So..... (looking for advice on a 6 week trip)

[Tim Hodgson]

Take a side trip to Kicking Horse - my favorite.
Ski and eat at Whitewater.
Hit Radium and Fairmont and Ainsworth Hot Springs.
Catch a cat ski last minute add on at Big Red Cats.
Tour Southern B.C.

 

[geepers]

I guess it also very much depends on what you call "skiing".
Cruising the greens and blues, taking coffee and lunch breaks is one thing, bombing the reds and blacks like a maniac with 10 minutes stops-just enough to down another Red Bull-quite another.

5 days in a row of 6-7 hours hard charging takes you comfortably out of the game for at least 2 days.

Maybe less pre-season work on the love handles?

 

[geepers]

I had poutine once. That is all

That's once too many times. That's not food.... But what to expect from a country where a toque is considered haute couture.

Sun Peaks' super sized Cinnamon Buns

Yeah, they are ok..... Better at Silver Star Paradise Camp.

Belgium waffles

The hut at top of the WB Crystal Chair serves great waffles. You'll need at least your wife and possibly another couple.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Maybe less pre-season work on the love handles?

Nah, for this type of adventure, I agree with you that lighter will probably be better at the beginning. They will build up muscle weight anyway, it will all come down to endurance rather than brute force.

 

[peterm]

Surprised the thread has gotten this far without any discussion of skis. What's this website called again?!
In all seriousness, one's motivation can benefit from having a few ski options available to allow selecting a ski to match the day's conditions or simply one's mood. Potentially reduces the likelihood of injury too.

 

[motogreg]

Don't get overexcited early in the trip and get injured, I've seen it more than once......

 

[Saintsman]

Surprised the thread has gotten this far without any discussion of skis. What's this website called again?!
In all seriousness, one's motivation can benefit from having a few ski options available to allow selecting a ski to match the day's conditions or simply one's mood. Potentially reduces the likelihood of injury too.

A quiver of skis is going to be too much for me to transport - but renting some demos for a day or two should conditions or mood demand it

 

[DanoT]

A quiver of skis is going to be too much for me to transport - but renting some demos for a day or two should conditions or mood demand it

Last time that I was at WB a few years ago, demo skis were renting for about $75cdn/day + tax.

@Saintsman what skis will you and your wife be skiing on?

As for clothing, Goretex or other waterproof/breathable membrane pants and jacket are recommended for the WB coastal conditions. Goggles with a storm (fog) lens as well.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

sounds like you've been here before, so you probably already know about the on hill demo huts.
If not they have always been the cheapest way to pick from a quiver should you feel like it, without the need to pack one.
If your skiing most days for 6 weeks taking a little bit of time to swap out skis certainly won't be a hardship, same for taking a short hike for the untouched when needed. Enjoy.

 

[Saintsman]

@DanoT Will be Line Blades for both of us, and we're fine for clothing/goggles as we've ski'd there before.

@noncrazycanuck agreed, and Epic pass will get us a discount of 20% on the rentals if needed. But getting 2 pairs of skis a third of the way round the world is tough enough - maxing that up to 4 will get really hard and would be all the workout we might possibly need and then some

 

[dovski]

Last time that I was at WB a few years ago, demo skis were renting for about $75cdn/day + tax.

@Saintsman what skis will you and your wife be skiing on?

As for clothing, Goretex or other waterproof/breathable membrane pants and jacket are recommended for the WB coastal conditions. Goggles with a storm (fog) lens as well.

The smart money is on buying a pair of last seasons demos in Squamish if you really need a quiver of skis. My recommendation would be your favorite pair of med 80s to mid 90s all mountain skis and potentially a wider ski for POW days if you can swing it. Should you be showing up late season, you may want to lose the powder ski and go with something narrower for icy and hard packed runs. Again you can always buy a pair of used skis or even better yet got to Corbetts.com and buy a heavily discounted ski and have it shipped to you in Whistler vs. taking two pairs to Whistler. Either of these approaches would be more cost effective than renting demo skis at Whistler which will easily run you $100+/day.

 

[Tony Storaro]

A quiver of skis is going to be too much for me to transport - but renting some demos for a day or two should conditions or mood demand it

It is my firm belief that you can reduce said quiver to 2 pairs. You just need to carefully consider the type of snow/slopes expected to be skied and the forecast.

Yes, 6-7 pairs would be best but two pairs per person will get you through any number of skiing days.

Now up to you to decide what these 2 would be. Tough choice.

 

[Saintsman]

It is my firm belief that you can reduce said quiver to 2 pairs. You just need to carefully consider the type of snow/slopes expected to be skied and the forecast.

Yes, 6-7 pairs would be best but two pairs per person will get you through any number of skiing days.

Now up to you to decide what these 2 would be. Tough choice.

That's still a bucketload to push through Air Canada. I might look into the idea of picking up something very wide while we're out there - hadn't considered that option

 

[Tony Storaro]

That's still a bucketload to push through Air Canada.

Yes indeed. But as someone already mentioned it above-you can always ship them in advance to your final destination.

