Whistler Blackomb Official Camp: Adult Session

[Bullit21]

Does anyone have experience with this camp? I am looking into it and the pro riders involved seem like a good group. It is some serious cash, so I am trying to figure out if it is worth it. Thanks. :drool:

[DH biker]

I have been thinking the same thing.

[Bullit21]

There has to be others looking into this or that have been to the camp besides DH biker and myself :help:

[W4S]

I went to the adult camp last year, had a seriously good time. IMO, if you've never been to Whistler, are going by yourself or are looking for serious instruction, then the camp is a good deal. Shandro is cool as hell, the other guys ,JJ, Tyler, Joe and Katrina :love: are awesome as well. Plus, we got to do some fun stuff like a heli drop @ rainbow and a drop off the backside of whistler, ride don't slide.

with that said, I don't think i'll do the camp again this year because I don't think i can wait until august to go up there.

[Edgy]

What he said is pretty right on! I've done the camp thing 2 years in a row.
All the pros are totally cool and if you've never been there its great to able to follow their lines, etc. The atmosphere in the adult camp is way chill....ride all day, drink, party, ? at night.
Is it worth the $$? IMO, for your 1st time..Yes. Sure you could go there for less but you stay like 3 mins from the lift/food courts, they pick up/drop off from airport, feed you breakfast and lunch. The helidrop last year was epic..kinda like that trail that Shandro is on in The Collective.

"Camp" is really the wrong word..it is structured but you can do pretty much what ever you want.
Whistler really is the $hit!

[Bullit21]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like I am going to make the trek. Should I take the bus from the Vancouver airport to Whistler, and will it be easy to transport my bike from the airport to Whistler?

[Edgy]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like I am going to make the trek. Should I take the bus from the Vancouver airport to Whistler, and will it be easy to transport my bike from the airport to Whistler?

Price includes them picking you up @ Vancouver Airport. Bubblewrap your bike, put it in a bike box,tape it well and your set to go. Vancouver Airport has luggage carts for FREE! We put the bikes on the plane as an extra piece of luggage. Different carriers charge different fees for the bikes $50-$100. I flew Northwest and their fee was $50.

Maaann..taking bout this is really making me want to get back there!

Have fun!

[seismic]

Hmmmmm,- sounds interesting......W.........

[zedro]

but whats the level of riding tho? like what would be the minimum skill level to not get completly trashed or end up walking everything?

[Edgy]

but whats the level of riding tho? like what would be the minimum skill level to not get completly trashed or end up walking everything?

Dude! Its Whistler......there are trails for all levels from beginner to rock star.
All trails,jumps, drops,etc. are marked at the start of the trail letting you know how difficult it is and you can see in advance where the jump or drop is. In most cases there is always a cheat line/easier line.
There was guy at the camp last year from FL who had never been on a DH trail and by the end of the week..he was clearing tables,etc.

The thing that can hurt you at Whistler is you can quickly progress to new levels..its crashing at that new level that brings you back to reality.

They try to break up the groups according to riding ability. As long as you know your personal limit..you'll be fine and will probably have the best MTB experience of your life.

[Bullit21]

Thanks for pointing that out Zedro and thanks for making me feel better Edgy. I have run Am Cup races at Big Bear and have hit the big table at the bottom of Westridge but never got up enough speed to clear it fully (have gotten close) and have hit some of the doubles at the Kenter Whoops. I have had to use cheater lines at Valley Circle when I was out there with West Coast Hucker and his crew. Bottom Line, doubles and steep roll ins scare me more than drops do. Should I stay in the intermediate group? Oh yeah, another question. Should I use my '05 z1fr1 or '02 Super T for the Bullit that I will be riding? The bike feels much more nimble with the z1 so I am leaning towards that. Thanks.

[mandown]

ive been for the last 3 years and i am going back again for year 4. it is dope!!! it gets a bit more pricey each year, but still worth it. the conversion rate for the US dollar has gone in a less than favorable direction too :(

bottom line is, you get a great week of riding with a bunch of cool people. search the forum for this topic. i have posted bunches about this topic before.

[mandown]

Thanks for pointing that out Zedro and thanks for making me feel better Edgy. I have run Am Cup races at Big Bear and have hit the big table at the bottom of Westridge but never got up enough speed to clear it fully (have gotten close) and have hit some of the doubles at the Kenter Whoops. I have had to use cheater lines at Valley Circle when I was out there with West Coast Hucker and his crew. Bottom Line, doubles and steep roll ins scare me more than drops do. Should I stay in the intermediate group? Oh yeah, another question. Should I use my '05 z1fr1 or '02 Super T for the Bullit that I will be riding? The bike feels much more nimble with the z1 so I am leaning towards that. Thanks.

dude, go with the super t. you will want the extra inch, the stiffness and the slack head angle. nimble aint a question. you will want to plow over everything more than "nimble" your way around it. the trails are only so wide and they route you with only a few options (they do have wuss lines, you will see my tire tracks on them). by the end of the week, you will be worn out and happy you went with the super-t. 6 days of riding is A LOT OF RIDING.

from the sound of it, you should be fine in the intermediate group. everybody sorta gravitates to their own group by the second day. it is not that formal. i hate doing doubles, but i hit a bunch of stuff at whistler. there are no real doubles, mostly tables and step ups/downs. there are plenty of hucks.

