Arbutus Routes

Travel Planning

2011-12-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

The early winter is a very exciting time here in Whistler. The mountain is now open and with a solid base, we all now watch the forecasts religiously to see when the next storm is about to arrive. As I look outside right now, I can see that next storm is arriving right now and will be bringing smiles throughout the town.

This time of year is also a prime time to start planning our next summer trips as we get together with the family over the holidays. Maybe it's time for Family trip to Whistler to see the best in Biking and Hiking or maybe you're thinking of going a little deeper in the mountains for a more remote Adventure Travel trip in BC. Lots of great options out there as we are truly blessed with incredible natural surrounding.

At Arbutus Routes, the winter is our time to plan our newest adventures and work with you to custom design a personalized adventure in BC.

Have a great Holiday Season and we look forward to hearing from you in the New Year. Enjoy the snow!

All the best from the team at Arbutus Routes-

Australia Garmin 24hr Mtb Race, My Story.

2011-12-04T21:49:00.001-08:00

My preparation for this races started a few months ago whilst I was in Canadawith some single speed training on the pump track bike on whistlers wonderfulsingle track. I knew that the riding/racing back in Australia would be taking me to therev limiter and back so the more time I put into picking up my fitness thebetter for me. I had been talking to the guys from Rocky Mountain Australia and they werekeen to put in a team of 4 and go for it but with a bit of talking they decidedto go for a team of 6 mixed combined with riders from the I Ride Bikes. Now it’s time to get on with the show and fill you in on therace that stopped Redesdale.

The car got packed to the rafters with everything and morethat we could possibly need for the race. Graham and I left Friday night sothat we could get a sleep in at the event so we didn’t have to rush around onSaturday morning. We met some of the team at the Redesdale pub after makinggood time with no traffic and super clean windows for optimum vision.

The night was interesting and the morning bought more laughsthan you could poke a stick at. Graham had a fun experience in his swag withpart of the canvas letting in some water giving him some soaking wet feet forthe night. I managed to wake up in the middle of the night thinking that I hadpeed myself due to the gap in the shelter, the other issue was the fact that Ipacked a Kids sleeping bag and had to find some blankets to cover the rest ofmy body.

8:00am People started to roll into the event with the rain coming infrom every angle. It was always going to be a wet weekend with the forecastshowing us signs of a huge rain ban blanketing the state with no brake in sight. This would later prove to be quite a mental and physical challenge for alot of people at the race and for out team as well. Breakfast time was now apon us and the team got of to a healthy start with some bacon and eggs to add to the gels and bars that we will be eating over the period of the 24hrs.

Time to meet the I Ride Rocky Mountain Team:

Will – Lady Killer and all round funny man that will pull ona skin suit to impress the ladies with his white pins at any time. He had thefun time of going out on the last lap to bring us home and with that he took overthe fastest lap for the team .

Ross: AKA Boss, he is I Ride and bought a lot of wisdom andemotional speaking to the team and the only tent that didn't leak!

Aleisha: The little caboose that could, doubted herself alittle when she was surrounded by her fellow team mates but a beer to calm the nerves and some emotional speaking from Big Rich got her firring on all cylinders. Showed her self that she canride a bike and ride it well she did, punching out respectable laps!

Me: Had similar laps over the course of the event, pulled out 2nd fastest night lap! Got into a skin suit of my own for the final team lap. I had the upper hand in that I spent alot of time building the course and new of every corner out there.

Llew: Skin suit number 3 for the team, the 1^stlapper for the team, held his own every lap and was a solid team player night and day.

Simon/Graham: The diesel that had little miss hap on the trackcausing him to open up his knee and as a result had a body double out on course to keep the laps ticking. (Graham looking pro in his Arbutus Routes jersey)

Right now it’s time for the race start and the fun times tobegin!

12:00 Llew got off to a cracker of a start moving up the rankingsgiving us a good position coming into our Team lap.TEAM lap is the entire team going out for a lap and finishing the lap within 1 min of each other.

Team waiting for Llew to come in so we could head out on our Team lap. All nice and clean with big smiles!

Lap one down and boy was she a muddy one this was one of the nicest muddy lap.

One hell of a muddy team after the lap, it set the tone for the next 12 hours of rain and mud.

Me coming into transition sending the next team member out!

The washing bay! The bikes were covered in mud from every lap. Some people even threw bikes into a dam because it was simply that muddy and they needed to be clean. Bit of an idea how muddy we all were after a lap. This was only ross 2nd lap and he was running out of fresh kits!

Ben Randall from Enduro Pulse was having a blast out there on the track, you could only tell it was ben when he showed us his pearl white teeth!

My new Teva Links shoes keeping me dry and feet firmly planed on the ground! While every one else was struggling to keep the mud of there shoes I was high and dry. Cheers Justin for the personal delivery!

9:00pm: Time for team chat as we were all starting to feel the effects of riding in the mud rain and cold weather. It was at this point where Will turned around and said I will do a double lap. Once Will was out on his lap I went over and looked at the standings and we were in 73 over all. Doing the maths on our laps times I was not convinced thats we were there. I then proceeded to go to timing and have them look over the laps and then with the results corrected we were 25th over all and 4th in out category.

12:00am Half way point time to go have another look at the results at the timing tent after my lap and we were now sitting 3rd in out Category and 6th over all. With teams stopping due to the muddy conditions we either fallowed the crowd or sucked it up and dropped the hammer to the finish. So we sucked it up and went for it, the race was now ON like donkey knog.

Night light showing us the where the party was at.

