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Vacation pipe dreaming. Any locals care to suggest anything/review my itinerary

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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
So I think I am going to go to Whistler for spring break. March 3rd-8th. Could even go March 2nd.

I can fly in to Vancouver with reward miles for a decent price, or Seatec for a STEAL. First curiousity-for $200 savings would you fly in to Seatec over Vancouver? Or is the drive through Seattle/crossing the boarder that much of a hassle?

I enjoy the idea of stepping off the plane in Vancouver vs. Seattle. Getting my rental, driving down to W. Hastings and going to the BCMP and spending $5 to vape, and then finding some nugs. Go check out the pacific ocean real quick (as I would land on a noon-1pm flight), and make sure to be on the road for Whistler before dark (I hate driving in the dark in new/unknown areas, especially mountain passes or areas where it can DUMPPPP).

I hear the Sea to Sky highway is a breeze, is that right?

With nugs on topic, is it really that easy to just go down to W. Hastings and look around patiently?

Restaurants in Whistler....anything worth checking out? Cheap or expensive

I read and see that Whistler/Blackcomb has glacier fields....with crevasses. How much of a problem is this for you? Do you have collapsing bridges quite often? Are the crevasses marked? Never had to deal with this sort of a problem before. Just avalanche concerns, but ski patrol does a great job in Utah.


Are any of the guides @ Whistler worth it? I would literally spend $350 a day, but since I am a Whistler newb I have no clue where the stashes are, or where it is even safe in the slackcountry. My dumbass would traverse all the way out to a fresh pow field that is really untouched because it is full of slots, and I would try and blast down it with hopes of not dying. Big costs for those guides but maybe I would learn some stuff.

These crevasses are a bit of a concern for me, as we have no way to get any training or experience with anything regarding mountains, or mountain rescue in Michigan. I come out west and I just don't have the necessary mountaineering skills to say I feel totally comfortable flying over....5...6..15ft wide snow bridges? I have never even seen a crevasse in real life so I have no idea how big they would be.

Any bars in Whistler that are a must see? Live music venues?
Sep 16 2011 12:10AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
Also it seems the snow conditions are still pretty good in the alpine and even sub-alpine region in EARLY March as long as you still have a nice cold front.


Or is that not the case? How are the snow conditions? One thing I have to say is during my spring break trips (first week of March), I have typically went to Utah. Snow in the park city area is pretty difficult to work with. Most of it being ice really. Then corn in the afternoon. Meanwhile in the cottonwood canyons the snow is still really awesome. Very light and etc etc. Low in moisture content yada yada.


What are snow conditions in early March? Should I expect Park City style conditions due to the elevation only being like 7400ft or something (very similar to Park City elevation)?


Sep 16 2011 12:15AM
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
Do you need to rent a car? I'd fly into Vancouver and just bus up to Whis, probably cheaper. it's like $70 for a round trip or some shit. The drive is only an hour and a half to whistler from North Van and the road is no problem at all unless it's snowing, they usually clear it pretty good. Is nug slang for marijuana? Lolol assuming it is Whistler is probably THE easiest place to pick some up I've ever been to. Mongolie Grills is fucking delicious, but you're gonna drop $20 easy. I prefer Mcdonalds. In bounds you'll have no problems, out of bounds is well... out of bounds.. Know what you're doing. If you want a guide just hit up any local NSer.. Your crevasse talk is actually quite funny to me, you won't run into one in bounds. Out of bounds they can range from 6 inches to 30 feet wide. Avoid going out of bounds if you don't know what you're doing. Live music is a pretty common thing in Whis, and the bars are great most nights. I'd seriously consider making a thread closer to your trip date and find some NSers to chill with, we're all friendly.

Hope this helps meng
Sep 16 2011 12:22AM
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
You'll be skiing pow well into March. Maybe if it's been a sunny week there might be some ice, but some stashes stay mint for weeks..
Sep 16 2011 12:26AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
I don't want to rent a car, and hell I would like to take the train up myself. But with the way my flights work out I wouldn't be able to take the train up.

I really only see myself needing a vehicle the first day of the vacation though. I just need to find some nugs/dankies/BC NUGS, and I have to get from Vancouver International to W. Hastings street....then if I want to go see the pacific that may require a short drive to a park. Then from there we would want to yeah....get on a bus or use the vehicle to get up to Whistler. I wish I could return the car in Whistler and just rent one in Whistler on the way back to the airport....

Anyways I will check out more bus options and see how they stack up. I didn't dig too hard on the bus situation (rentals were cheap, but then I learned even if I stay at a Holiday Inn inside Whistler's village I will stilll pay for overnight parking in their underground lot.).

I read ONLINE yeah of course I know, that Whistler comes with its premium for weed and people charge more. I like to have my own little satchel, and I would smoke like a quarter oz in 4 days. But downtown Vancouver it is "everywhere and plentiful". People say no troubles finding it there because of the competition supposedly.....

I typically do go through the backcountry gates to try and find some pow. At least in Utah....because I don't have any friggin crevasses to worry about.
Sep 16 2011 12:47AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
Yes. I will do this. A couple times I flew in to Utah and had some local NS'ers pick me up from the airport and I saved a bit on my rental this way.



In fact - I am willing to pay....

Hear this idea

If anyone wants to pick me and one other person up from the airport. 1 big ass ski bag. 2 rolling luggage things. 2 back packs. Bring us to the ocean and say...yup...look at that...its the ocean. And then let us ya know...go and touch it (never touched the pacific before). Then we leave there and go to Whistler....and of course I will pay for gas and your time. Because you are replacing my need for a rental car (because you will also have noogity noog nugs that i won't have ot search for and I will totally buy the nugs too).

In the end I am paying like $260ish for a rental I think it was....plus I have to buy gas for that. So with that being said there is a definite chance to be able to score like maybe $100 in gas alone just to pick me up and drive me to Whistler. Then like another $100 if you drove me back. And plus whatever the greenery cost is.....and beef jerky. Lots of beef jerky.
Sep 16 2011 12:54AM
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
Yeah man definitely look into it. And maybe try asking closer to march. There's a town called Squamish half way to Whistler where you can see/touch/pee in the ocean if you do happen to rent a car
Sep 16 2011 1:25AM
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grambo
Posts: 1125 - Karma: 93
conditions could be anything from pow, to rain to bulletproof ice at that time of year. This year there were 3 decent pow days that week (March 2nd, 3rd and 5th) then a bunch of high pressure without snow.

Crevasses are not a problem within the resort boundary, everything is marked and controlled. I would not go out of bounds without a guide, especially in adverse weather conditions (you can get lost very easily).

You can probably find weed easily downtown, but why is it such a big deal?
Sep 18 2011 7:18PM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
After thoroughly thinking this through I will not "pre-book" a Whistler vacation. Weather is tooooo iffy. I've read everything from warm fronts pushing rain up in to the alpine in January to dumps in March. So you never know it would seem....


Sep 25 2011 2:41AM
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jibbinc.
Posts: 3355 - Karma: 2,497
come in april or may for park, february or march for powder.
as for the ride up, write down my NS name ill give you one, if for some reason im not going up that weekend ill set u up on the bus.
+i can bring u as much dank as needed.
Sep 25 2011 3:13AM
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