Cheryl McClorey completed the Peak Leaders Whistler Bike Park Academy 3 week mountain bike coaching course back in May (read about it here) and is now living and blogging in Whistler for Peak Leaders (Coaches Camp 2015 blog). What’s it like spending the summer in the world’s best bike park? Read on … 

12 weeks gone already?!?

Nearly 12 weeks after the Peak Leaders Hiring Camp, you may be wondering what everyone gets up to, aside from being a Whistler Mountain Bike Park Guide.

Well, Whistler is more than just racking the laps up at the bike park in your spare time.

Racking up those park laps

There’s a ridiculous amount of activities, so, here are some of the awesome things we get up to on a budget.

Lakes, Lakes, Lakes!

Whistler is full of beautiful, pristine lakes and rivers.

Some of which have that delicious looking glacier water, albeit very cold.

Others are perfect for rope swinging, jumping, swimming and capering about in.

During the heatwave here, it reached the mid-30s, as you can imagine the surrounding lakes were jam packed with sun bathers and swimmers alike.

Some of the Peak Leaders gang, Gavin, Will and myself, had heard good things about the River of Golden Dreams, with its epic mountain vistas, wild flower lined banks and beaver dams.

After a quick jaunt down to Function Junction, a few Airheads (inflatable boats) paddles and bucket hats were purchased and off we went to Alta Lake to start our adventure!

Whose bright idea was it to buy one paddle each??

Not the best start, but after a few hours trying to navigate from the top of Alta Lake to the bottom, we decided to skip a few bits out and get to the fun currents.

Paddling towards the River of Golden Dreams

With Will on the 1’s and 2’s, we listened to some jungle and reggae as we drifted down the river, the three of us grinning from ear to ear.

The adventure was truly topped off by witnessing a few beavers sliding about the water with one mama beaver carrying its young by its mouth, with a little grunt as it swam past … day genuinely made ☺

Let it swing

The River of Golden Dreams has been an undeniable highlight of the trip, but it’s not the only fun you can have in the water, check out some of the boys giving it licks on the rope swings at Loggers Lake and Alpha Lake.

Getting into the swing of Whistler

The Valley Trails …

Ok, perhaps you have a trail bike with you also, and you want to see what else the valley trails have to offer.

Everything is on your doorstep here, and probably one of the best ways to explore Whistler.

The Lost Lake Trails have some excellent blue flow and tech as well as black trails to get your tires stuck into, all aptly named after Frank Zappa songs or lyrics.

They go on for miles, so you can connect up your ride as short or as long as you like.

Expect some fast flowy climbs and plenty of lines for the taking.

We also have Rainbow Park just on the other side of Alta Lake, with the famous “Daminal”, “Cheap Thrills”, “ACDC” and plenty more.

Mountains for miles

Since the Peak Leaders crew stayed at the Alta Vista chalet in May, we friended the Bear Back Biking guides, who kindly took us on a sweltering 800 meter climb, taking in 23 km and some of the most challenging, tech but wildly brilliant trails at Westside.

A few heart in mouth rock rolls and some new gnar conquered, we finished up through part of the super groovy “A River Runs Through It”, a fun undulating root fest with balancing skinnies for good measure!

More adventures in Whistler to come …

With a month left here with Peak Leaders, and the Crankworx Festival hitting town, there’s definitely more adventures I’m still looking forward to experiencing here in Whistler … so check back soon!

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