Whistler experts please help (and I'm not talking about DH)

[Son]

I'm going to Whistler with a friend in July and we're not going to ride any DH. So far I know you can find lots of trails around Lost Lake, but what about if we want to ride a bit off the beaten track in a little less crowded areas? Would anyone here know some trails/areas for us?

[lojasmo]

http://www.whistlerbikeguide.com/tra...ilter2=**ALL**

A river runs through it.

Bart's dark

Brandy wine falls

Cougar mountain

Lost lake

Lower sproat

Mel's dilemma

Piece of cake

Rebob

[Jouko Haapanen]

We were in Whistler for some meetings last June. Managed to get in three days of XC riding, all of it most awesome! I highly recommend supporting the local shops and getting a guide on the first day. Following a wheel makes it so much easier to enjoy the experience and sets you up for subsequent days to follow on your own.

The shop we used was Arbutus Routes, the guide was an Aussie ex-pro XC racer, so his pace was plenty fast. We also rented bikes from them, as our trip was bookended by races and didn't want to risk traveling with the bikes. All in all, a 10/10 service experience, would buy again!

http://www.arbutusroutes.com/

[Son]

Dang, Jouko, sounds good. Thanks for the tip, we'll look into getting a guide. Do you happen to remember how much it was? We have actually already dropped in a reservation to Arbutus Routes for a pair of Stumpjumpers.

And thanks, lojasmo, we'll definitely print those directions out. Are they trails with signage?

[Jouko Haapanen]

I can't remember exactly what it cost - I seem to recall around CAD450 or so for the three days of Stumpjumpers and one ~4h guided ride. Maybe around CAD100 for the guide?

Dang, Jouko, sounds good. Thanks for the tip, we'll look into getting a guide. Do you happen to remember how much it was? We have actually already dropped in a reservation to Arbutus Routes for a pair of Stumpjumpers.