Couple of Whistler ?s

[CUBUCK]

taking a trip at the end of Feb.

Now that the canadian dollar is on par with the U.S., anyone have a line on discount lift tickets? Saw you can save a few bucks by buying ahead of time but do any shops sell discounted tix?

Second, landing late thursday night and looking for a hotel in Vancouver for the night. Prefer something cheaper since we will likely be in the hotel for only 6 or 7 hours. Since I don't know the area very well is there any areas I should avoid and where should I be looking? May end up just staying out by the airport.

Thanks in advance

[bakers_dozen]

I know you can buy cheaper tickets at 7-11 in Vancouver before heading up to Whistler. At least you used to be able to 2 years ago

[The AD]

The 7-11 in Squamish has discounted tickets. There may be places to get discounted tix in Van, but it would be sort of a wild goose chase. Since you have to go through Squamish on the way to Whistler that's the obvious place to get them, IMO. I guess this is assuming you're driving yourself. If you're taking a shuttle I'm not sure if they would stop in Squamish.

In fact, if your flight isn't that late, you might consider a hotel in Squamish. That puts you nice and close to Whistler so you can get up later the next morning and avoid the Friday morning traffic through Van. Squamish is only about 40 miles from Whistler.

[Snow Dog]

The first 7-11 (at the South end of Squamish) by the MacDonalds has discounted tickets. The second 7-11 (at the North end of town) doesn't.

Staying in Richmond means you'll be joining the morning rush. You'd be better off getting past Vancouver and staying in North or West Vancouver. Squamish would be better but with all the highway construction it can be a little unnerving at night. Avoid Vancouver's downtown eastside crack hotels.

[taynton]

They also have the Edge Card, which gives you discounts after you buy it. I think we worked it out as being cheaper than the ticket window price after 3 days.

[Jaxson]

Buy gas at Shell and get the 2 for 1 deal is a good way to go.

[The AD]

Only Washington and BC residents can get an Edge card.

The Shell deal is a good one. I think W/B honors the buy one, get one deal seven days per week. Here's the web site: http://www.skifreedeals.com/index.php

[slowmonkey]

note blackout dates on the 2-for-1 deal

[The AD]

Those blackout dates suck! Last year I think there were either no blackouts ot maybe just the big holiday weekends. I remember being there in March and using the Shell vouchers.

[shirk]

The first 7-11 (at the South end of Squamish) by the MacDonalds has discounted tickets. The second 7-11 (at the North end of town) doesn't.

Staying in Richmond means you'll be joining the morning rush. You'd be better off getting past Vancouver and staying in North or West Vancouver. Squamish would be better but with all the highway construction it can be a little unnerving at night. Avoid Vancouver's downtown eastside crack hotels.

Is the no tiockets at the North end 7-11 a recent change? They had tickets all last spring. It's usually less of a gong show because it's not beside a fast food joint.

All 7-11's in the Vancouver area have the discount tickets, not just the Squamish one. the 7-11 in Whistler does not have the tickets.

The Shell two for one is about the best deal going. PLay that right and you can be skiing for $20 a day. find some gorby about to pay full price at the ticket window and asf if they have any discounts. Tell him you can save him $20, you get your ticket for cheap. Worked for me several times early season last year.

If you are renting a car and driving get to North Van and stay at the Lynnwood Inn it is your budget option here in North Vancouver. From North Van to Creekside it's an hour and 45 minutes drive. Or drive to Squamish, but there will be road closures if you are travelling in the funky hours around 3am. Squish to Whistler is about 50 minutes.

[CUBUCK]

Thanks for all the help. My flight doesn't land until 12:30 am Friday morning. Wasn't planning on renting a car, probably taking a shuttle up. That might still change though as I price everything out.

I'll probably go hunting for a 7-11 when I get up Friday morning before heading up.

[Snow Dog]

Is the no tiockets at the North end 7-11 a recent change? They had tickets all last spring. It's usually less of a gong show because it's not beside a fast food joint.

The no tickets in North Squamish is an old thing so selling tickets must be the new thing. They used to be called Fast Tracks tickets (direct to lift).

There are two bus companies that go to Whistler: Perimeter and Pacific Coach Lines. PCL has a desk at the airport and Perimeter will pick you up (Perimeter used to have the desk but lost it to PCL for unknown reasons).

As shirk pointed, they close the highway overnight sometimes (for blasting) check www.drivebc.ca for current info and cameras.

