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InternetWideWorld.com Blog - May, 2006
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# Wednesday, May 03, 2006

I thought that I would spend a little time and piece together some hints and tips, good and bad, that I experienced snowboarding in Whistler, BC, Canada. It is important to note that these are based on my personal experience and are my own personal opinions.

The good The Bad
Vancouver Airport is a nice place to arrive Vancouver airport has pittiful poor duty free, especially electronics (i.e. none)
The easiest way to get to and from the airport with the least of fuss is the Perimiter The Perimiter is more expensive than the Grayhound
Get a WAVE travel card for the Whistler bus as soon as you arrive. The ticket locations are detailed on the bus map The bus can often be very crowded
You can buy a week day only seasons pass Weekends are immencley busy, somtimes resulting in lift lines that can take an hour.
Become a volunteer. You can get a free seasons pass, for only 22 days work You don't get much of an option as to when to do your volunteer time.
Whistler Village has a lot to offer Without having some local knowledge, it's difficult to get the best out of the village in a short period of time
There are a number of supermarkets around town. Get a village map and scope them out The Grocery Store in the village square is the most expensive. The marketplace is just around the corner, go there!
The nightlife in Whistler is great. The number of girls to guy's is also very healthy It is so easy to overspend very quickly. If you are there for a season, make sure that you budget, as there are a number of excelent nights to be had.
Get the Pique every Thursday. It is a good read and has the weeks events schedule The guide is not very comprehensive. Get to know the nights that each club/bar is happening, it will improve your social life.
The Blackcomb parks are excellent. The black park is scary though Do not expect the Whistler park to be in as good a state.
The half pipes on Blackcomb are excellent. There is a night pipe on Thursday, Friday and Saturday Do not expect the Whistler pipe to even be built until almost May!
The terrain garden is excellent for beginners All the parks and pipes, with the exception of the Terrain Garden are really for Intermediate to Advanced riders.
You get a lot of powder in Whistler It's too easy to think 'there is always tomorrow'. Grab every chance given.
Buy the Ski & Snowboard guide as soon as you arrive Without the guide book, you can miss out on a hell of a lot of great riding.
Nesters Market provide an on line shopping service. Order your groceries to be delivered shortly after you arrive. - The delivery costs $25 CAN
Fresh Tracks provides a great breakfast and is very cost effective. Especially if you buy your 2-4-1 tickets before the end of February. On powder days you have to get to the gondola early, as there is a maximum limit of people allowed to take Fresh Tracks.
All of the bars, club's and restarants are no smoking You have to carry ID everywhere, no matter how old you actually are. You will get carded!
You can take your Snowboard Instructor courses in Whistler at all times of the year. Try and get qualified as soon as possible. That way, if you want to get a further qualification you will have the time to get on the course. Some courses get extremely busy.
The lifts are run smoothley and with the utmost service The uplift is extremely poor for such a big resort, which can result in very long lift lines.

I am sure that I can think of leads more, but it's getting late and I'm tired. I'll add more if/when I think of them.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006 10:39:37 PM UTC  #    Comments [0]   Snowboarding  | 
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