Dunno …. the math doesn't add up for me, especially for regular travel. Depends on where you are driving from to get to the ferry/Whistler. Its about $100 for 1 person and 1 car (before gas) to get to the SSC, which you can split it by ride-sharing (like Whistler). The CGP isn't much cheaper than the WBP (season pass is more - but its open for most of the year), and the number and length of tails (last time I checked - there are some bigger plans in the works, I think) is a fraction of WBP Fitz zone alone. Of course the SSC has more than CGP, just like Whistler offers more than just the Bike Park.
I think Whistler is focusing its attention more on the Destination out-of-province/international crowd who probably spend much more money per capita when in town than locals/lower mainlanders.
I'm with you on this one. Depending on vehicle and number of people, transport to Whistler is actually cheaper than CGP (4 people 1 vehicle: Whistler = $25-50 on gas divided by 4 = $6-$13/person, CGP = $5-10 on gas plus $100ish ferry = $25-30/person). It's also faster at 75-90 minutes vs. 120min and you don't have the risk of ferry selling out in the summer.
With the 5/10 day WBP passes the per day ticket cost is also less than CGP ($49.99, although I think they have cheaper 10 packs?).
CGP is great for what it is, the vibe is more laid back than Whistler and the condition of the trails is generally much better. Downsides are it is way smaller, I went twice this winter and will maybe go back once later in the summer when they have more stuff built as it just doesn't have the size or variety to draw me back. Caveat is I'm an intermediate so I don't ride the big jump line (Flight Deck/Coastal Cruise), all the other trails are super fun but short compared to WBP. I think making a weekend out of the SSC with one day CGP and one day Roberts Creek is the way to do it.
I ended up with 3 unused days on my winter 10 day EDGE card when the spring deal kicked in, so I'll be buying a 5 day WBP which will get me 9 days total including the early season freebie. That plus a trip to Silver Star and a day or two at CGP should be adequate bike parkage for this year :)