Getting ready for a wet and cold night of racing

Night was falling over our pit lane and the cleaning must not stop. Rain hail or night fall if the brakes and drive train not cleaned like new you would be starting on the back foot.With the conditions we were riding in clean bike = happy bike! I cam back soaked so I jumped into the dam to fill up the cleaning barrels so i could clean Will and Llew's bike. Nothing worse than waking up and having to clean your bike when you just want to get on and ride!

3:00am Ross cleaning his bike like a Boss with the Airace dirtwasher and using his Joystick from Exposure to make sure it was spick and span. This little gem of a cleaner kept all our bikes right up the pointy end and the kgs off! They were the cleanest running bikes out there bye far. If you couldn't wash you bike with this little guy it was straight to the dam and chuck it in for a bath.

Night laps at the Garmin Start Finish arch!

The final S into the finish line at night made for a good time.

Blue skys and the sun starting to come out for the 1st time

6:00am The morning was here and it was now time to kick it into over drive and fight to the finish. We were now sitting 2nd in our category and 4th over all.

8:00am Now the trail had finally dried out lap times were getting faster and faster. It was at this time that we decided to go out on out final team lap then fight to the finish.

Yep time for some fun. Skin suit or should I say Clown suit for the win! The thing was so hot I was glad that it only had to last one lap.

Will the Stalion inhaling some spag bol so he was running on full power for the final lap show down to hopefully keep us on the podium!

Cool calm and colected and rather relaxed knowing that after my lap it was down to will to bring us home

My final lap in the hurt box for this lap, I knew that every peddle forward i was that bit closer to the finish and some rest!

The picture says it all. I RIDE ROCKY MOUNTAIN 2nd in Category!

I RIDE ROCKY MOUNTAIN 3rd Over all for the event!

Full Results Can be found here: Results

For another year thats us done for 24hr races. We all went threw highs lows and dealt with them in our own way knowing that the team was there to back us up at any time. Big thanks to FGP for putting on the race sponsors for the prizes the fallowing people for there help: Snozz, The Trail crew, Garmin, Trailmix, Exposure Lights, Schwable tires, Sole Kitchen (great food all night and day), SRAM, 1st aid (best I have ever seen at an event) and the rest of the helpers for making the event happen and run smoothly.

Person Thanks:
Rocky Mountain Bikes for the Element 950 keeping me rolling around the course faster then I thought possible. I Ride Bikes for the support and shelters, Sram, Rock Shox, Avid for flawless performance on the course, Chromag making sure that I was steering in the right direction at all times. Teva for the awesome new kicks that are going to get a solid work out this summer. Graham Pal for coming to his 1st race and keeping us fueled, photographer and entertained. Ryk Neethling for the professional phots. Most of all my Team for the fun times and great stories.

Till next time Love the Ride!

Luke

WORCA featured with Shaw TV

2011-11-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

The final WORCA Twoonie Race of 2011 is now behind us with the passing of the Halloween event. It was another great season for WORCA (Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association) as the association seems to get stronger every year with more members, events, races, instruction and trail work.

On one of the late season Thursday night races, Shaw TV dropped by to do a feature on the Twoonie races. Always a great night of riding and apres with friends and we look forward to the first races in May of 2012.

Check out the video attached from Shaw TV. Keep an eye out for our head mechanic of Arbutus Routes- Luke Garside.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheExpressVan#p/u/2/Q-blKNy3M60

Arbutus Routes Ski Graphic

2011-11-19T17:01:00.000-08:00

A new creative project for the winter has brought together the collaboration of Darren Camplin, Skevik Skis and Arbutus Routes. Darren is the creative genius behind the Arbutus design and it currently sits with Skevik skis awaiting production.

Skevik skis is based in Vernon, BC run by the Anderson brothers and focuses on just a few key models and custom topsheets.

We couldn't be happier with the design and can't wait to ski these beauties this winter. A few of the Arbutus Routes staff will be skiing the 185 Anton model with this graphic so keep an eye out for them. The Anton is a perfect powder tool for the snow laden mountains of BC with tapered early rise tip and tail and dimensions of 120-142-122-135-108

Check in with Skevik to order your pair. We'll also have these mounted up on the wall in our Whistler Bike Shop come spring time.

Bring on the snow!

Arbutus Routes park bikes for 2012

2011-10-28T11:59:00.001-07:00

New for 2012, Arbutus Routes is adding some DH bikes to tackle the Whistler Bike Park. Building on our current rental fleet with Specialized, we will be adding the brand new 2012 Specialized Status II.

The bike is built off the highly successful design of the Demo series with the proven DH FSR linkage and a plush 8 inches of travel. Next time to the Whistler bike park for summer 2012 you should check out the new Status. The bike comes in two models and Arbutus Routes will be carrying the top end model in the Status II.

For a recent on trail review of the Status check out the article on Pink Bike-http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Specialized-status-DH-Bike-2012.html

Full details of the bike and rental pricing will be updated on the site over the winter and set for summer 2012.

Fall Season Biking

2011-10-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

The time has come for those beautiful crisp Fall rides as the leaves are changing colours. It really is an ideal time to get out there on the bike as the trails are in fantastic shape and the air is super fresh.

Over Thanksgiving a crew from Arbutus Routes, headed up past Pemberton to check out the biking in the Tenquille Lake area. This spot had a large scale fire sweep through the valley a few years back now and in it's wake has left a very cool contrast of colours in the forest.

Once putting in effort to get to the top of the trail the descent starts where the trail fork up to the lake and the cabin and continues to get better and better as you descend into the valley. With the fall colours upon us the combination of charred Douglas fir trees with bright green and the reds and yellows of the Fall made for an amazing ride down.

The trail is in great shape now so make sure you get out there and enjoy the best of this Fall season.

