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Kitmatt 
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Post subject: Whistler 2011-2012
 Posted: May 10, 2011 - 04:15 PM
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First post: Nov 24, 2007
Total posts: 405
Location: Whistler, BC
Status: Offline
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Hey Peeps,
For years now I have been reading about other peoples season plans with none of my own to look forward too...... finally it's my turn and I'm doing it in style (I hope).
I am planning on spending the 2011-2012 season in Whistler and can't wait. Hopefully all of the valuable gems I have provided over the years will be reciprocated with some good suggestions from the most knowledgeable snowboarders in the UK?
Some key questions as a starter are:
Flights: the cheaper the better, looking at heading out mid October and back late September. Who did you fly with, when and how much were you flights return? Preferably from Manchester but willing to head south/ north if cost is a factor.
Accommodation: Anyone have any cheap suggestions for couples (I’m not expecting luxury living but I don't want Uni style bunk rooms either, twin or doubles would be ideal)? Anyone have any ideas on whether to book beforehand or turn up early season. Any hidden gems peeps would be willing to share?
Location: Creek side seems like a good balance between cost and distance to the mountains but open to suggestions?
Season Pass: the Spirit pass looks like the cheapest option ahead of the early bird but i need a job to get it. Any other deals people have used?
Visa's: Any tips?
Jobs: I'm a bartender by trade so this would be an ideal job but i've heard that you need to get some Canadian quals out there to work in bars. Happy to do this but anyone with any contacts in Whistler that I would be able to speak to and see if I can get a job will be much appreciated. Rough average wage + tips will also be very useful for budgeting if anyone has worked a bar in Whistler/ BC beforehand? Any other job suggestions with reasonable pay and good hours to allow maximum slope time?
Insurance: A real minefield with loads of companies offering various deals but an insight into the best seasonairres insurance packages will be great? We are heading around the world for six months afterwards so an annual policy to cover the whole world and a season would be ideal but if not available, I’ll have to get two separate policies.
Anything else I'm missing? You guys have all the experience so I bow down to your knowledge ;-D
Thanks in Advance..
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YAY!!! '09 Rome Slash + Ride SDS's FTW
Judean Riders Front FTW!!!
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ImACrunchyNut
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Post subject: RE: Whistler 2011-2012
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 06:03 PM
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First post: Mar 15, 2011
Total posts: 166
Location: Aberdeen
Status: Offline
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| SCUK insurance? |
_________________
"The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it's just sort of a tired feeling"
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Rubberduckman
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Post subject: RE: Whistler 2011-2012
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 06:04 PM
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First post: Sep 20, 2009
Total posts: 6
Status: Offline
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Me and my Girlfreind are heading out to Whistler for the 2011-2012 season also and we'd love some answers to the same questions.
I've been searching through the whistler craigslist (http://whistler.en.craigslist.ca) and alot of people are currently renting their places for the summer but i'm sure give it a few months they'll be trying to sort out rentals for the winter so i'm hoping to grab a bargain on there.
We went to Les arcs season before last and used Natives to find accommodation then but its a bit pricey especially the Whistler properties.
Flights are a simple Google search. I've found some as cheap as £300 return per person  From Gatwick to Vancouver.
Location i'm asking the same question like you say looked at creekside but i'm interested in staying untill the end of May so will it be advisable to live in the village as only the blackcomb mountain will be open then?
Season passes. Well i brought mine 5 days ago so thats all sorted. The earlybird special was a guarenteed 1199 Canadian dollars. With a 200 dollar deposit needed now and rest payable in september.Not sure if the offer has ended think it did on the 8th  Although if you work for the mountain then they'll fund your season pass.
Visa's Guess your not a student so you'd be looking at a bunac non student visa. No idea if they've all gone yet but google search bunac. You can get a 1 year work visa provided your under 30 but they go real fast so i hear.
Jobs no idea as we're not intending on working (The joys of saving, Didn't work last season we did and i'm of the belief that if your going for a "once in a lifetime" trip then why work it. Plus 180 or so days of pure boarding really improves your Abilitys.)
Having said that i'm contradicting the "once in a lifetime" by doing it again 
Insurance. Last season i did i used Insure and go. Was about £200 per person.
I've looked into using the same and they're quoting me £550 per person on a basic package :S
Scuk do their own insurance. looks pretty good and if your a member you get a discount. But i'd like other people views there.
But hope you get out there and then we can do some double corks together |
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ColdComfort
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 08:20 PM
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First post: Dec 03, 2009
Total posts: 1311
Location: Vancity
Status: Offline
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Flights: Canadian Affair are generally the cheapest to Van - http://www.canadianaffair.com/ - if i recall Gina on here does some work for them so shoot her a PM see if she can help u out.
