First time trip to BC to ride - where should we go?

If you're coming all the way from New England I would recommend just going to Whistler and then you can do day trips to Squamish and Pemberton as well if you like. Something like the Sunshine Coast or Cumberland are much smaller towns, that are nice but also quiet and don't have the vibe and all the tourist amenities like you'll find in Whistler. Not saying Sunshine Coast and Cumberland aren't great places for an MTB vacation - Whistler is just the "crown jewel" of the region in terms of tourist destinations and they have a ridiculous amount of trails both in and out of the bike park. You'd likely be underwhelmed and a bit bored in a smaller town when you aren't biking.

If you want the full tourist circus vibe Whistler is definitely your destination in BC. I've had planned trips there were I ended up heading Pemby or Squamish last second because I just couldn't handle the circus as I got closer to the area. Some people love it and some people don't. You have to know yourself in that regard.

I'm the sort of person that will hit up areas off season to avoid peak crazy. I actually find Cumberland at peak summer weekend tourist levels a bit too much and I'll schedule my rides early or hit up higher more remote loops that aren't likely to see much traffic or go to one of the nearby trail networks that won't see the main tourist surge.

I'm also going to die having never set foot/tire inside the Whistler Bike Park. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Posted by: Vikb

I'm also going to die having never set foot/tire inside the Whistler Bike Park. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.

If you find your way out there with a bike, It's definitely worth a $35 one-run ticket to ride Top of the World, and down through the park to the bottom. At least then you can say you did it!

Posted by: mammal

If you find your way out there with a bike, It's definitely worth a $35 one-run ticket to ride Top of the World, and down through the park to the bottom. At least then you can say you did it!

One issue with that is TOTW is only open in the busy summer months and with the gondola starting at 10am and the Peak chair at 11am, the usual crowd-avoiding strategies of early morning starts and/or shoulder season trips don't work.

I did it once a long time ago and the ride down was great (I took the peak to creek route via Khyber etc.) but the line up for the gondola was crazy (maybe I was just unlucky). 

Now that there is a good self-propelled option into the alpine across the valley (LOTS) I'll take that anytime. By the time the slackers line up for the lifts I'm already well into the alpine ;-)

To each their own of course ;-)

Posted by: [email protected]

One issue with that is TOTW is only open in the busy summer months and with the gondola starting at 10am and the Peak chair at 11am, the usual crowd-avoiding strategies of early morning starts and/or shoulder season trips don't work.

I did it once a long time ago and the ride down was great (I took the peak to creek route via Khyber etc.) but the line up for the gondola was crazy (maybe I was just unlucky). 

Now that there is a good self-propelled option into the alpine across the valley (LOTS) I'll take that anytime. By the time the slackers line up for the lifts I'm already well into the alpine ;-)

To each their own of course ;-)

I've ridden LOTS. I thought it was way over rated/hyped for an alpine ride, but if I was in Whistler for some reason and I had the time I would do another lap.

I don't do well with crowds. So my opinions are not representative of the mainstream.

Posted by: Vikb

I've ridden LOTS. I thought it was way over rated/hyped for an alpine ride, but if I was in Whistler for some reason and I had the time I would do another lap.

I don't do well with crowds. So my opinions are not representative of the mainstream.

I guess it depends on your expectations. I don't really pay much attention to others' opinions about trails as I've discovered they are often different from mine anyway.

As a European, big days in the Alps remain some of my favourite type of riding. I always missed riding alpine trails here in the S2S. LOTS is kind of the only way to ride alpine terrain in the area without super complicated logistics. You still have the long boring climb through the woods but once above the tree line I really like it, especially if you add the extra Happy Hour / Last Call loop. There is also the new Pot of Gold / Ninja Lakes out-and-back extension that I haven't even ridden yet.

I try to do it once every summer but only managed three times since it opened. The season is short and smoky summers and grizzly bear closures got in the way a few years.

It doesn't beat the Alps for that type of riding but having it a 1.5h drive from home is really nice (vs. a 10h flight and 12h drive for my typical summer trip to Amsterdam with add-on riding week in the Alps).

I like Frisby Ridge and Keystone near Revelstoke for the same reason. 7 Summits in Rossland is still on my wish list.

I like Frisby Ridge and Keystone near Revelstoke for the same reason. 7 Summits in Rossland is still on my wish list.

Having done Frisby, Keystone and 7 Summits a couple of times each, I gotta say Revy easily beats Rossland, both for scenery and riding. 

The actual riding on 7 Summits is a bit meh (apart from the final descent back to the road, which can be done as a separate (shuttle?) ride anyway...

Having said that, last time I rode both the Revy alpine rides, they were VERY busy and the horse flies were horrendous on Frisby...