"All I Can" Ski Film & Sustainability Symposium

2011-09-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

The long awaited film from Sea to Sky Corridor locals- The Sherpas, is now in Whistler with "All I Can". The first film that these guys put together- The Fine Line- is now a standard element of many Avalanche education courses as these guys nailed the combination of education and entertainment.

The Sherpas are pushing the creativity envelope and making a real mark in the ski film industry. I have no doubt that this will be the best ski film we have seen and something a bit different that the usual shows.

The launch of the film is here in Whistler on Friday, Sept 23rd at the Conference Centre. Check out the Sherpas website for more details and the teaser for the upcoming show. www.sherpascinema.com

Be sure to get your tickets early. See you at the show.

Gett'in Back to My Routes

2011-09-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Duke, Me, and an Arbutus Tree

Oh Summer, now that's it's raining I wish it was August and I was back on the Island riding my fun childhood trails up on Mt Tzouhalem.

View of Cowichan Bay from the Cross on Mt. Tzouhalem

2011 Rental Bike Sale

2011-09-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

With the summer season at Arbutus Routes wrapping up our Annual Bike Sale is now on with some great bikes in the mix.

All bikes are 2011 models from Specialized and in great shape thanks to the constant attention from our three mechanics. The bikes have all been used for rentals during the summer, but only used in the valley trails rather than the Bike Park. Listed below is a quick breakdown of some of the bikes currently available:

Specialized Expedition- $375

Specialized Hardrock Disc- $400

Specialized Camber 26- $1200

Specialized Camber Elite 29er- $1500

Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp-$1900

Specialized Safire FSR Comp- $1900

Specialized Allez Elite Road Bike- $950

For the full details of each bike with the specs please check out our Bike Rentals page at http://www.whistleroutbackadventures.com/whistler-bike-rentals.html

Whistler Toonie Season Wrap up

2011-09-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sept 15th marked the final Toonie ride of the 2011 season aside from the annual Halloween ride. It was another great summer of riding and one that Arbutus Routes was happy to be apart of in the final Toonie of the year.

This season's race led the crew up Blackcomb on a tough climb, crossed over to the north side of the mountain and jumped into the technical decent of "Golden Boner". The ride finished with "Roam in the Loam" then the "Magic Chair Trails" before a final section into "Rabbit Tracks. The clouds were hanging low over the mountain and made for a cool evening of riding in the lush rainforest as the photos show.

The top riders of the evening in each category were the following:

Men's- Neil Kindree - Time of 23.02

Women's- Brandi - Time of 27.41

Junior Male - Mahon Lamont

Junior Female- Jennifer McTavish

Celebrations for the evening were at the cozy Dublin Gate Pub for burgers and Guinness- A perfect way to wrap up a ride and season of races.

Congrats to all the riders and winners of the prizes from Arbutus Routes.

Arbutus Toonie Race

2011-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

LAST Toonie of the year - Thursday, September 15

This is the last one folks, come on out for a big finish to a great racing season!

This weeks Toonie is sponsored by Arbutus Routes, Whistler Fire Department, and Dubh Linn Gate .

Sign in/Start: 5:30 at Whistler Village Fire Hall, 6:30 Start
Course: Blackcomb - Golden Boner
Finish: Blackcomb Base
Apres: Dubh Linn Gate

In business since 2003, Arbutus Routes first operated under the name of Whistler Outback Adventures and underwent a re-branding in 2011. Arbutus Routes specializes in guided biking and hiking tours, bike rentals and corporate team building events. Located in the heart Whistler’s Upper Village, their storefront carries a range of active and lifestyle clothing, biking apparel and accessories and a full service bike shop.

Special thanks to all the men and women at the Whistler Fire Department for this race and all they have contributed to WORCA throughout the summer in supporting our club and it’s events.

The Dubh Linn Gate is unsurpassed in uniting this exceptional location with authentic Irish pub charm. Opening in May 1998, the “Gate” is decorated to showcase a pictorial journey through Ireland’s culture. It’s the place to have great times, to meet friends, to celebrate being in Whistler. Over a half a million pints of Guinness later, the Dubh Linn Gate Old Irish Pub has become Whistler’s ultimate après-ski experience.

Whistler's Best Road Rides

2011-09-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Sea to Sky Highway is full of road riders these days as everyone is looking to get a last ride in before the big Grand Fondo. With 7000 riders and projected sunshine it will be a great event for its second season.

One training route or simply just a fun ride is to head out from Whistler Village and then head south along Highway 99 to the turn off to Whistler Olympic Park. This ride then climbs up the valley all the way to the Olympic centre on a gradual, but consistent climb. The staff at Arbutus Routes have been riding this a few times as of late and just love it.

The ride in total is 50 kms and took us 1:45 at a quick pace, but 2 hours would be a good time estimate for most. We have now followed up with our new Whistler Road Riding video that will be posted to Arbutus Cinema in the days to come. For a sneak peak check out our Facebook page with the video that maps out the full ride and the amazing views across the valley towards Black Tusk.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arbutus-Routes/220862257926563?sk=wall

Enjoy the ride.

Classic Whistler Hike

2011-09-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

I just got back from an overnight trip to Wedge Mountain with 3 friends of mine and WOW. The hike is between 3 hr 30 to 5 hr depending on your group and descending will most likely take you an hour less. This is just in our back yard......right there and the entire route is just amazing and beautiful.....and be ready because at the top it’s stunning. Just go out there! Have some fun and enjoy our beautiful mother nature J

Thanks to Lydia, Catherine and Robert for the amazing time !

