Whistler has a legendary rep, so no wonder most mountain bike riders all over the world dream of coming here. So did I. The idea started to materialize in my head 2 years ago, back then my bike technique was not honed in yet, I didn't feel "ready" just yet. If I was going to Whistler, I would want to ride everything, every line, drop, jump, wallride, whatever the park had - I wanted to roll it. 2 years later (and many bikepark rides later) I felt that Whistler had to be next. Got the the plane tickets, packed my stuff and went to Canada : )
Let me start with some praise of the Canadian people. Besides being helpfull and friendly, they are very social as well, and you wont wander long before someone wants to get a small chat goin'. I really enjoyed that, and I wish it was more like that here where I live. Canada also left me with an impression that its a very clean country, and it seems to me like people care about keeping it clean. Props for that.
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My first day at Whistler bikepark, I got lucky, within the first 30 minutes I stumbled upon Paul (white shirt), and his brother Ian (black shirt), they where kind enough to show me around the park. And before I knew it we where all rippin' together. Such cool guys. Paul was actually a whistler-local, besides being ridiculously fast, he pulled whips like no other, just wow! I have so much to learn.
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I planned to bring my own ride, but changed mind last second. I had a feeling that I could get away with a rental. I packed my body armor, and pedals - thats it. To my surprise, the rentals in Whistler where of a very high caliber; 2011 Norco bikes, 2011 Giant, 2010 Specialized and 2011 Trek to mention just a few. My ride was a 2011 Devinci Wilson. While not as playful as my Canfield Brothers ONE, it sure was a sweet bike to ride, slack, fast and very controllable, the rear end felt bottomless.
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Gettin' mah wheep ooohn, some of the tables where absolutely huge here, and gave the opportunity for some serious airtime. I wont show too many pics of the park and rides itself, as im in the midst of making a short vid. So stay tuned for that.
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Tight section on lower A-line. The Whistler bikepark is HUGE, you could easily ride here an entire week without getting too repetitive.
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The famous GLC drop. Hit it fast and enjoy the air-time.(Paul just landed in this pic)
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I met freeride legend, and mtb pioneer Brett Tippie. Such a cool character!
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Im chasing Paul, he salutes with a whip : )
The park wasn't fully up and running due to the snow. The more popular trails where open. Im sorry I missed Dirt Merchant tho' - A good excuse to come back ; ) The trails I rode where very fast, and so much fun! The lines where often quite wide, making it possible to make multiple lines in one, at some points. Clearly the main focus for the park is good airtime, so dont expect your bike to be grounded for too long. Lines are as professionaly crafted as youdd expect of a place like Whistler.
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I got more stuff tho', you see, I stumbled upon some trails outside the park, and got a bit of a surprise..
Stay tuned.
I think that a trip to Whistler is an incredible experience and a one in a life time.
ReplyDelete+\- how much can you expect to spend in a trip to Whistler?
Would you think that it compensates to rent a bike instead of taking your own one.
Amazing!
ReplyDeletethumps up!!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteWhile I cant talk about your flight expenses, I am able to tell you that you could live very comfortably in whistler for about 100 CAD a day, including good food, and bikepark entry. If you bring your own bike that is. It can always be done cheaper tho'
Regarding rentals; I have a pretty decent setup on my ONE, so I was a bit worried pre-travel to be standing in whistler with a poor bike and sub par gear. That was put to shame though. Whistler has some very good bikes for rent. We are talking the best of the best, with very high end 2011 gear. You are not compromising. And that was a very pleasent surprise to me. Its not cheap tho'
@Garcia, Lars Boes
Thanks guys, you should go there! : )
This is one great blog! Thank you for sharing your experiences!
ReplyDeleteCant wait to see WHISTLER 2011 part 2/2
@c44
ReplyDeleteThanks man, I hope to have it up in a few days.
Nice blog man! Like your reviews. Gotta try wider bars myself and get the specialized deviant helmet once I need a new one. I'm jealous that you biked the High Tatra mountains in Slovakia. They don't allow bikes there and not sure I would break the rule. I'm wondering how you shoot your videos from third person perspective. Do you always ride with a buddy? Do you set up bunch of cameras at different spots and then pick them up after? How many cameras you use? Keep up the good work! Matej
ReplyDeleteWhistler er stedet, misundelsen vil ingen ende tage herfra. Glæder mig til at læse mere!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteGo try some wider bars, I really recommend it for aggressive riding. The Devinci I was riding in Whistler had 800mm bars, I thought they would be a bit too wide, compared to my 750mm but they actually felt good, super stable.
Im not allways riding with a buddy, so when I ride on my own and want to film, I have to setup the cam, ride past it and then pick it up. Rinse and repeat. Takes a while. I use a micro-tripod, thats about 10 cm long, and weighs in below 100 grams - good for stabilizing the cam.