[Repack]

I'm drooling!!!!!!

I'm guessing that b/c no one mentioned the price, its really expensive. Oh well, guess I'll have to start saving.

[mandown]

I'm drooling!!!!!!

I'm guessing that b/c no one mentioned the price, its really expensive. Oh well, guess I'll have to start saving.

cost is on the whistler-blackcomb.com site

for me
approx $1,700 canadian includes the camp, the lift ticket, the hotel stay, and all the taxes. this includes pick up an drop off at the airport and breakfast and lunch each day.
airfare is what it is. right now it is .83 conversion rate canadian to US $. that makes it around $1400 US.

[adrenalinerush]

Hey

Im anther Monkey that attended the camp, and it was my 2ed time going to the "camp". the first time was sweet, and the second time going into the adult camp was something Im going to be telling people about forever. Its truely one of the coolest things I could have done in my life. The riding up there is like no other, the atomsphere of people are to friendly for tv. It was so sweet to be chilling with some of the tops bikers of Canada, just fooling around or some going to the bars and other places of entertaiment lol ;-) And the heli drop, I can tell you how cool it was but you wont believe me. For skill level all levels, for me Im from Chicago, IL/ where corn grows and by the end of the week I was on all trails doing anything that Whistler had to throw at done. All-in-all Andrew put one of the best biking "camps" that anyone could offer, people that come back from there just cant brag enough about it to their buddies.


Lata
randy

[Edgy]

Mandown (Adam) is right...go with the super T. First year I went I rode a Bullit with a super T and it handled just fine. I too have a Z150 on my Bullit but its now my trail bike.

I can attest that mandown was a decent rider the 1st year we went. After last year he's definitley stepped it up and was ripping quite well. He posted something a while back about really steppin it up for 05'...dang if he gets any better its gonna get retarded!

6 days of riding is A LOT! I had to take a day off otherwise a crash would have been eminent.

Whistler IMO is way safer than Big Bear...you'll go bigger and feel safer on landings,etc. They really do know how to build it right..its consistently controlled and you can go from small to medium to as big as you can handle.

They should pay me for PR in the US. :evil:

[mandown]

hey!!! we cannot use real names here

once my wing heals, i am gonna step it up for 05. it will be tough with no big bear to help me prep. i rode there every weekend last year and it helped a bunch.

i am bringing my regurlar riding buddy from so cal to camp this year, so the "look what i can do" factor will bump the idiocy off the charts.

the heli drop ruled all. that was the greatest day of my life. i would relive it over and over again if i could.

[Bullit21]

Thanks for all the input guys. I will see you there if you are in the adult group. Super T it is. It will nice to ride properly built trails for once.:)

[Bullit21]

Thanks again for the help guys. Any suggestions on what I need to bring in terms of extra tubes, tires, wheelsets etc? Or should I just buy as needed there. I am sure Whistler is just going to eat parts.

[mandown]

Thanks again for the help guys. Any suggestions on what I need to bring in terms of extra tubes, tires, wheelsets etc? Or should I just buy as needed there. I am sure Whistler is just going to eat parts.

i would not worry about too much "extra" stuff. set your bike up with as much heavy duty gear as you are comfortable with taking the weight penalty for if you are tight on cash and absolutely cannot afford to buy anything new. otherwise, set your rig up as usual and bring it. there is time to work on your ride at the end of each day, but most people just do a bolt check and then go out for the night. i tried bringing an extra wheelset and tires last year. it was a pain in the ass to pack. but it came in handy when i blew a spoke one day and bent a brake rotor on another. i was able to get back up and running without waiting on a shop to fix my stuff. don't get the wrong idea, most shops can fix your rig and do it fast. there are 3 or 4 good places to go that are a short walk from the base of the mountain. the shops in town are pretty good and have a decent selection. prices are not the greatest, but you are in a resort town.

bottom line - bring one bike with one wheelset with some heavy dh tubes (maybe a change of tires if you are sensitive about that). bring a few spare tubes and some basic tools and ride like hell. if you have any parts that are on their last legs (like a flimsy rear derail.) just expect it to break and have a back up handy.

i have seen some people make it out with not mechanicals for the whole week. i have seen some people shut down entirely because of blown shocks (an not enough cash to buy new ones, or limited shop selection). it is just the luck of the draw.

[Bullit21]

Thanks Mandown. Hopefully I will see you and the rest of the LA guys up there.