Itinerary

This itinerary is only given as a guide and will be followed as closely as possible. Your guide will assess weather conditions and possibly alter the route to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Day 0.

Depart US/UK on your flight of choice. Timed group transfer to Whistler chalet accommodation unless you are making your own way there by car. Depending on numbers and flight times there will be 2 group transfers arranged which may involve a short wait at the airport for other group members to arrive. After clearing customs a shuttle taxi will transfer you and the bikes along the scenic coastal drive North from the airport to Whistler, this takes approx. 2.5 hrs depending on traffic. You will be taken to Cedar Springs B&B in Alpine Meadows, Whistler. Your guide for the weeks ahead will meet you at the chalet, check you are all OK and help with the building up of bikes if necessary. There will be a trip briefing over dinner at a local restaurant tonight.

Day 1.

The guide will help with any ‘tweaking’ your bikes may need following the flight or road trip and then it’s down to the local area for a skills assessment and short teaching lesson on some new techniques that will be useful on some of the trails in this area. Lunch in a local cafe and off to try out some of the great tracks in the Whistler valley. There is an excellent series of new cross-country trails around Lost Lake which provide a perfect introduction to the riding in the Whistler valley; fast and flowing, rocky and rooty and plenty of wooden sections for maximum enjoyment. There are so many to chose from but the guide will take you the most suitable trails according to your skill levels and show you what’s in store for rest of the week. Dinner in the chalet.

Day 2.

Ready for a longer cross country ride today, and there are so many trails to choose from, but your guide will have assessed your abilities and will be sure to pick a good one! But rest assured, whatever you do there be a big climb at some point during the day, the hills here are steep and beautiful but it all comes at a cost! You could start with a fantastic traverse trail of the valley which has a very steep climb at the start of it, up to ‘Ricky’s Roost’ and along the ‘Rainbow-Sproat’ flank trail which includes an amazing 27 switch back descent and still more to come! We descend to Function Junction and a well deserved lunch in one of best cafes in the valley, Millar Creek Cafe. Then there are many options for the afternoon before we return back to the lodge. On more technical trails like ‘Tunnel Vision’, or up the easy but picturesque valley trail which takes you right to your lodge door. There are opportunities to extend your ride as much as you like today. Dinner in the chalet tonight.

Day 3.

Another cross-country ride exploring some excellent man made trails today, linking together some of the best trails the valley has to offer. We nip up to the start up to ‘Mel’s Dilemma’, very close to our accommodation (catered), an excellent undulating rooty descending trail through the trees. With fast twitchy corners with roots and small stream crossings. This comes out close to ‘Bart’s Dark’ trail, fast and flowing with optional jumps on solid small train sleeper jumps. Then a climb up on part single track and part double track to the start of ‘Whip me, Snip me’ another fast flowing descent whipping past small trees with a tight corner before the last bridge. This trail connects to ‘Danimal’ for more single track and short climbs. We have a well-earned lunch back in Whistler town. A little time in town to relax before the afternoon of ‘Cut yer Bars’ and last but not least the infamous ‘A River Runs Through it’. The latter is a flat trail but with the most amazing wooden stunts. You can always go around the difficult sections or try them out if you’re feeling up to it. Dinner in the chalet tonight.

Day 4.

Your first visit to the famous Whistler Bike Park today - it will be quite an eye-opener! A truly spectacular place and if you like this kind of riding one day is never enough here. Your guide will ‘host’ you when inside the park and show you around the best trails, helping you to build up to the hard ones and show you how to do a 4ft rock drop if you dare! All the jumps in the park have a couple of cones to mark the lip or take-off point and all landings are built up to give you a silky smooth landing, that is, if you nail it right! There are practice areas with 5 table top jumps in progressive stages so you can build up the necessary skills in a safe place before you take the plunge and launch yourself down ‘A-Line’ or ‘Dirt Merchant’, both have wonderfully flowing table tops and drops that will have you grinning from ear to ear! If the Park is to your taste then after a day here you’ll be looking for a bolt-on face guard for your helmet or renting a full face - in words of a Canadian in the bike park last year ‘Go Big or Go Home!’. However, that’s not strictly true as whilst the majority of trails in the Park are for the expert riders there still plenty for the intermediate level to enjoy and explore. The slope style biker cross park at the lower end the park can be seen on www.whistlerblackcomb.com web-cam, click on ‘bike park’. Dinner at a local restaurant in Whistler tonight. Tonight is chef’s night off at the lodge.

Day 5.