 

[dbostedo]

...will easily run you $100+/day...

I'm guessing that's overstated? But maybe you know better... demo rentals from WB itself were ~$70/day Canadian a few years ago when I rented them for a couple of days. I have no doubt they've gone up, but I can't imagine they're at or over $100/day. (And I can't seem to look at last season's prices on the website either.) And usually local shops are a little cheaper for being a little less convenient.

 

[Saintsman]

I'm guessing that's overstated? But maybe you know better... demo rentals from WB itself were ~$70/day Canadian a few years ago when I rented them for a couple of days. I have no doubt they've gone up, but I can't imagine they're at or over $100/day. (And I can't seem to look at last season's prices on the website either.) And usually local shops are a little cheaper for being a little less convenient.

I'm guessing he's saying for the two of us. I've found this seasons prices on whistler.com - $69 cdn + tax for a single day. Lose 20% from that would get me down to $55.20 + tax each

 

[dovski]

I'm guessing that's overstated? But maybe you know better... demo rentals from WB itself were ~$70/day Canadian a few years ago when I rented them for a couple of days. I have no doubt they've gone up, but I can't imagine they're at or over $100/day. (And I can't seem to look at last season's prices on the website either.) And usually local shops are a little cheaper for being a little less convenient.

Trust me they have gone up, also lets be clear there is a difference between rental skis and high end demos. It is the high end demos that will cost you if you rent them at the mountain one day at a time. If you go to ski shops near Whistler the price comes down a lot. That said on the way to Whistler in Squamish is a clearance store where you can get some great deals on last year's rentals if you want to buy a pair. You can also find some good deals online and have the skis shipped to you. Simply put even if the cost of a rental is $75/day after tax and exchange, that will add up quickly over 6 weeks even if you are only renting skis once a week on average. Net net you will easily spend $500-$600 on rentals and could easily buy a pair of discount skis through Corbetts.com for that price or find a used pair for less.

 

[dbostedo]

It is the high end demos that will cost you if you rent them at the mountain one day at a time.

But that's what I rented - the highest package they had. Have they really gone up that much?

Agreed on it not being worth it, unless there's some kind of huge 30 day rental discount you can find.

 

[dovski]

But that's what I rented - the highest package they had. Have they really gone up that much?

Agreed on it not being worth it, unless there's some kind of huge 30 day rental discount you can find.

Remember a few years back Whistler was publicly owned and prices for everything were way less. Since then it has been Vailed so to speak and everything that Vail sells you comes at a premium. 2 years back they were charging $50/day for kids rental skis a 100% increase over the $25/day they used to charge. Had a friend who spent over $200 or rentals for his daughter only to find out he could have bought the same skis for about that much. That said if you do not rent from Vail you can find much better deals but you sacrifice convenience.

 

[KingGrump]

I guess it also very much depends on what you call "skiing".
Cruising the greens and blues, taking coffee and lunch breaks is one thing, bombing the reds and blacks like a maniac with 10 minutes stops-just enough to down another Red Bull-quite another.

5 days in a row of 6-7 hours hard charging takes you comfortably out of the game for at least 2 days.

Yeah, the steeper stuff, you know what I mean.

Not sure what you meant by "steeper" stuff.
Rather than tossing words pass each other. Since a picture is worth a thousand words. I figured a few pics from W/B would clarify things a bit.

Figuring what's next at the bottom of West Bowl. This is where it flattened out a bit. Is this the "steeper" terrain you mentioned?



One of the gullies in Diamond Bowl. Is this the "steeper" terrain?


VD Chute. This Shirley can't be the steeper terrain you are talking about. Its got trees.



Not sure how I would go about "bombing" terrain like these. Care to enlighten me with some helpful technique and/or tactic? TIA.

While I "might" be able to bomb Euro reds and blacks for a day or two, my wife certainly can't (or won't - she simply doesn't find that enjoyable). So we're talking about WB Blues with the odd Black Diamond (Upper Dave Murray for example). Maybe if we get it right and develop the strength/technique I can get her out of her pure comfort zone - but that's part of why I'm asking for tips as to how to manage this length of time, given that up till now we'll have never skied more than half of this over a whole season (that's me, and only ever once)

The extreme terrain at W/B is not the primary concern for most visiting skiers. One can always just steer clear of them There are plenty of mellower terrain. OTOH, the lack of visibility is one factor that most can not get away from.

This is what W/B usually looks like when we spent a season there few years back.


This is a pic of a clear day taken and shopped by @Lady_Salina.


Seriously, W/B is a fun place. Lots of good terrain regardless of one's ability level.
I have noticed the word "endurance" being used on multiple occasions in this thread. I really do not like that word. It conveys the feelings of much pain and suffering.
Skiing is supposed to be fun. I much preferred "sustainability." A goal much less painful to achieve.

Go easy for the first week. Pace yourself. Leave something in the tank for tomorrow.

As for clothing, Goretex or other waterproof/breathable membrane pants and jacket are recommended for the WB coastal conditions.

That is so 2015.
All the cool kids are rocking the W/B logo garbage bags with the pre-cut head and arm holes.