Whistler

Looking very good! Glad you got your guy up on the hill, that is awesome!

I have heard Sushi Co. tends to be where a lot of the riders calorie up, I am looking forward to going!

Thanks for the info, headed to the airport in less than 8 hours:)
 
I was at Whistler about 10 years ago. One ofthe side trips we did was a heli-drop ride on Rainbow Mtn (a peak opposite of Whistler). It's not a cheap day (has more than doubled since I went), but the experience is incredible. Nothing like getting dropped off in the snow - at the end of July.

While a few years old, John P of ridemonkey/MTBR fame has a good write up about it: http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/best-heli-biking-whistler-206829/

We were told be the guides the trail is an old moto trials ride (meant to be ridden up) and was some of the steepest stuff I've ever ridden in my years of mtn biking and DH racing. There was one chute that just went on and on and on... you drop into it and you can't see the bottom.

I was on my psuedo-DH bike (my Yeti Lawwill 6 set up for XC w/ tires and longer post) and wish I'd gone with a DH set-up. The current crop of enduro bikes with a dropper-post would be perfect. There wasn't a lot of crazy rock sections - just steep. The rest of my friends were on full-on XC bikes and had next to little to no DH experience. They made it down, but the trail was way over their heads.

I felt for the guides. The leader had me behind him, so I was pushing him and we were flying (I'd just come off of 4 years of Expert DH racing, so my skills and confidence were high). Then we'd get to a stopping point and wait about 10 min for everyone to catch up, with the other guide trailing the rear as sweep. They were riding Banshee DH bikes.
 
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Yep, I saw the helo's going up yesterday. There are a few outfits that run these tours now, they look so sweet!

We spent a ton of time in the park yesterday, a few of our runs were:

Blue Velvet
Part of Drop in Clinic
Freight Train
A-Line
B-Line
Ninja Cougar
Karate Monkey
Dirt Merchant
Samurai Pizza Cat

We did four hours yesterday, as we got into town around two, headed back out at opening for ten.
 
Nice! Glad you got out there an already on the hill.

I thought B Line was too torn up so looked at other options. I rode Crank It Up all the way a bunch of times as it seemed a little off track and had more shade. It was the smoothest of the trails I rode and quite fun once I got a hang for it.

I did Karate Monkey for a while then crossed to A Line. A line is pretty insane. Loved the massive berms.

One thing I found frustrating on the jump lines is the inconsistency on the speed you need for each jump. Landings are blind for most of them so I would hit one and case then do the same speed for the next one and overshoot it. What I really need is a month stay there and learn the lines by heart, haha
 
B line is a mess, they closed the end of it today, some of Blue Velvet is also pretty torn up, todays list included:

Top of The World
Schleyer
Fade to Black
Fatcrobat
Clown Shoes (just opened with re-work, very nice)
Duffman
Original Sin
In Deep
No Duff

As you can see, the anti's were upped today. My full rental started today, carbon V10. Glad I took insurance, as a rock on No Joke bent the rear hanger like a toy.

Rode a nose wheelie down the drop into the step up on Fade to Black, nearly changed my pants after that.

Down right scariest thing so far was the lift to top of the world, that thing is ridiculously high, not going to lie, I shut my eyes as vertigo set in.

The jumps on A-Line can be inconsistent, I have most of it memorized, I still have not attempted to clear the large table after the huge natural wallride, that thing gives me the willies for some reason.

Top of the world was pretty sweet, the trail changed several times, a good chunk of it was like B-Line, just all fresh loam, very nice, probably why they charge so much to ride it.

Tomorrow should be interested, I have some serious fore-arm pump, I hot tubbed twice today and drank over 4 liters of water, we shall see what happens!
 
Love checking out what you rode on the trail map.

I still have whistler stoke even being in muggy Nj for a couple days. Like I said before, you could spend a month up there and still not be bored from riding. It is pretty crazy the amount of stuff to ride.

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one freaked out on that 30 ft table (my guess) after the natural wall ride/berms on A-line. Btw - those huge berms are one of the coolest features I have ever ridden and that was just after one blind lap at half throttle. I can imagine riding that line dialed is like a trip to heaven.

Riding Whistler has had my dirt jump/trail building mind going about 100mph:

How could they make the lines more sustainable and less rutted? I was talking to one rider that it would be cool if they had sprinklers - (there are streams all around) to keep things from drying and blowing up.

Could you make a run with all hips where your speed didn't matter? - float to the outer corner if you had a bunch or stay inside if you were slow.

How about stall areas/drop decks with signs of what was coming up in the next section every so often. These could double as pass zones for faster riders as I noticed riders' speed can vary a lot! I was on both sides of it - wanting to pass and someone right on my back door.

Could a no brake run be made? I would think this would be the ultimate in trail construction. Like the perfect wave for surfing.

For our local DJ's I would love to mimic the berm to landings that were on that pump track that intersected the CranxWorks line (which was awesome to see in person!). And to somehow have a natural huge berm like on A-line.

