SOUTHWESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 324

(weather depending), a T-bar on Blackcomb Mountain's Horstman Glacier opens
up a small 45-hectare (110-acre) area with a vertical rise of 209 meters (520 feet).
The lift opens noon-3pm daily; adult $61, child $31 includes lift transportation from
the valley floor. The slopes can get crowded, with local and national ski teams in
training and with visitors enjoying the novelty of summer skiing. If it's too hectic,
you can always go back to the valley floor for golf or water sports.
Between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, a gravel road leads five kilometers (3.1
miles) to the trailhead for the Singing Pass Trail. From the parking lot, this trail follows the
Fitzsimmons Creek watershed for 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) to Singing Pass, gaining 600
meters (2,000 feet) in elevation; allow 2.5 hours each way. From the pass, it's another two
kilometers (1.2 miles) to beautiful Russet Lake, where you'll find a backcountry camp-
ground.
On the opposite side of the valley, an eight-kilometer (five-mile) trail (three hours each
way) leads from Alta Lake Road just north of the Whistler hostel up 21-Mile Creek to Rain-
bow Lake. The elevation gain is a strenuous 850 meters (2,800 feet).
Mountain Biking
The Whistler Valley is a perfect place to take a mountain bike—you'd need months to ride
all of the trails here. Many of the locals have abandoned their cars for bikes, which in some
cases are worth much more than cars! You can see them scooting along Valley Trail, a
paved walk- and bikeway that links the entire valley and is the resident bicyclists' free-
way. Another popular place for mountain bikers is beautiful Lost Lake, two kilometers (1.2
miles) northeast of Whistler Village.
On the mountain slopes, Whistler Mountain Bike Park ( www.whistlerbike.com , mid-
May-early Oct., $61 per day) is perfect for adventurous riders to strut their stuff. Using the
lifts to access a vertical drop of 1,200 meters (3,900 feet), it features three “Skill Centres,”
filled with obstacles for varying levels of skill; a Bikercross Course; and a variety of trails
to the valley floor.
If you didn't bring a bike, not to worry—they're available for rent. Rental rates start
at around $18 per hour, $50-135 per day. Or perhaps a guided bicycle tour of the local
area sounds appealing—it's not a bad idea to have a guide at first. Backroads Whistler
(604/932-3111, www.backroadswhistler.com ) runs a variety of tours, ranging from an easy
ride along the valley floor to hard-core downhill riding. Backroads Whistler rents bikes,