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Whistler is an icon of British Columbia, the promised land of mountain biking.
Most well known for its massive, beautifully sculpted, bike park. You know, the one you've seen in a hundred million other videos, so today, despite what it may seem so far, this isn't another Whistler Bike Park video, because Whistler has a lot more to offer. The bike park may bring you here, but if you don't venture beyond it, you'll be missing out on a lot.
Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea, when I say venture beyond, I'm not telling you to skip the bike park completely, quite the contrary, in my view the pilgrimage is truly complete only when you've hit the trails in the whistler valley and the bike park as its the home to some of the most iconic trails in the world who's name you probably know, even if you've never been to B.C. Not only that, Whistler bike park is a progression paradise, offering tech and jump trails for all skill levels.
Now, if its your first time at Whistler there one extra expense you have to do, buy that extra pass to go ride top of the world. Hopefully you'll get better weather than we did to enjoy the view from the highest point in the bike park. But even if you don't get the best weather, the riding is phenomenal, and completely worth it, just be sure to bring your a-game since this trail in the rain, feels much harder than a single diamond, at least in my opinion. Venturing from the high alpine with rocky sections, down into the treeline with high speeds, and finally twisting and turning through loamy conditions all the way back into the main part of the bike park, top of the world is not one to miss out on.
The bike park only covers a tiny bit of the Whistler valley. The rest of the network, is all free to access and outside of the bike park. The community builds in a completely different way, remaining more natural and raw.
One of the great things about Whistler being so far north, is that the vegetation and scenery change significantly over the elevation profile of most climbs. Starting at around 2,000 ft. in the village, most climbs start you in lush forest, the more scenic ones like Lord of the Squirrels have a plethora of interesting spots... that you'll either want to bask in as you stroll through, or you'll want to stop completely for a well earned break.
Thankfully, there's a maxim that holds true no matter what. What goes up, must come down, and boy are you in for a treat here! The biggest problem of these descents, is that everything is so great you're always torn between going 100% out on your riding, or paying attention to the stunning landscapes, do you enjoy every single kicker, rock and berm, or do you look at the lakes, rock outcroppings, crazy green fields or do you just simply gaze out into the distance? I can tell you one thing though, in an absolutely fantastic way, its rather overwhelming to the senses. Anyhow, in a blink of an eye you'll have made your way down the final switchbacks and back on the road, in this ride, a good 5000+ vert feet later, but maybe all of this scenic stuff ins't your cup of tea, maybe you're looking for more tech and jank or maybe 5000 ft days just aren't your thing.
In any case, don't worry, there's always other trails like microclimate, and golden boner, which don't require nearly as much pedaling up, loose elevation much quicker and are much jankier. You will find some fast and flowy bermed sections, but since these are super steep, and despite the fact that gaining speed is super easy, the norm isn't these sections, there's enough tech to make you question everything. Unless you're particularly good at this type of terrain, the variability of rocks, roots, deep ruts and general raw feel of trails, will have you going a little slower as you spot you're way through. These are super steep trails with lots of suspensions upsetting features where managing traction is key as its very easy to overdo the brakes, especially on those days where there's still some humidity left on the trails and you choose to ride the rock rolls into roots.
In many ways, that is what makes Whistler so special, it captures fun on a mountain bike no matter what that means to you, aside from desert riding, Whistler virtually covers every style of trail, difficulty level, challenge type and physical fitness requirement that you can think of. So whenever you do decide to do the pilgrimage to the promised land of mountain biking, or if you go there regularly, for your next trip, remember to venture out past the bike park, there's a world of amazing adventures waiting for you.
Well guys, that's it for today, let me know what you think of this different style of video, I will see you for the next one and until then, happy riding!
Whistler on Trailforks: www.trailforks...