Katie Painchaud

Wedgemount Lake

2011-08-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

“Savage”, “unforgiving” and “relentless” - three words that would suitably define the hike up to Wedgemount Lake. The “Whistler Hiking Guide” describes Wedge as “the classic hike in the Whistler area and a right of passage for valley locals”. Well, not being much of a hiker myself, I figured what better place to start with, than the hardest trail in the valley! Despite being only 7km in length, the hike gains 1200meters of vertical. The climb took us 3hr45mins to get to the lake, and we were climbing with gear to camp for the night. It’s worth noting that roughly 70% of the people using the trail were day hikers, a smart decision due to the decreased weight having to lug up and down!

After the sweat-fest hike, a dip in the iceberg lake wasn't such a bad idea!

With the hard push behind us, getting to the top we were treated by spectacular views of the Wedgemount Glacier and the aquamarine Wedgemount Lake. There’s a hut and several camping spots for those planning to stay the night. We got there a little late and had been beaten to some of the lake front camping spots, regardless the views were breathtaking!

After an evening of beers, stories and shooting stars we woke up the following morning, packed up, and began our 2hr20mins descent. A fabulous weekend spent with some of my best friends, great times I won’t forget any time soon!

Lake Lovely Water Hike

2011-08-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

Enjoying a day in the Coast Mountain where few travel. Lake Lovely Water is a little gem tucked into the Tantalus Mountains and one that the guides just had to check out.

This trip ended up being the wrap up for my season of guiding biking and hiking trips in Whistler and was the perfect send off. The area is full of great opportunities for paddling the resident canoes, hiking along the ridge-lines or getting on the alpine rock with classic routes like Alpha. An unspoiled setting in the mountains to be cherished.

Now time to get back to Calgary and back to Massage Therapy. Thanks for another sweet summer.

Stephan Guenette

Squamish Chief Climb Day

2011-08-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

A quick decision among the guides it was time to enjoy the day off sampling one of Squamish's scenic splendors- the Chief.

On the personal list for many summer seasons the plan was made to tackle Stairway to Heaven. A beautiful moderate climb with the attached photos of 12 pitches to make it to the top. The Chief is an amazing granite feature, which is the world's second largest granite monolith.

Staying strong during the season from all the Whistler Multisport and the Custom Family trips the climb went smoothly and left us with big smiles all around.

A beautiful day on the rock.

Stephan Guenette

Finding my flow

2011-08-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

At the start of the summer I dropped in on a WORCA monday night ride. To be honest it wasn't the best of rides, I did however meet some new people which is why so many people attend the rides. Yesterday afternoon I met up with my buddy Wade who I met on the monday night ride, and he guided me round his local back yard trails in Emerald, a.k.a "The no flow zone". This photo on the right illustrates what Emerald trails are all about!

I find the trails in Emerald nothing quite like the rest of the trails in the Whistler valley. They're rockier, rooty, technical, and there's an abundance of rock faces. Literally departing from Wades backyard, we were soon attempting to find our flow whilst tackling the back end of Shit Happens. From here we progressed to trails such as White Knuckles, No Girly Man, and finally tackled Big Kahuna (pictured left). These trails will definitely test your patience, your skills, and not to be tackled unless you're going to bring your A game!

A Rocking Good Day

2011-08-12T14:08:00.001-07:00

Today mates from Skis & Bikes and I were on our way to Mt Seymour for the Rocky Mountain Bikes Demo and Ride day to sample there 2012 line up. The weather was not looking good but turned out for the best, not too hot not too cold. We were in for a real treat with the new line up being a hot topic amongst the bike world. The hype was killing me and so was my gut so it was off to get it full with what ever goodness I could find.

You can't demo bikes on a empty stomach. Waffles, berries and custard for the Win from some little french shop.

1st view of the set up the Rocky Team had put on for all the other shops.

They out did there self with the awesome range of food form Cliff, Honey Stinger and a catering company with mean burgers to keep us all riding all day.

Hanging out in the car park there are some pics you see that are priceless. This was the icing on the cake. The toyota is 30yrs old and the Element has been re-born and now 30 yrs on it's stronger than ever.

The little fella "Alex" attempting to throw his leg up on the rear wheel but his legs had other ideas and decided to stay on the ground. Big Wheels are coming!

Bryan showing off the stealth black on black element that will be flying around your local bike track so fast it will look like a blur.

Tippie and My self. Always stoked to get out on the bike and have a laugh.

Say no more, Rocky came all guns blazing with their demo fleet! 6 inch to Hardtail they had all bases covered!

So the day was nearing it's end and after all the shredding it was drift time. After laying some of my finest drifts I have done we decided to capture some on the camera. "one last one" Zip, Zing, Whack. The ever infamous front wheel wash out happened and led to the pic below.

Time to call it a day and limp it back to the demo site.

We got back and the team was almost all packed up and ready to go out for a staff rip.

Myself and the crew from Rocky ending the day off with a smile. The staff right from the 1st Hi at the start of the day threw till the good bye at the end would stop what they were doing to have a chat. I found My self wandering around the demo site had a number of staff coming up and have a chat about the product but more importantly they were interested and wanted to know who you were and what mate you tick.

Home ward bound and after a long day riding, some times you just have to let your self go. Q was in the mood for some french rap music and dressed up accordingly.

So ended up with a puncture wound and a awesome gash to boot. The dam gash wouldn't stop bleeding no matter what I did so after this 1st effort I decided to put on a non stick dressing and followed it up with another 3 dressings to keep her nice for the morning.

Getting my art ness on, This ones for you Mr Ross

A sun set to end the day of in style.

Thanks to all the Guys and Gal who made the day possibly for every one. Love the ride!

