Mild conditions have led to a higher-than-usual number of one sort of recreationalist in Whistler this winter: Mountain bikers.
“I was riding at the beginning of January, which was unusual,” said Ben Hryciw, who is the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association’s (WORCA) trails director.
“The fact that at low elevations there’s still dirt to be had, as opposed to riding ice, makes it very different.”
Whistler and the surrounding mountains have seen an unusually low snowpack, and only the occasional dumping of snow since winter locked in at the end of 2023. The most recent snow pack report from the province showed the Lower Fraser (which covers Whistler) is only 47 per cent of normal snowpack for this time of year, while the South Coast (which includes Squamish) was at 41 per cent.
Those percentages are for higher up on the mountains, but for the Whistler Valley, there is meant to be more snow on the ground in February.
The trail crews at WORCA were putting the trails to bed back in October, so for there to be trails free of snow presents a rare opportunity.
“There’s been other years where there’s dirt this time of year, but it’s certainly unusual. I think it’s a nice treat to be able to come out a bit and do some riding here,” Hryciw said.
Riders keen to go and explore the trails shouldn’t expect much in the way of downhill opportunities, however; expect the trails that are clear to be south-facing, in sections of forest that have seen tree-thinning, or along the bottom of the valley. So essentially, Cheakamus.
“I can’t imagine there’s even 10 or 15 per cent of trails good to ride right now overall, but there’s definitely a good selection of trails to ride,” said Hryciw.
Plenty of riders are taking advantage, he added.
“I’ve seen a lot more [bike] racks on peoples cars than normal for this time of year,” he said.
If (and when) you do go riding on Whistler trails while the snow continues to hold back, be careful—as mentioned, WORCA’s trail crews have not worked on them for three months now.
“You want to be cautious, because there’s going to be debris and damage that hasn’t been reported, that hasn’t been fixed,” Hryciw said. “So if you’re the only one riding a trail, you don’t want to be going at high speeds or sending it off a drop.”
Another pointer for the keeners: Don’t shovel snow off the trail, as it creates channels for snowmelt that further damages them.
“If you are out and you walk through a patch of snow pushing your bike, that’s fine, but don’t go back and try to dig it out, because that’s going to cause more problems,” Hryciw said.
“Take what you can get, enjoy it while you can, be cautious, be safe out there. There’s definitely good riding to be had, and if you don’t mind pushing through the occasional snow patch, it’s nice to be able to keep your bike skills up in the winter without having to drive all the way to Squamish or out to the Island.”
On that, if you do travel beyond Whistler to neighbouring communities with even less snow than here, make sure to flick a few dollars to the local trails associations—and always make sure to update Trailforks with trail conditions, as this helps local trail crews here and elsewhere when they start working on the trails in the spring.
