Most jobs are in hotels or the service industry, which aren’t great paying jobs anyway, but just remember you will be starting at the bottom and the town’s employers are totally used to people coming to work for just the season so they don’t expect, and you shouldn’t expect either, to be looking for long term prospects. They aren’t stupid so don’t feed them bull. Employers in Whistler have seen thousands of people come and go and the employment laws are generally on their side, so don’t slack off as they will replace you in a heartbeat with any one of the thousands of other ready and willing potential workers. Remember, if your job came with a season pass included, accommodation, and other perks, then getting fired will have you losing all of that overnight. If you find a good job then love and cherish it like it’s your firstborn child. Starting pay rate in BC will be around £5–7 per hour before tax (15% on income) and deductions.

THE RIDING

Yes, Whistler has a Bike Park, but did you know that there are hundreds of miles of singletrack in Whistler that isn’t serviced by the Bike Park carousel? Outside of the Bike Park there is no shuttling access terrain so if you want to be surfing brown ribbons of singletrack then you will need to earn your turns a little. The valley is broken down into numerous areas of varying terrain type and trail gnar. Close to town is the Lost Lake Trails, Cut Yer Bars, and River Runs Through It. These are the ticklers and the real trail epics begin a little further afield. On the Westside you have technical climbs and traverses that get you to epic loamy or rocky hell ride descents that go down for thousands of feet. Emerald Forest is known as the No–Flow zone and are some of the most demanding trails anywhere.

This is by no means anywhere near scratching the surface, so find a guide to find the best. Once you have started to get to know these areas then the Valley really starts opening up. In five summers I still haven’t managed to ride every trail there is.

Whistler is a maze of trails and no map even comes close to being comprehensive enough once you are in the woods. If you really are stubborn and independent then pick up the well thought out Whistler Mountain Biking Guide (available in local bookstore and all bike shops in Whistler). It is laid out somewhat like a climbing route handbook, is full of information, but its downside is that there is no detailed full map of the Valley and with the constant evolution of the trails means it isn’t always up to date. For an online resource try www.whistlerbikeguide.co/trails

The Bike Park is split into two zones: Fitzsimmons is the lower mountain and contains a high concentration of varied trails from the gentle greens and blues like Easy Does It and B–Line to the infamous A–Line and Canadian Open. Garbanzo is the upper lift and has an entirely different feel. The trails are more natural (sort of), rough, exposed and provide the rider with a feeling of adventure and escapism. From the top of Garbanzo to the village is an impressive 1,100 m (3,600 ft) vertical descent; eclipsed only by the guided descents from the top of the Peak Chair, the highest accessible point on the mountain.

The Bike Park trails are well signed and laid out. If you have novice or beginner riders in your group then definitely hire a guide/coach to help them get their feet the first few days. Then after that hire a coach to smooth out your own riding, show you the hidden gems and the local hot lines. I promise it is worth it. Having a coach with you also means lift line priority so on busy days you can still pump out lap after lap. Top tip for Crankworx folks…