Arbutus Team Riding Jerseys

2011-08-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

NEW this season is our Arbutus Routes Custom Bike Jerseys. In partnership with Delanys Coffee House our jerseys are out on the trail on the backs of our Team riders and selling in the shop.

We came at the jerseys from a more creative angle and wanted to design a jersey that was a less of an advertisement and more design focused with mountain culture style. The jerseys from both the guys and gals are the Sugoi Evolution jersey with a Semi-Fitted cut.

Team rider Katie Painchaud is shown modeling the Womens jersey at the start of the trail "Tunnel Vision", being a local favorite.

Drop by the shop and check them out in person or you may have already seen them out there at the start line of the local Twoonie Race or just out there on a casual Lost Lake bike ride.

Whistler Yoga Retreat- Last Call!

2011-08-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Whistler Retreat Last Call!

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."
— John Muir

Can't wait to get out of this heat? It's time to reserve your spot for this fantastic retreat! I would love for you to join me -

September 17 through 23

Sea to Sky Yoga Retreat
Whistler, British Columbia Canada

During this yoga retreat we will explore the natural beauty of Whistler and the Coast Mountain Range in Southwestern British Columbia. The region is home to a verdant coastal rainforest and a towering mountain range that is dominated by some of the largest glaciers in North America. Here, we will practice yoga and explore this incredible landscape, hiking the alpine ridgelines, cycling through the flourishing forest past spring fed lakes and reaching aquamarine colored lakes resting at the bottom of looming glaciers above. Relax in the comforts of the Legends Lodge set at the base of Whistler Mountain with world-class scenery just outside our doorstep.

For more information or to book your trip, contact Matt Delany 604-935-7566, or by email at matt@arbutusroutes.com

Hope to see you there!

From love and in light,
Mary

Whistler Farmer's Market

2011-07-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

With Summer in full swing it was great to see so much action at the Farmers Market today. For those that haven't checked it out this year, you'll be impressed to see a number of great new vendors and a great feel overall.

The market runs through the summer on Sunday's as well as the addition of the night market on Wednesday evenings. The Sunday market remains the major draw still as it was a packed house today right in front of Arbutus Routes.
It was a busy day overall with all the action at the market and a couple of Single-track Sampler Bike Tours today as well as lots of bike rentals heading out to explore the Whistler Valley.

Be sure to check out the markets on Sunday and Wednesday in the Upper Village as they seem to get better every year.

Singing Pass Trail Report

2011-07-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Quick Whistler Hiking Trail Report for Singing Pass as of July 24th:

-Some Blowdown across the trail, but nothing out of the ordinary
-Snow on the upper quarter of the trail as you climb up to Oboe Basin
-Bridge is out major creek (believe it is Harmony Creek)

Our group worked on a couple quick repairs for the bridge for temporary use as shown int he photo. There is a posting by BC Parks that they are aware of the bridge damage and I'm sure are figuring out the best plan of attack. The bridge is still usable, but does require some careful footwork in crossing.

Musical Bumps Backpacking

2011-07-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Lots of snow was going to be the name of the game for this adventure on the back of Whistler Mountain. It has been well documented with the snowfall we received in Whistler this winter and with a delayed start to our actual summer there was no doubt that there is still a truck load of snow up in the alpine.

With some of our Custom Whistler trips now in full swing for the season it was time for a guide trip out to the Musical Bumps to check the status of the Alpine. Destination for the crew was out to Russet Lake after crossing the snowy peaks of Piccolo, Flute, Oboe and Cowboy Ridge.

Travel was definitely snowy as shown in the photos, but still smooth sailing and much better than expected. At times we dropped our probes in the snowpack to reveal areas that were still over 2 meters deep and south facing aspects that were completely free of snow.

Summer has finally arrived and the guides at Arbutus are busy on the trail so come and join us to play in the mountains.

Whistler Multi-Sport with Biathlon

2011-07-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

This week we have two families on tour to enjoy the Best of Whistler in a 7-Day Multi-sport trip. Great to see some familiar faces on tour as I was lucky enough to guide some of the group on our Okanagan Cycling and Wine Tasting trip just a few years ago.

With the great success of the Olympics we feel that it's really important to connect our guests with that success and try to relive some of the amazing action. New for this year is an extended visit up at Whistler Olympic Centre with a customized Biathlon for our guests.

Our Arbutus Routes guides were incredibly excited in putting this day together with the help from the Olympic centre staff as it was a huge hit. After an introduction of the event and the history of the Games our guests started out with biking the sprint loop and then settling into shooting the targets resting amongst the Olympic rings. The kids team seem to out-stride the Adult team without hesitation and picked up the Gold Medal in doing so.

It was a great addition to our trips and one that we are excited to share with future guests this season.

Sea to Sky Bike Challenge

2011-07-12T10:04:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was a big one for mountain bike events around Whistler as the Sea to Sky Bike Challenge and BC Bike Race came through. The BCBR seems to dwarf the other events, but the Sea to Sky Bike Challenge is such as a great event and one that seems to have a strong following of riders that come back every year.

With the trail development that continues in the area these events are always treated to some new terrain and sections of trail. A group of us from Arbutus were up at Birkenhead Lake over the weekend, which was the start of the Sea to Sky Bike challenge, which then runs for 150 kms down to Squamish. For us it was a great time of camping, bocce, boating and checking out the local trails.

Attached is a photo from the trail that runs along the lake with Astrid and Colin sporting the new Arbutus Routes team jerseys. Overall this section of trail is pretty smooth travels with a couple good climbs and great views of the surrounding snow capped peaks.