Accommodation: Lez_s is the Whistler accomodation guru - checkout the craigslist for Whistler but beware of skams, also checkout the seasonair companies for inclusive deals.
Location: I'm not a massive Creek side fan, its got a good vibe and Dusty's is sic - but it wouldn't want to spend 6-7 months there, as its a bit of a slog to the village where all the fun stuff is - providing u would have the money to enjoy said fun stuff - u do generally get more for you money in Creekside tho
Season Pass: I got mine already - its all about the early season deals with Whistler - the later you leave it the more u pay - haven't checked this Spirit pass thing tho !
Visa's: BUNAC - apply ASAP - they run out fast !
Jobs: No clue about the qualifications - there are lots of bar jobs in Whistler - JohnnyBelfast will be able to help you out on this front .
Insurance: SCUK is allways good value - and u will need a real good park and off piste coverage if your going to Whislter - dont skimp on this !
Do a Search on here there have been lots of real useful posts from Lez_s, Belfast etc over the years on these topics which will be relevent to you all still ! |
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lez_s
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 09:06 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 11902
Location: Vancouver/Whistler
Status: Offline
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I thought I heard my name haha
The only problem with Canadian Affair is the baggage allowance as its not much. I would look at BA or Air Canada and they do have deal on through out the year.
Accommodation - comes down to how much you want to spend have a look here http://whistler.en.craigslist.ca/ and email Nick at http://www.affordablewhistler.com/ who I book my condo with and he is super helpful and say I told you to email him, also ask about the condo in Gondola Village Creekside. Also http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php - BE CAREFUL over the past couple of season there have been stories of people trying and con people.
Location - I love Creekside as it chilled out and apart from weekends Creekside lift is never busy so you can just walk on, plus its the same lifties so you get to know them as you see them every day. Also Dustys and Rolands are good bars if you want to head out for a few but can't be bothered with going into the village, and again if you get there you'll get to know the people that work there like I have and now class some as my best mates and love riding with them.
Season Pass - You can only get a Spirit pass if you work and as you are looking to work you should be able to get one - as I have never worked in Whistler I dont know the ins and outs of it. Another option would be buy the early bird pass and get a job for the mountain get your money back for the pass.
Jobs - The thing about trying to get a bartender job in Whistler people have been there for years and thats their job so you'll be lucky to find one, but like i said above I've never worked so not 100% about stuff, so calling Belfast on this one.
Visa - http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/un ... x?lang=eng
Insurance - SCUK one does everything. |
_________________
'Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
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lez_s
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 09:20 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 11902
Location: Vancouver/Whistler
Status: Offline
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Re other post.
On Craigslist they do have summer lets on there and the problem is when you all head you wont be able to get a place for a year as the winter season makes the landlord more money so in spring/summer the price comes down and then you can get a place for a year. Like you said about Aug/Sept winter places are popping up.
Dont use Natives or another company to find you a place to live as it will cost more. Its so easy to find your own place and there are people in here that know the area and can help out wiht ideas.
Your right about Blackcomb being open in May and yeah getting the bus sucks some times, but when its a nice sunny day and walking through the village you'll bump into people and have a few beers, which is nice. In May Blackcomb opens at 10am so there is no rush to get there.
I think that the earlybird pass deal has ended now (I've already got mine  ). As for 180 days riding, you wish lol
Any questions just ask.
The main thing is, every question Belfast and I answer you owe us a beer.
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'Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
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winterfunman
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 09:30 PM
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First post: Apr 20, 2008
Total posts: 9482
Location: BANSKO ..........Bulgaria
Status: Offline
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lez_s
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 10:04 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 11902
Location: Vancouver/Whistler
Status: Offline
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Thats not changed since Oct 11 2004 lol
I am back, been back 9 days. As for the count down, once I get a job then I can start counting down. |
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'Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
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winterfunman
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 10:06 PM
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First post: Apr 20, 2008
Total posts: 9482
Location: BANSKO ..........Bulgaria
Status: Offline
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lez_s
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 10:11 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 11902
Location: Vancouver/Whistler
Status: Offline
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| Now you have said that I think I did change it once just to rub it in haha |
_________________
'Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
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Jed
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Post subject:
Posted: May 10, 2011 - 11:45 PM
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First post: May 09, 2011
Total posts: 29
Status: Offline
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I live in Whistler and this is my 4th season here so here's some tips:
Flights
This is really as simple as looking at the companies your interested in and checking out their special offers page. It's all about comparing all the airlines flying to Vancouver and checking if they have any special discounts. Every airline usually has a 'special deals' page somewhere, if you get lucky you can snag a cheap flight there.
