WHISTLER BIKE PARK has announced five new trails, covering 15km, that will be accessible from the Creekside chairlift.

Photos: Laurence Crossman-Emms

The trails were unveiled as part of the $345 million expansion to the resort. There are plans in place for 50km of new trails, but phase one will provide four blue and one black trail, although there is no word of when they will be open yet.

The trails will be accessible from the Creekside gondola. This is based seven kilometres south of the main village and is actually the original base of Whistler mountain. Creekside was open last summer but with only two trails – Dusty’s DH and BC’s Trail, which will be open again this year. The lift can also be used to access the lower half of the Garbanzo Zone and the Fitzsimmons Zone.

The new trails will be:

• Trail 1
  Description: Advanced blue machine built singletrack
  Total length: 2771 m
  Average grade: 11.5°
• Trail 2
  Description: Black technical hand built singletrack
  Total length: 1118 m
  Average grade: 14°
• Trail 3
  Description: Blue machine built singletrack
  Total length: 2261 m
  Average grade: 8.4°
• Trail 4
  Description: Blue machine built singletrack
  Total length: 2500m
  Average grade: 8.4°
• Trail 5
  Description: Dark blue excavated singletrack
  Total length: 2773 m
  Average grade: 10.2°

The Creekside Zone is more family oriented in winter and it seems this will initially be repeated in the summer with 60 – 85 per cent of these trails being beginner/intermediate grading. However, with a remaining 30km still to put in, we’re sure the difficulty will ramp up soon.

Whistler will open this year on May 20.