This is definitely the season to get out there and check out all the local events as next up is a big one with Crankworx rolling into Whistler in the coming days. Always a great one for bike culture, product, races and talent hitting the trails.

Enjoy it!

Rainbow-Sproatt Flank trail ride

2011-07-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Finally, it feels like summer is actually here!! Making the most of the good weather, I took a visiting friend from home for a ride up the Rainbow-Sproatt Flank trail. We left Arbutus Routes on our Specialized Stumpjumpers and hit the valley trail for 10 minutes heading north to Alpine Meadows. After crossing the highway at the traffic lights, we commenced our climb. From the bottom of Alpine Way, it took us 45 minutes of near continuous climbing to reach the summit of our climb where we were at an elevation of 1100 meters

I love this ride on a clear day, it blows away the cobwebs and the reward is the fantastic views looking back across to the breath taking Whistler valley. After a sufficient break, taking time to snap some photos and enjoy the views, we started our descent down the 27 switchbacks. A great ride, awesome company, spectacular views. This ride can be ridden by yourself; alternatively it can be incorporated into a Singletrack Sampler bike tour, combining more of our epic singletrack mountain biking! Either way, hopefully this will give you some inspiration to get up there yourself!!

Hornby Island Riding

2011-07-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

For years I have been hearing about the trails over on Hornby Island and finally had the chance to go and check them out. First off, the stories are all true and the riding is really that good.

Hornby Island is a bit of a trip from Whistler as you need to head down to Horseshoe Bay, across to Nanaimo, then drive up island to pick up two more ferries as you bounce over to Denman Island and then Hornby. Ends up being about half a day travel, but well worth it if you can stay for a couple days.

The weekend we picked turned out to be the race weekend, with an XC event on Saturday and the Super D on the Sunday. As you can imagine the local bike scene was incredibly welcoming in showing us the best trails to hit up as well as trying to convince us into racing in the coming days.

The main riding area where we were was up on Mount Jeffreys and a relatively small zone, but filled with a tonne of trails. The majority of them are really fast and flowy single-track with a couple additions for those looking for a more technical trail with options such as 'Yer Mom' and 'Freefall'. My personal favorite was the Slickrock trail, which you can also connect into from the Freefall above. Also of very worthy note is the 'No Horses' trail, which is the amazing trail that follows down a little canyon with the banked corners the whole way down and resting in an incredibly green and lush section of forest. We really wished we had a Fish-eye lens to capture the shape of the trail, but still hand a great time doing laps through this classic island trail.

Overall, Hornby offered some quality riding, a very relaxed scene and good island culture to wrap up the weekend. I will definitely be heading back and look to stay even longer next time.

Emerald Trails - the techy flow zone

2011-06-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video from yesterday of riding the Emerald Trails just north of Whistler. Techy and tight is the name of game here and is often referred to as the "no flow zone". But with the help of big 29er wheels, a KS adjustable height seatpost and a little practice you can link together a super fun and fast ride through here.

"29er wheels turn it into the flow zone" - Julian of Chromag

WORCA is holding their next trail maintenance day on July 9th and will be working on Shit Happens. I am pretty stoked for this as it is a chance to work on the trails right in my backyard. Hope to see you out there.

peace

Test of Metal 2011

2011-06-19T22:03:00.001-07:00

Another great Test of Metal race with what turned out to be pretty good trail conditions. The rains seemed to let up just in time for the start with close to 1000 riders at the start line.

The rains before the race made some sections pretty slimy, but overall I thought the course was in great shape thanks to all the volunteers. Huge efforts from the local crew.

This was my 4th Test of Metal and overall went really smooth. No mechanicals, thanks to the help from Luke back at our Whistler Bike shop, no crashes and a clean ride with smiles to the finish. I was heavily contemplating riding our Specialized Camber 29er rental bike, but ended up sticking with the trusted Stumpjumper Carbon FSR with the new addition of the Command Post. There was lots of 29ers out on the race as it really is an ideal course for the bigger wheels, but then again the 26 inch wheel is just that much more playful.

The early commitment to the race with signups in Dec for locals and Jan for everyone else is a great motivation to get out on the bike early season and get in shape. Seeing the Canucks in the Stanley Cup final definitely hampered some training plans, but at the end of the day it's just a fun race that the whole community of Squamish supports.

Looking forward to more races and events this year.

Sugoi Award Winning Shorts at Arbutus

2011-06-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Our Whistler Bike Retail shop is filled with the 2011 Sugoi line with everything from jerseys to shorts to knee warmers and gloves. Come by and check out the latest from Sugoi including the new Sugoi Evolution Bib Short.

Winner of the "Best Buy" in Mountain BIKE Magazine, the Evolution Bib short is an incredible value. Perfect for the upcoming rides and events this summer.

Yummy Nummy Trail connection

2011-06-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Comfortably Numb is highly regarded as The Epic trail of the Whistler valley and rightfully so. A beautiful trail design using the natural lay of the land, but also a long day on the trail for most.

Yummy Nummy, which opened up last year now connects you to the flowy rock slab section near the end of Comfortably Numb and gets you there in direct fashion. Last night a crew from Arbutus Routes headed out to check out the new connection to Yummy Nummy that avoids the golf course and is a great piece of trail that climbs up with the aid of some well crafted bridge work. Trail crews did a great job with the new connection to avoid any conflicts with Golf Course staff and ensuring the success of the new trail.

Yummy Nummy is the high point of the ride and yesterday there was still small patches of snow out there, but nothing that would slow you up and is a great connection that I'm sure will see lots of riders this summer. With the final day of the BC Bike race rolling along Yummy Nummy in addition to other trails, I can only see this trail getting better and becoming a local classic. It will be challenge for the final stage of the BC Bike race, but one that I'm sure all the racers will love if they still have some energy left in the tank.

