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5 things to do in Whistler

For any of you that have been unlucky enough to ride with me or just generally be in my general proximity you will probably be sick of hearing about this but…in roughly 100 days Mr Betty and I are going to Whistler! Apart from sorting out visas, places to stay and flights (i’m sure it basically sorts itself out in the end…) I have embarked on creating a list of things that I must do (or put in my mouth) whilst I’m out there.

I suspect, given in part how much the flights were, that we won’t be making the pilgrimage to the North Shore into an annual thing, so I want to make sure I do as much as possible this time round. To that end, I wanted to share the first draft of that bucket list, to see what you all think and get some tips from those of you who have been before. In no particular order, my shortlist is as follows.

Samurai Pizza Cat

This is a trail at Whistler Bike Park which initially peaked my interest because of the reference to pizza in the name. Nevertheless, the trail looks like a great way to introduce myself to the bike park, especially to the more technical side.

Have a look at the video of BCPov riding Samurai Pizza Cat below.

Top of the World

We are going fairly early in the season, July to be precise, thus it might be a bit touch and go for this one as I understand . After getting accustomed to the trails and the beaver tails (it’s like a big flat doughnut apparently) I would love to get up to the top of the park to ride this trail. It is probably the first “enduro-focused” trail in the park and it always crowns the Enduro World Series in Whistler, as the longest stage of the whole event. The high altitude, the views and the sheer length make it a prime descent in the bike park and one to tick off on my bucket list.

Check out Nate Hills making it look easy below.

Visit Chromag

Chromag is a British Columbia institution, just on the outskirts of Whistler, that creates bikes and bike parts (amongst other things) that are recognisable around the world. I am thinking that they are a bit like the Hope of B.C. Being so close to the trails allows the Chromag team to test out their own inventions right there and then. I am very curious to see how the products come together and whether I can take a look behind the curtain!

Lord of Squirrels

Considering the amount of squirrels in my back garden it seems that this could be the trail for me. I feel like I already know the trail inside out after watching so many youtubers make the long climb up into the higher alpine scenery. It is an epic day out with some long, dusty descents after what is a very very long climb (I was told 4 hours, so probably count 6 at my pace).

This alpine descent is full of flow, amazing views and would certainly be a day to remember. Given that the trail is up in the alpine it might be closed if there is too much snow or a rogue bear is on the loose (I wish I hadn’t read the reports of wild, adolescent bears on the prowl by the trail!), so it is worth keeping this in mind if you’re planning a trip based on this trail solely.

Have a look at this video by BKXC to fully appreciate the splendour of this trip.

In Deep

The quintessence of Whistler Bike Park tech, In Deep features on multiple instagram feeds, youtube videos and if the GoPro effect has anyone fooled it is still a very difficult trail from the looks of it.

Given how gnarly it looks, riding this would be a great achievement at my current skill level and I would be very pleased if I managed to get down some of the amazing steep chutes and rock gardens.

Food

Ok, so this is a bonus one as obviously I have promised only five items on the list. However, food in Canada seems like it would be right up my street. Trying poutine and beaver tails is definitely on the list. Everything seems to be smothered in gravy or maple syrup, which works for me.