I've been around dirt and bikes for a real long time and Whistler was certainly a whole new experience for me. Was glad to have done it and hope to do it again. Keep the stories/line lists coming!
 
Ian - forgot to say - great story. Yet another cool thing that can be done up there. Not sure how many other places (especially in North America) could support a heli mtn bike opp.
 
Great recap's Don. Sounds like you are ready to ditch your East Coast dirt roots for a full face in t-shirt and jeans :).

For real though, that area is one of the places where free riding / trail riding with jumps and such as we know it today was born. It is no wonder they keep producing sick riders.
 
Thanks stb222 - it was a great trip even tho i am still limping around and need to see a foot doc.

I am true beast coast, haha. As much as I loved it out there I still like what we have here and missed home at times. It is almost too easy out there - parks and trails all over - great shops - plenty of people to ride with - crossing paths with pros. It was missing that local roots feel if that makes sense.

I switched to full face for any jumping last year so my garb has been FF, jeans, and t shirt anyways, haha. Or shorts and knees for the warmer days.

The trip did give me some motivation and ideas for my eternal quest to make the best and funnest line. I am really surprised there isn't a smaller Whistler here on the east. Something like Stratton could support a bunch of summer tourist as their winter traffic is massive.

And I cannot imagine the next group of riders coming from there. There were soo many young riders and girls/women that it blew me away. I was really siked to see that full picture of riders out there.
 
Don, agreed, a sprinkler would be good, as trails like A-Line, Crank it up, & B-Line have dust about three foot up the trees, but rain is coming tomorrow.

As for a smaller Whistler, check out Highland, it is pretty close, just a 6th of the elevation.

On par for new trails:

- Captain Saftey (30 foot rock slider, my heard was pumping for 3 minutes after, holy cow!)
- Dwayne Johnson - three features, but totals brawls to the walls
- Goast Gully - Like a very nasty plattekill rock garden from the old days.
- Hornet
- Mackenzie River Trail
- Side Track
- Little Alder

At this point we have ridden the while mountain with the exception of

- Una Moss (would have to hit Top of the World again)
- EZ Does it (flat and open, I have been chilling out on Blue Velvet and Vrank it up if I need to get down).
- D1 - Pro line rock garden, I will see if I have the energy today.

We roll out at 5AM tomorrow for Vancouver, and ultimately Newark. The trip has been awesome, just need to make it through these final hours without injury.

Pretty much get up every morning at 7am, coffee, pick up rental at 9:30, on lift at 10, break at 1:30, lunch/hot tub, ride from 3:30m to 7:45. Hot tub/dinner, sleep at ten, repeat.

Arms are a bit sore, but otherwise good to go. This place will make you a better rider. It pays to come here in good cardio shape, as the runs are LONG. Especially if coming from the Garbanzo lift or Top of the World.

I planned to ride XC while here, but have not left the park, have to save something for next time:)

People are super friendly, and you can eat on the cheap for about $30 a day in the village.

Time to use those last six hours of the pass today;)
 
I hate to use an overused word but epic seems work very well for your experience!

My daughter will be in NH for camp and I will need to pick her up so might try and sneak a Highland trip in on it (I've been wanting to go for a while now).

Agree tons of awesome people - weird how you can talk to someone from the UK/Aussie/Kiwi/some Canadians and not know what the hell they are saying with accents and terminology. Plus there is the whole Whistler speak which I am still trying to transition out of.

Fingers crossed you leave without issue. It's always the last run as you know.
 
Make the trip to Highland, it is well worth it!

Made it out alive, had about an hour to go till the lift closed, but I was pretty beat, and my goggles were pretty goobered up (exacerbated by the low light), so I decided to call it a trip. I did manage to find some local made trails which put me about a mile out of the park, I rode those three times, they were right out of a magazine, several drops, four to eight inches of loam as a base, I would have kept riding them, but the mid-point seemed to be a black bears hang out, didn't see him on the first run, but on the following two he was chilling out, and it was pretty close quarters. I wasn't worried, as they are pretty docile, but I was off the mountain in an untraveled area, not really worth the risk.

My favorite run had to be Original sin - no joke - blue velvet - captain safety - in deep - fatcrobat - schlyer - clown shoes. Some of the trails you are only on for a for a few hundred yards, but that seemed to be my run.

I cannot wait to go back, epic was positively the word. All five days were spent in the park, I wish I had more time to ride some of the valley trails, but you always need to leave something for the next time.

If I were younger, I would be applying for a work visa immediately.
 
awesome! That loamy trail sounds amazing. Crazy about the bears.

I was just up in Stowe and talking to Paul at iRide. He was out there not to long ago and said the locals work in Whistler but live and ride Pemby and Squamish. Paul is a good Stowe rider which means he can certainly hold his own and said thing were on another level out there.

Working on getting to Highland, haha
 
And yes agree about the work visas. Someone I met said it's hard for US citizens to get and that is why there are so many Aussies and folks from the UK. If this was going on after I got out of college so many years ago - my dream job would have been working on the bike park. Actually still is, haha!
 
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