than you can shake a stick at
Don't forget to strap a spare tube to your frame not for you because you came prepared with DH or DD tires and fresh sealant but to keep your unprepared friends moving
I think you should put together a bike tour I think a lot of people would go on it thanks for all your content I’m glad you guys made it back from all your travels fairly safely I hope you Yuka heals up quickly
I think I'll drive from the mid west USA with a small camper with my own bikes and tools, and stocked with food and drink. then we can split the gas and food 4 ways.
I just did a 5 day trip for my bday. I wasn't trying to make it super cheap but maybe I'm just naturally fairly frugal. Went early September. Flight with points, I took the shuttle, stayed at Aava with point plus a little cash (great little hotel!) and splurged on a DH bike from Evolution. 5 day pass (I have ridden outside the park but not this trip). On food I ate a lot at Freshii and of course Avalance. I'm an old snowboard bum but I draw line at day old pizza. Bruh.... :D Good tips, and remember that though it can be expensive Whistler DELIVERS. I've never had anything less than an amazing time up there and am super jealous of you Squamish folks who can just drive for the day.
Thank you so much for this video. I know how to get to Vancouver, thanks for the information for getting to Whistler and all your other pointers. Whistler is on my bucket list and being 45 I should get going soon LOL. I don't think I would but I guess taking my Giant Anthem XC bike is a bad idea? lol
The best bikepark for the money is Les Portes du Soleil, it is bigger, way cheaper than Whistler, world class trails, less line ups and more variety of trails.
It's too bad this place is on the other side of the world from me! Part of the allure of Whistler is that it is geographically close to the USA. I can't imagine travelling so far just to ride a bike park.
Excellent video. If you are a mountain biker a trip to Whistler (at least) once in your life should be a requirement. Squamish is awesome on the weekends.
Agree September is best but trails can be blown out a bit by that time of year. Get a condo or suite hotel and dine in. Have a few beers then do limited drinks and eats out.
I went to Whistler for two weeks in September this year, and although the weather was nice, you are right! All of the trails from A-Line, Crank It Up, even Dirt Merchant were caked top-to-bottom with braking bumps and potholes in the corners. I've been to Whistler twice, both in September, but I'm thinking of going earlier next year. I'd really like to try the trails in Squamish and in the North Shore of Vancouver. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that without a car, though!
@@Patrico-tl3md I think that's what I'll do next year, because I reaaaally want to visit the trails outside of Whistler. Last year, I rented a car just outside Vancouver for $180 for a whole week. This year, I couldn't find a rental for less than $500 per week! Rental prices have absolutely skyrocketed! Another option is to drive, but I live in Alaska, so it would be a long drive down.
I went summer snowboarding on the Whistler glacier in 1994 for 2 months. Lift tickets were $60 per day even back then. I can’t imagine now. I looked at real estate prices in Whistler village recently. The cheapest condo is 500k. All houses basically start at 800k upwards. It’s insanity.
We use to go to Whistler back in those good old days & we could rent a house on the mountain..huge house, for around $75/person for 4 or 5 nights with about 10 people. Beautiful homes with everything but I don't remember how much lift tix were, probably only about $60
that meant is not worth it, I'll stick to my Texas trails and spider mountain , I can't probably go 20 times to spider mountain or Bentonville for one trip to whistler, thanks for opening my eyes.
If you group is big enough, the private airport shuttle is the way to go, can save money and dam it is easier. But then you have no way to easily get down to say Squamish. I will say rental cars were much cheaper this September, than the prior one.
I wanna go to Whistler bike park but it just snowed today in Alberta. Going to Vancouver island for Christmas though so I think I’ll be able to ski in Whistler for a day or two
Whistler one day. I’m lucky to have Sun Peaks a quick skip away. Next year I have another dream: Revelstoke! Either the big long pedal up that I will need to get into shape for, or a heli-drop ride. Maybe their park too, but that wasn’t the bigger draw for me
Just beware that September in Whistler can be wet. This year was dry but it rained a lot in September, 2021. The trails themselves are fine to ride rain and shine but not everyone like riding in the rain and deal with all the mud afterwards.
everything youve said in this video is spot on i was there just at the end of august for the first time and had my nukeproof mega which is 170mm travel and was an amazing experince deffo need to work your way up by the end of the 4 days of riding i was able to actuly hit some of a line with speed and was clearing c more easily would of loved longer there will deffo be back if i get that chance