Otherwise, book early and use something like these to compare flight prices: http://www.expedia.co.uk/ or http://www.hipmunk.com/
Accommodation
If you want good prices on accommodation, come early. Up to a month before the season starts is ideal because once the season gets going, cheaper accommodation gets snapped up quickly.
Your best bets for accommodation are:
Local classifieds has a great rental listings here: Pique Newsmagazine Classifieds Long term accom - http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/ ... lassifieds
Also: Craigslist, but many of the listings in craigslist are the same listings you'll find in the Pique Newsmagazine. Watch out for scams on craigslist too! - http://whistler.en.craigslist.ca/roo/
Location
As you mentioned, creekside is a good balance usually since you're actually close to the Creekside Gondola and these days you can always upload at creekside and just take the Peak2Peak gondola to get to the other mountain.
Honestly, Whistler's pretty small and there's buses every 10-15min during peak time so anywhere that isn't too far past creekside is great.
Season Pass
The only deals available for this is early bird discounts and spirit pass. Since you're looking for a job anyway, a spirit pass is a great option, virtually every employer in town can help you get a spirit pass.
Just make sure to ask any potential employer to confirm that they can get you a spirit pass, would suck to end up without a spirit pass after early bird discounts expire.
Visa
Bunac. Hurry and do this fast because Visas are limited and run out.
http://www.bunac.org/uk/workcanada/eligibility.aspx
Jobs
If you have work experience as a bartender, this is ideal for you. The only other job I can think of for maximum hill time would be bouncer but you don't quite fit the role haha.
For jobs, it's all about arriving early. Same as accommodation. You can get a head start and start looking before you arrive via the Pique Newsmagazine. Most jobs will be posted in here: Look under careers listings - http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/ ... lassifieds
Canadians tend to not pay a huge wage but tipping is basically mandatory in Canada so bar tenders and servers at fancy restaurants usually make the most money. I can't say really what you'd earn since it's tip based but you'd be earning more than most other season workers as a bartender.
You can usually expect a 10% tip on every drink you pour.
Insurance
I always use World Nomads just because they cover all the fun adventure type stuff that I like to do and provide worldwide + snow season coverage.
Plus they're cheaper than most insurances and offer online claiming and direct deposit into your bank account which is great.
World Nomads Insurance - http://www.worldnomads.com/
Hope that helps Let me know if there's any other info you need. |
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I write for Snomie.com - Snowboard Tips & Lessons
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GinaG
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Post subject:
Posted: May 11, 2011 - 03:06 AM
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First post: Dec 04, 2004
Total posts: 10212
Location: The Big G
Status: Offline
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lez_s wrote:
The only problem with Canadian Affair is the baggage allowance as its not much.
*cough* Can upgrade your flight from £99 and get 30kg luggage + 10kg free snowboard carriage. *ahem* |
_________________
Bring back the GREEDIE GIRLS!
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GinaG
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Post subject:
Posted: May 11, 2011 - 03:08 AM
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First post: Dec 04, 2004
Total posts: 10212
Location: The Big G
Status: Offline
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Quote:
Flights
Otherwise, book early and use something like these to compare flight prices: http://www.expedia.co.uk/ or http://www.hipmunk.com/
Worth mentioning that you're not covered with the same level of ATOL protection when booking through a 3rd party search engine. Seen a few this year that have had ridiculous terms and conditions that people don't realise or read. They just assume the airlines terms and conditions apply when that's not necessarily the case. |
_________________
Bring back the GREEDIE GIRLS!
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Jed
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Post subject:
Posted: May 11, 2011 - 06:27 AM
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First post: May 09, 2011
Total posts: 29
Status: Offline
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Oh yeah for sure. Good tip.
I'd recommend you use the search to find the flight prices then go direct to the airline's website and book there. |
_________________
I write for Snomie.com - Snowboard Tips & Lessons
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matt...
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Post subject:
Posted: May 11, 2011 - 06:38 AM
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First post: Sep 29, 2010
Total posts: 107
Location: WHISTLER
Status: Offline
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one thing to think about with getting here really early for jobs is no one other than the mountain really hires early. october is dead season. you might find somthing in november but dont bank on good hours until mid december when it starts getting busy.
for bar work you need serve it right. normaly you have to work your way up to bartender, bar back or somthing like that is a good starting point
also im fairly sure the minimum wage will be just above $10ph by the end of this summer.
other than that everything above is about right. although im sure creek side gondi will be alot busier next winter as all the day lots in the village are now paied parking, somthing like $13 a day in the winter.
dont bother with canadianafair for flights, you only get 20kg's then every kg over is £15 and you cant book an extra bag
and mainly cross your fingers for another good snow year like we've had the last couple |
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