[Hugh Conway]

If you don't have accomodations getting a package at Whistler can be the cheapest overall.

Unfortunately I don't believe you can decouple the EDGE card from the credit card; otherwise I'd offer mine up.

[Bring On The Snow]

the snowbus also goes to whistler from van www.snowbus.ca its segnifacantly cheaper than perimiter and pcl

[BCpowder]

I would recommend staying downtown at the Cambie Hostel (the one on Seymour St, not the one on Cambie), because it's both inexpensive and very close to skytrain access which takes you to Station Central bus terminal within 5 mins. There's also a pretty good pub downstairs from the hostel. From Stn Central you can take the Greyhound to Whistler, currently they offer round-trip including a lift ticket for $88 peak season, pretty good considering the bus ticket by itself normally costs about $40. And across from the Cambie hostel on Seymour is a 7-11 where you can buy additional lift tickets. That's easily your cheapest bet man

edit for websites
Greyhound Whistler Pkg http://www.greyhound.ca/en/products_...packages.shtml
Cambie Hostel Seymour http://www.thecambie.com/v2/seymour/

[Mackeye]

does anyone know how much they are? or about what the usual discount is? currently the tix are $83 up on the mountain. we're headed up MLKjr weekend looking forward to it. and glad I heard that the petrol station 7/11 doesn't have tix anymore. that saves us some time!

[rugbydave]

Thanks for all the help. My flight doesn't land until 12:30 am Friday morning. Wasn't planning on renting a car, probably taking a shuttle up. That might still change though as I price everything out.

I'll probably go hunting for a 7-11 when I get up Friday morning before heading up.

Did you really tell him to stay at the Lynnwood? Have you been there? You know how much of a dirtbag I am and even I wouldn't stay there. I mean, shit, if ya like hanging with native crackheads that's a different story but that place is solidly fucked. I'll only go in there with a solid posse. If you do stay there, go down to the bar and watch for a dude in a ass-ugly hawaiian shirt, that's crazy-spinny guy, he's pretty entertaining...

[bfree]

shell stations don't have the 2 for 1 deal either anymore. It sucks, that was a good deal for those w/o edge cards. I guess shell was losing too much $ off it.

[Shaggy]

Beware of renting a car. None of the rental firms offer winter tires or chains, and if the po-po are set up at the north end of Squamish, you're not getting up the Whistler. Stick with your shuttle plan, Perimeter, or cab it into downtown Van and take the greyhound (about $30-40 rt).

The greyhound and Perimeter might make it difficult to stop at 7-11, but any W/B seasons pass holder (includes W/B staff and Spirit pass, but not Edge) can get you the same price as the 7-11 deal at the ticket window by showing up with you and their pass. That's call the "bring a friend" deal, if asked. There might be a limit of one bring a friend ticket per day per pass holder.

[GoNads]

Sorry, but I'm a little tired of hearing american's bitch about the dollar. You had it at at 1.40 for too long... how do you think we felt about paying 50% more for everything when we went down south?

[powder11]

Sorry, but I'm a little tired of hearing american's bitch about the dollar. You had it at at 1.40 for too long... how do you think we felt about paying 50% more for everything when we went down south?

relax... its just one of the final steps in our plan to annex your territory once and for all. It will be called the Great White North territory with miles of pipeline that runs south full of water and oil.

[robgoose]

Richmond Hotels, while far from nice, may offer you the best bang for the buck in terms of being a short distance from the airport and having free roundtrip shuttles.

I think theres a cheap Best Western in Richmond (not particularly pleasant, but nothing wrong with it)

[Hugh Conway]

how do you think we felt about paying 50% more for everything when we went down south?

Happy you could get a six pack of good beer for less than $10?

[PaulB]

Did you really tell him to stay at the Lynnwood? Have you been there? You know how much of a dirtbag I am and even I wouldn't stay there. I mean, shit, if ya like hanging with native crackheads that's a different story but that place is solidly fucked. I'll only go in there with a solid posse. If you do stay there, go down to the bar and watch for a dude in a ass-ugly hawaiian shirt, that's crazy-spinny guy, he's pretty entertaining...

As a friend of mine aptly describes it, the Lynnwood is like the bar in the original Star Wars movie.... full of strange, potentially entertaining and/or lethal life forms.

[GoNads]

Happy you could get a six pack of good beer for less than $10?

6 pack of so called watered down "Beer"? I think not.