Whistler Bike Park 2015

Xc has been fun and all but I really can't wait much longer! Cgp is tempting…

Or it compensates for an inexperienced rider's short comings and helps them get in over their head, or go too fast too quickly. YMMV.

That too :D haha

OK. Ski-out is done. There is absolutely no one here anymore.

Open the bike park.

It is not yet confirmed if W/B will be offering the Triple Play Card this season. I hope they do, cause generally that's the deal I go with. Buy early [HTML_REMOVED] get that 4th day free.

Looks like it's confirmed. To not have the triple play. http://bike.whistlerblackcomb.com/tickets-passes/tickets/index.aspx

I have had a triple play for years this is unfortunate. I haven't looked into the pricing scheme they are running now so not sure what replaces it.

Looks like it's confirmed. To not have the triple play. http://bike.whistlerblackcomb.com/tickets-passes/tickets/index.aspx

I have had a triple play for years this is unfortunate. I haven't looked into the pricing scheme they are running now so not sure what replaces it.

They're now offering a 5-day and a 10-day for $250 and $400 respectively. Funny that you would have gone to their website, then come here to post about the pricing and link to it, but not bother to look at the pdicing on the site…:???:

Regarding the "3 of 4 days" [HTML_REMOVED] "4 of 6 days" options; it means that you have 4 days to use 3 days of riding. One day of rest somewhere in those 4 days. Same as the 4 of 6 option. (At least that's the way guest services explained it to me). I really don't get the logic behind that idea. So once you scan thru the first day, you better not have an accident or a bad mechanical or you will lose days in that package. I will be getting the 2 day option and pay as I go 2 at a time. Maybe not the best, but I cannot predict when [HTML_REMOVED] how many times I'll be up there. My thinking; W/B knows the park is popular [HTML_REMOVED] pricing reflects that.

They're now offering a 5-day and a 10-day for $250 and $400 respectively. Funny that you would have gone to their website, then come here to post about the pricing and link to it, but not bother to look at the pdicing on the site…:???:

The 5 and 10 day passes also include 1 additional early season day, so if you go up even once before June 26, its 6 and 11 days.

Regarding the "3 of 4 days" [HTML_REMOVED] "4 of 6 days" options; it means that you have 4 days to use 3 days of riding. One day of rest somewhere in those 4 days. Same as the 4 of 6 option. (At least that's the way guest services explained it to me). I really don't get the logic behind that idea. So once you scan thru the first day, you better not have an accident or a bad mechanical or you will lose days in that package. I will be getting the 2 day option and pay as I go 2 at a time. Maybe not the best, but I cannot predict when [HTML_REMOVED] how many times I'll be up there. My thinking; W/B knows the park is popular [HTML_REMOVED] pricing reflects that.

On the website it says you can use you days at anytime. Doesn't have to be consecutively.

E.G

10 DAY PASS - NEW
Ten Anytime Days, No Blackouts
Valid any 10 days this season, don’t have to be used consecutively
Reload days for only $39/day if purchased 5+ days in advance of use reload pricing »
Member-only perks more »
BONUS Early Season Bike Park Day, if you purchase a 10 Day Pass by May 17, 2015. Bonus day valid from opening day until June 26, 2015, for personal use only.

Edit…

Sorry I didn't realise you were talking about lift tickets and not bike park passes. I can't see many people apart from those turning up for a week of riding using the 4 out of 6 etc. Why would you get one of those Stuminator?

No discounts for winter pass holders?

Interesting Ken, I've talked to 'marketing' in the past couple of years and had some interesting responses.
1. No discount for winter pass holders. I guess they feel they don't need to - as the WBP passholders are going to buy regardless. No need to incentive further.
2. No family discount. Winter is 10%. I pushed hard and got a consistent 'no' but no real rationale for why. I still think this would be a great way to attract more family customers.
3. Pricing rationale. # of available days @ 151 means that WBP is a great deal in comparison to a winter pass. You can ride as many days as the winter ski season. Not sure I agree with this rationale.

At the end of day, WB is a public company who is indebted to shareholders. It's a simple supply/demand curve for pricing. It's elastic. If demand goes down, price will go down. But I doubt that'll happen.

1. No discount for winter pass holders. I guess they feel they don't need to - as the WBP passholders are going to buy regardless. No need to incentive further.

arrogant fools.
This is the first year in a decade that I'm not buying a full season pass. I spend a lot of time in Whistler and it would be nice to have a little bit back for supporting the mountain all year round. Especially when you're talking about paying for a family. See below for more…

2. No family discount. Winter is 10%. I pushed hard and got a consistent 'no' but no real rationale for why. I still think this would be a great way to attract more family customers.

Strike 2.
Last summer I noticed more women and children in the lift line up than ever before. I spent a lot of time riding the trails with my 10 year old, and always came across another group in the same position. I agree with you that it would attract more families, and again would be good to be appreciated for supporting the mountain as a family.