Also wanted to note that there was cell reception on the trail as there is a large section of Comfortably Numb without it.

Enjoy the ride

Road Bikes Ready to Ride

2011-06-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

With the continued success of events like the Ride to Conquer Cancer and the Gran Fondo, Arbutus Routes has added even more road bikes this year to the fleet. We have the 2011 Specialized Allez Elite and they are all set up with computers and ready to ride. We also have a number of great whistler road bike routes all drawn out for the area including the classic Pemberton ride, the Meadows, Alta Lake road and now the addition of the ride up to the Olympic Nordic Centre in the Callaghan Valley.

I was out yesterday morning for a quick ride along Alta Lake road and was happy to see the road cleaners hard at work in cleaning any remaining gravel on the shoulder of the road. Also great to see the feature article in the Pique this past week focusing on the huge boom in the road cycling market. More people out on bikes enjoying one our most notable inventions- The bicycle.

Arbutus Routes-

Whistler Family Multisport

2011-01-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

Come and experience the best of for family adventure travel in the Whistler region. Our Whistler Sea to Sky multisport tour is booking up for the 2011 season and we have a confirmed departure on July 10-15.

Our July 10-15th trip is our Lodge Based version of the trip as we also offer a camping based itinerary for those looking for the outdoors experience. The full details of our Whistler Multi-sport trip can be found at http://www.whistleroutbackadventures.com/whistler-sea-to-sky-multi-sport-tour.html

See you this summer for the best in hiking, biking and rafting in Whistler, BC.

Greg Hill Skis 2 Million Feet

2011-01-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

2010 Greg Hill Skiometer in feet
what a finish to Greg's Year of Major Snow Footage -see more at http://www.greghill.ca
The 2 Mill day
by Greg on December 31, 2010

It started off as it should, I got to the parking lot first, dilly dallied around till a few girls got ahead. Passed them and then I broke trail for 2 thousand feet up onto the Bonney moraines. Although I was super driven I still had to make sure the skin track was decent to follow since I knew many friends and family would be following my track today. By the time I was at the top of the moraines I looked down and I could see lots of people heading up. So I skied down a quick lap and saw quite a few friends. We toured back up to the top..
I chose the Bonney area because it would be the only place that had absolutely no sun on this -18′C day.. No, I chose it because i knew that lots of people could hike the 3500 feet in and we could all enjoy untracked powder all day.
I pulled in a couple of great laps, did some simple math at the top, 2 000 000-1998500= 1500 ft, skied down 1500 ft and then I hiked back up and met Tracey, my mom, Don, plus some great friends on the top just as my watch was ticking over. I thought I was going to be fine and that this imaginary 2 mill line wasn’t going to be so real. But watching it tick over, thinking about all the time and effort that has gone into that tiny number, and all the fantastic support that my friends and family have given me over this ordeal, it all summed up into me crying at the finish. So much was invested into this silly goal that finally achieving it was overppowering and having Tracey there to witness the final moment, with friends and champagne, it was incredible.
It was such a cold day that we did not want to wait too long at the top so soo enough we all skied down. Was my 2 Millionth foot turn any better because of all the effort? Perhaps..
But what felt even better was getting to the bottom of the run and putting my skins back on for another lap…. a carefree lap that was simply to do extra. My legs felt light, my pace free and the turns great of course.
A great ten thousand foot day to finish it off. Well kinda finish it off since, today is the 31st and I still have some time and energy to raise the bar a few steps further…

Changing Seasons

2010-10-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

Weather...always a topic of conversation and one that has been very different this summer here in Whistler. With our regular summer season wrappped up and most people starting to shift their thinking towards sliding on snow we are being blessed with some amazing sunshine and surprising sunshine given it is mid October.

Before we look to pack up our bikes, hiking boots and climbing gear it's time to get out there and play as much as possible as we do know those dark wet days of late October and November will arrive. Just the other day Katie and I headed down the road to the Cheakamus Canyon to get back on the rock and enjoy one of the very most classic climbs in this area. As far as moderate sport climbs go it's hard to imagine a more picturesque climb than Starcheck. With four beautiful pitches that run up the arrete from the shore of the Cheakamus River and views across to the Tantalus Range this climb is stunning. The majority of the climbing is found over on the East side of the highway in the canyon with no shortage of amazing routes. Be sure to check out the Squamish Select Rock Guide before heading out and picking a route.

So while the sun is out be sure to get out there and play. Ride bikes, climb some routes, scrample up a peak or just cruise the local trails. And just as the Seasons Bike Film from the Collective had shown us there is beauty in all seasons.

Matt

GranFondo- Roadies Push Back

2010-09-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

For the past few years our weekends seem to be filled with an ever increasing list of biking events. When we look back at the summer that is wrapping up there has hardly been a week that has passed that didn’t include some level of event in the biking world. As the Whistler region is dominated by the Mountain Biking industry, and for very good reason at that, we are now starting to see other styles of events come into play. Enter events such as the casual cruise through the Pemberton Meadows with the Slow Food Cycle and the recent passing of the 1st annual GranFondo.
On the weekend of the Fondo we saw two extremes of our sport in the 120km road ride from Vancouver to Whistler on the Saturday and then followed up the very next day with the Red Bull 5000 Down event that started in the alpine of Whistler with an early season dump of 14cm on the start line. Both events went off with great success and will likely continue for years to come. The downhill races such as the 5000 event are great to see, but the more impressive success comes via the 4000 riders that lined up in Vancouver to race up the Sea to Sky Highway. The success of this event seems so impressive because it wasn’t that long ago that most people would be considered crazy to road bike ride along the Sea to Sky to Whistler. Now, you don’t have to drive that far before passing a pack of road bikers some of which are just on a shorter local ride, but many that were out training for events such as the GranFondo. This is new for this area and very cool at that.
After just a few days of the GranFondo wrapping up I have been hearing lots of riders talking about the race and their plans to sign up for the 2nd Annual. With the projected growth to hit upwards of 10,000 riders by 2012 you can see how that is possible. More people are getting out there on the bike and also spending more time out there. To me that is really exciting to see. I`m looking forward to filling up the calendar with events in 2011 and continuing to get out there riding bicycles.
Matt-

