Destination: Whistler with Ticket2RideBC
by jon_e images by ticket2rideBC

It’s been written about everywhere, a lot of riders have been there, virtually every mountain bike movie has a scene from there – where? Whistler, BC, Canada.

I mean all of us European’s have been spoilt over the past few years by travelling out to Morzine and Les Gets, the abundant cheap flights around have been a God send. You can be in Geneva in a couple of hours and sometimes be riding the trails on the same day…but aren’t we just getting a little sick of it all?

So you’ve been travelling to the French resort for a few years and now you fancy a change you’ve seen all the images, both moving and still, of Whistler and you want to go. How do you do it?

Ride the Infamous A-Line

Ticket2RideBC are just one of those, run by a ex-pat, Scot Lanzi, fed up with life as an automotive engineer, he bit the bullet and up'd sticks and moved to Whistler.

“…Whistler? Why bother when you can just hop over the channel for hedonistic downhilling I hear you cry.....Well - I'll clarify things a little for you....you thought France was where it was at. Well it was until now…” Scott continues, “I've been out to Morzine & had a look at what goes on there...there are some good courses...but not much maintenance ever seemed to go on... Whistler actually employs full time trail maintainers, safety riders, guides & medical patrol. I've never seen a place like it - the village has over 20 bikes shops - that’s about 2/3 of the village..!!"

”Home to the infamous bike park, which is about to double in size from early June (that will be a 4800+ft vertical drop then with over 40 more courses & skills centres). The mountain owners, Intrawest, have decided that mountain biking is the way forward during their summer operating months (May - Oct) and are investing to reflect this......everybody in the summer there is bike mad......moreover, during the peak summer months (June - October) the mountain itself offers riding camps, demo weeks, gravity festivals & full time safety support riders to pick up the pieces on a daily basis. When you get to Whistler...it’s on a new level...I'll stop there. It really does blow France away and I don't think the development has even started yet”

Scott, an avid adventure sports enthusiast, realised the potential of mountain biking around Whistler & the surrounding areas whilst enjoying a snowboarding season out there. Months of riding the fantastic terrain on a board and chatting to the locals about the summer riding opportunities left him more than keen to get his bike over from the UK - with all of his riding friends!. After some research he discovered that no other companies in the UK were offering summer biking holidays to this part of the world - & they should have been - so Ticket2RideBC was born, offering fully guided holidays in Whistler from two weeks to 4 months.

Ticket2RideBC offers self catering holidays staying in the comfort of a luxury Whistler chalet with like-minded people who are all passionate about biking. The chalet has plenty of character and everything you need for an extended stay including full kitchen, communal living room, laundry facilities, outdoor terrace, bike workshop facilities and of course bike storage.

The Ticket2RideBC Chalet

Here's a list of what's included as part of your T2R stay:

• Luxury Whistler chalet accommodation with all self catering mod cons, high spec furnishings, recreational facilities (TV/Video/Console/BBQ)
• Secure bike storage
• Tooled workshop facilities
• Organised transfers for body & bike
• Qualified guiding & first aid support
• Beginner - intermediate skills clinics
• Organised trips to Grouse Mountain, Vancouver, Squamish etc
• Discounts with local bike retailers
• All local taxes paid
• All utilities covered
• 24hr resort representation
• Extended stay packages to cater for seasonaires, students or sabbatical takers
• Rock bottom prices
• Security of dealing with a UK registered Ltd company

Scott’s an ex Motocross, Trials & Enduro rider, BMX racer & mountain biker you could well say he's got a little experience on 2 wheels! He's been riding mountain bikes for the last 12 years in some way, shape or form & is in the resort for qualified XC guiding, optional riding clinics and any help/advice during your stay in Whistler. Whatever level of riding you are at the incredible terrain and free guidance from Scott will hugely advance your riding and let you get the most out of your trip.

Ticket2RideBC are solely a mountain bike holiday company - specifically formed to offer people the chance to experience what we consider to be an unparalleled riding experience. Ticket2RideBC are passionate about what they do, they understand what mountain bikers are like, what you want to do on your bike & what sort of terrain you're looking to ride. They are not a ski company looking for something to do to fill their chalet in the summer.

“It's not about making buckets of £££ or taking over the world - just getting people out here & spending my time doing what I've always been passionate about....we've kept the prices down to as close to the bone as we could.”

There's a lot more info on the website www.ticket2ridebc.com giving details about the trails, area, nightlife and also on the bikes - the transatlantic price differentials are huge - whether you pay import duty or not you can save up to 40% on UK for full bikes...”why not head over, buy a bike, ride it for a month then take it home & sell it?....or just pay for the holiday with the money you've saved from the bike purchase!!”

And finally to extinguish any false perceptions, you can bring bikes over with the likes of Canada Air for free - no bike surcharge as people sometimes think, Ticket2RideBC then collect both of you from the airport....its as simple as that.

Ticket2RideBC are also offering a 15% discount to all Descent-World subscribers - If you have any questions regarding Ticket2Ridebc then please drop them an email or call on 01324 840780 (UK) - 07973463404 (Mob) email: info@ticket2ridebc.com