3. Pricing rationale. # of available days @ 151 means that WBP is a great deal in comparison to a winter pass. You can ride as many days as the winter ski season. Not sure I agree with this rationale.

fucking marketing people…..
Take away rain days, festival days, race nights where they shut down a major trail group, and you have far less than the 151 that they noted. Consider a late opening for Garbo, and big trails like Dirt Merchant shut down for weeks at a time, and it's all a wash.
Do these people even ride?

At the end of day, WB is a public company who is indebted to shareholders. It's a simple supply/demand curve for pricing. It's elastic. If demand goes down, price will go down. But I doubt that'll happen.

The curve doesn't seem to be going down. The problem with waiting until people stop coming is that once they're gone, they're gone for good. With the Okanagan and Kootenay parks, there is some competition. But if Cypress opens for biking, you can bet it will cut into Whistler's bottom line.

I agree, frustrating how little support their is for families riding and people buying a year's worth of passes - winter and summer.

Things I've emailed and called about multiple times over the past couple years and always got the "no" without much explanation:

1. Introduction of an annual WB pass good for 12 months.

2. Family discount of 10% like winter for passes and programs when all attached to the same account. This makes a BIG difference when contemplating summer DFX and other "value added" programs.

3. Parent pass for the bike park like the winter parent pass. We know so many parents that would ante-up for a full pass at the bike park if they could share it, as they have a grom on a bike now, but still one in the stroller. They are NOT going to buy 2 full passes. So instead they might each buy a 5 day at most.

Families in the bike park is their future. With a strong move to "Enduro" and even younger kids willing to ride up to get their thrills at no cost to parents, outside of the bike purchase, there is a strong move to just not bother paying. If they "hook" families early, it's likely they'll keep riding park instead of migrating to elsewhere in the valley to ride for free.

It's different than skiing. It's relatively straight-forward to bike anywhere there's a trail with LESS actual equipment than the bike park. With skiing, you deal with avy danger, tranceivers, avy equipment, and alot of speculative thinking about taking kids into the backcountry. So lift accessed skiing is a no-brainer for families. Lift accessed biking is a luxury with perfectly viable free alternatives.

The curve doesn't seem to be going down. The problem with waiting until people stop coming is that once they're gone, they're gone for good. With the Okanagan and Kootenay parks, there is some competition. But if Cypress opens for biking, you can bet it will cut into Whistler's bottom line.

I think Cypress or another lower mainland lift access bike park is the only real threat to WBP. The other parks in BC might be competition for destination visits, but with 2.5M people in the lower mainland, there is a massive population which will default to Whistler for the convenience just like in the winter. Coast Gravity is great in its own right but the cost and time of the ferry prevents them from really competing.

It is kind of surprising WBP doesn't offer families a bit of a break on pass pricing.

The only thing about the pre-pay passed that bugs me is loading extra days on the 5/10 day card requires you to do it 5 days in advance. I can understand 24 hours, but 5 days is just stupid and not convenient. I think I got 7 or 8 days last season, so I'll probably get a 5 day pass this year.

Also thinking about trying the Rental EDGE thing out since I don't own a DH bike. $60/day for a GLory 2 if you prepay 5 days of bike rental. I did several hundred in damage to my trail bike last year riding it in the park as I weigh 205lbs nekkid and am a hack so it's not a bad value.

I think Cypress or another lower mainland lift access bike park is the only real threat to WBP.

So with Seymour hosting Berrecloth Invitational this year, does that mean they're up to something…like opening to lift access?

Interesting Ken, I've talked to 'marketing' in the past couple of years and had some interesting responses.
1. No discount for winter pass holders. I guess they feel they don't need to - as the WBP passholders are going to buy regardless. No need to incentive further.
2. No family discount. Winter is 10%. I pushed hard and got a consistent 'no' but no real rationale for why. I still think this would be a great way to attract more family customers.
3. Pricing rationale. # of available days @ 151 means that WBP is a great deal in comparison to a winter pass. You can ride as many days as the winter ski season. Not sure I agree with this rationale.

So I will say this, in 2014 they finally came out with Youth pricing for Season's Pass. It was a good move. The 10% family discount is something I'd like to continue pushing. 10% Winter -[HTML_REMOVED] Summer or 10% Family so many people should be able to get some discount. Also, I suggested ability to preload gift cards with 20% savings like winter pass holders. A $500 card for $400 or even smaller denomination. I'm a family of 3, and my WB bill each year is staggering. Ski pass for me, 10 day Edge for wifey and MAP for grom in winter, bike pass for me, Triple Play for wifey and DFX for grom. Now add SGC for grom this year. Plus food/beverage. Plus Bike/Bean, Can Ski and all the other WB owned retail. We're fortunate that we can and still choose to afford it. So now rather than angry internet passive aggressive complaining, I'm going to be positive and constructive and reach out by phone to WB again to make some suggestions. After all, many of the WB folks are the same ones we hoist pints with :-)