Crankworx Enduro Race

2010-08-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

After a summer of riding both the Bike Park and Whistlers epic singletrack trails I along with Graham and Luke from the store decided it would be a good idea to enter the Crankworxs Enduro race. For those not familiar with Crankworxs it is essentially a week of mountain biking mayhem that takes over Whistler. With the world’s best riders in town it seemed an ideal opportunity to test myself. The Enduro format is essentially a downhill race with climbs mixed in to test both the rider’s outright speed and fitness. I decided my Specialized Enduro would be the ideal bike; with the ability to climb whilst holding its own on the descents.

A wet practice day provided an eye opening experience, a combination of wet roots, and mud on parts of the course that had been used the day before by the Garbonzo DH race meant that conditions where challenging and left us all hoping for a dry race day. Race day morning and I was beginning wonder why I thought this was a good idea. A mass start down a ski run into tight technical singletrack made the start a crucial part of the race. This crucial part didn’t go well for me, with Luke leading the pack I struggled to get clipped in then on entering the singletrack rode straight into the nearest tree. The rest of the race went much better overtaking several riders on the big climb and holding position on the descents. One over the bars crash later the finish line and more importantly fellow WOA staff member Graham were in my sights. With a bit of help from a Whistler local (the biggest black bear I have ever seen!) I passed Graham on the final descent and crossed the line in 6th place. Having been aiming for a top ten finish I was super happy to finish 6th. With Graham in 7th also on a Specialized Enduro and Luke retiring from a comfortable 1st place with a puncture it was an eventful day for the WOA staff.

The rest of the Crankworxs week was spent riding the sweet and empty valley singletrack during the day and soaking up the party atmosphere in the village most evenings.

Tom Bye-

Whistler Riverside trails Movie

2010-08-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a movie we put together highlighting the riverside trails near Whistler in Function Junction. This is a great area that is often overlooked by tourisits because it is a little off the beaten path of the main whistler trails but it is a great little area to ride in if you are a novice or beginner rider but also really fun mountain biking for people more advanced as well.

Check out our main website at http://www.whistleroutbackadventures.com for more information on bike rentals and guided tours in the Whistler area.

Chilcotin Dream Ride

2010-08-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had in the Chilcotin's last week! Float Plane assisted mountain in one of B.C.'s most pristine wilderness areas has to be one of the greatest days possible on a mountain bike. We are running trips there until late september so if you want in on this epic locale check out www.whistleroutbackadventures.com

Just to get you a bit more stoked - have a look at video we produced to highlight the area:

Ride to Conquer Cancer- Vancouver to Seattle

2010-07-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you all very much for all your support of our Ride to Conquer Cancer!! Truly an amazing event!!
Saturday June 19th, was a picture perfect riding day… sunny, dry and not too hot! It began with a scenic ride through Cloverdale and onto the border which was well organized and quite a sight to see as 2200 riders in yellow jerseys passed through to the United States. Had a wonderful ride all the way to Mount Vernon , with the exception of a very strong head wind for the last 20-30 km. That was tough! We had a great night at camp, complete with a great bottle of red wine that we carefully packed along. Hit the tents early after our long day, 129km! Lots of snoring!! Up early Sunday and off again although the weather didn’t fully cooperate unfortunately. We had a fair bit of rain before lunch that cooled us but luckily for us the ensuing hill climbs warmed us back up ! We finished the ride exhausted and exhilarated!!
We all felt very fortunate to have been a part of this exceptional experience and we couldn’t have done it without you. As a collective team of 5 we raised approx. $17,000.00 for the BC Cancer Foundation!!
Again… Thank You,

Jennifer and Robin

A video introduction to Whistler's Lost Lake Trails Network

2010-07-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

If you are in the whistler area visiting and would like more information on guided tours, bike rentals and BC Multiday adventures...please visit our website www.whistleroutbackadventures.com or call 604-935-7566

whistler 29 inch wheel mountain bike rentals

2010-07-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know we just ordered up our first 29er rental bike. The 19inch Norco Jubei will be part of our new 'demo' fleet and will include a limited size range of unique and boutique bikes. You may also be able to try an Enduro, Carbon Stumpjumper and even a beach cruiser. Please contact us if you have any other questions about this new program or to reserve a bike.

Whistler 29er bike rentals

http://www.whistleroutbackadventures.com

Fun night

2010-06-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

finally made it up to pumptrack tuesdays with the chromag guys. I took heaps of photos and really like this video of Julian SHREDDING

Whistler Outback Adventures

2010-06-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

of course you know our website: http://www.whistleroutbackadventures.com and we are also on facebook. We are in the process of building a youtube channel as well! We are one of the largest tour guide operations and rental bike shops in the Whistler area. We specialize in multi day tours, bike guiding, mountain and road bike rentals, hiking tours, eco tours and Custom tours designed to give you the most enjoyable experience in the Whistler Blackcomb backcountry. Take a minute to browse our site and if you have any questions feel free to contact us. 604-935-7566