We drive 4 hrs north into the wilderness to a private chalet on the shore of Tyaughton lake within the grounds of the spectacular Tyax resort. After checking in and a spot of lunch we mount our bikes to try out the local trails close to the lodge of Tyax. We may do a ride that takes us all the way down to Carpenter lake that has some great single track climbs and descents with stunning views of the lake and a great eye opener to the type of terrain in the area. Dinner will be served in the main lodge and is always as tasty and as big as you can manage! A short boat trip in complimentary canoes or a 5 minute ride/walk takes you to the main lodge to check out the outdoor hot tub, sauna and the bar.

Day 6.

We shuttle to the start of a big climb today which is the ride up to Taylor’s Basin. After the climb we cross into Eldorado before a fabulous descent and well-earned lunch stop. At the summit of another climb we are met by fantastic views down to Carpenter lake and a phenomenal descent that is truly out of this world. Nothing can ever compare to the descent of Liek Creek from this pass. It’s very soft and sandy in places, but the gradient carries you though along a sweeping single track descent. The trail is very steep in places but soft underfoot which makes for an unusual but wonderful floating ride - as close to carving turns on skis as you can come to on a bike! This is one of the classic trails of the area and don’t worry if you are not up for it there are alternative descents from the first passes. Your guide will assess the ability of the group and make a decision. Either descent will bring you directly back to the chalet where a grin will be fixed across you face for a while to come! Dinner in the main lodge again tonight and it is well deserved!

Day 7.

An official rest day to enjoy the setting at Tyax, but with very little persuasion there can be a local ride arranged. Plenty to do here to amuse yourself all day or for half a day. You can paddle on the lake and look around for grizzly bears, last year we saw two grizzly bear cubs playing in the water from the safety of our canoe, whilst their mother watched over them from the shore! Amazing wildlife here and a wonderful setting. Dinner in the main lodge as normal today. Lunch is up to you, either in the restaurant or out in a canoe on the lake.

Day 8.

An early start for a 2hr drive to the start of a mega traverse of the Shulaps range today. There is a big climb which is steep in places and a little bit of hike-a-bike gains you some height and fabulous views of the area. Then the fun really begins! You will follow amazing single track the like of which you’ve never ridden before and a hairpin descent through a thick forest with rooty drops and tight corners galore! A long day with 7 hrs riding plus transfer time (1.5 hours) gets us back tired but very happy bikers indeed! Dinner in main lodge and quite a few well-deserved beers tonight.

Day 9.

Depending on weather and group ability we will fly up to Spruce lake today in the Beaver float plane direct from the dock at Tyax lodge. The plane is flown by ace pilot and ex-cross country mountain bike champion Dale Douglas, he’s always keen to point out trails as he flies us. If the group are all good riders we may be able to get him to drop us at a lake higher up, Warner has a very rocky start and 43km down hill back to the chalet descending all the way down Gun Creek. This is all fantastic natural single track, you have to keep your wits about you to watch out for horse trekkers who use the trail a lot and of course grizzly bears! This is an easy day as it’s mostly downhill but it’s a wonderful experience to fly up and ride down and your uphill legs might be tired from yesterday! Dinner in the main lodge.

Day 10.

We pack up for the drive back down the Hurley road, but this time stopping in Pemberton, the old gold mining town. We will call in at the new Pony Espresso cafe for a taste of the Pemberton way of life and ride the great local trails here. Here there is plenty to ride from ‘Lumpy’s Epic’ and the ‘Tower of Power’ on one side to ‘Hawaii’, ‘Mission Impossible’ and ‘Meat Grinder’ for the hard core riders. There is great intermediate single track here as well with ‘Cream Puff’, ‘Overnight Sensation’ and ‘Mackenzie Cruise’ to satisfy everyone. At the end of the day we will return to our accommodation in Whistler. Dinner in the chalet.

Day 11 and 12.

The bike park may beckon a few riders to go back and enjoy the gravity assisted descents for another day. But the true hard core riders will be honing their skills and digging deep into the depths of their thighs and lungs for the hardest continuous technical single track trail possible. Aptly named (after you have competed it) ‘Comfortably Numb’ is a heady mix of twisty turns, technical options, some hairy bridges and mind blowing views. It leaves you in awe of the bike trail builders of Whistler and what they have achieved here. This epic trail can take the best riders 4 and a half hours but most groups take between 5 to 6 hrs of ride time to make the loop from Whistler. It finishes down ‘Foreplay’ and drops you in the to lost lake trails close to Whistler for a well deserved beer. One night dinner out in Whistler and last night dinner in the chalet.