Coming to Whistler this season - (local) riders help appreciated

Author	Message

tz3p3

Posted: May 15, 2016 at 4:27

Quote

To keep it short, I am coming to Whistler (from Europe) for the summer period ( june-sept ) , will bring both my downhill and trail bike as I intend to do plenty of riding.
I have tried to inform myself as much as I could( in the time I had available ) on different online sites regarding different matters : visa , health insurance,driving/buying and insuring a car in BC on a visitor visa etc. … some things are clearer but others still need more info/digging.

At the moment the plan is as follows:

I have applied for a 6 month visitor visa that was approved and am waiting for my passport to get back to me from the embassy (should be somewhere next week).
Pack my bikes/gear and fly to Vancouver.

First thing to do on Canadian ground is to get a fido prepaid sim.Fido is what I have seen other recommending to visitors for short period stays, checked their website and plans and seem decent.

What is FIdo coverage in Whistler/Squamish area? (I checked their site as well regarding coverage but that might vary compared to other providers… I am interested more of the coverage in the park / on the trails … your experience with the actual coverage/signal while biking in the woods).

Do you recommend other provider?

Second, would like to buy a used car ( Dodge Caravan or something of the sorts that I will sell prior to leaving ) so I can move around easily and also have enough space to transport the bikes ( since I am planning to stay for 4 months I will have plenty of time to ride in the Whistler Bike Park and other nearby trails … lots of great trails in Squamish as well from what I searched so far, but once I will arrive there and get in touch with other riders I reckon will discover a lot more ). From the info I got from icbc website I can buy /register/insure and drive a vehicle within BC on a tourist visa/IDP without issues (if staying less than 6 months which is the case).

Would you recommend another car make/model?
The popular models seem different than what we have in Europe.

Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan seems a pretty popular model on craiglist / autotrader.ca and on the lower price side as well.Ample space availability is a big plus … do not care about comfort or other bell and whistles that much , for a longer term/personal car I would but this is just to have a mean of transportation during my stay with emphasis on function and the ease of travelling around with bikes.

I have looked into renting a car as well but the costs stack up pretty fast: at least $2-$3k for a 4-month stay … and for small cars without space to transport bikes/too much gear … so I reckon a better venue is to buy a used van and sell it at lower price prior to leaving … will end spending less overall.

Regarding accommodation what sites/ venue do you recommend best to look for apartments?

Currently I am looking through craiglist postings(whistler/squamish area) .. I have seen some great ads regarding price vs comfort but they seem to come and go pretty fast so the best approach I reckon would be to start looking exhaustively once I will arrive there to be able to meet in person/check the property etc ?
Also I have noticed the properties in Squamish are cheaper than what I can find in Whistler for the same level of comfort … so since I will have a car I reckon it is worth looking into nearby areas as well (Squamish/Pemberton etc).

Lastly but probably the most important I would like to connect with other local people and also find some buddies to ride with (dh,trail) … none of my current friends/riding buddies are able to come along on this trip for such a long period.

I am sure I will meet local riders on the spot but getting in touch with someone before my arrival surely would be helpful ...at least to me

… to have someone to nag about any question/issue I might have regarding the initial accommodation period
Advice of locals is priceless compared to the info one can find online.

Ohh … that wasn’t that short

Thank you in advance for reading and replying
Paul

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