Whistler Four Corners

Words & Photos: Joe Houghton

Whistler, home of the world's most famous bike parks. Renowned for its long rough descents, jump tracks and.... more recently my new home. After two months of the traditional Whistler experience – living in a van, sticking mainly to the bike park and its lift access trails – I was starting to get the itch for a bit more adventure than the bike park could offer.

Chat at work schooled me about what’s known as Whistler Four Corners. There's no set route, distance or elevation but a loose concept to ride the highest trail on each of the surrounding four peaks. The challenge appealed. I sussed out a basic 'she'll be right' route knowing there were plenty of places to stop for food along the way.

Despite the room for personal interpretation of the ride, everyone starts out the same way with the climb from Whistler base to the peak. As you are not allowed to ride up the bike park access road. It needs to be tackled by stealth early, before the park opens.

So, 3:00 am on Monday 9th September I smashed down some oats and began the 1600 m climb from Whistler base to the peak. I tried to recruit some mates to join me on that first climb but smartly or wisely they weren't tempted by the alpine start.

I pedalled alone with only a small front light to guide me. At one point a rabbit jumped out from a bush in the darkness. I just about suffered a heart attack - thinking it was a bear out for an early morning feed.

After just over two and a half hours I reached the peak. Unfortunately my timing was out. It was still very much night but 20 minutes later the sun rose and greeted me with incredible views of the valley below.

Dropping into the famous Top of the World trail at dawn was incredible - completely alone, the warm glow of the sun rising and a supermarket feed waiting at the bottom. 40 minutes later I arrived at Creekside feeling like a million bucks. After a quick sandwich, a coffee and with my pockets full of snacks I headed for the second climb and Lord of the Squirrels.

The ascent was relatively easy but long - winding its way uphill and into alpine terrain. Playing on my mind however was a different kind of challenge, bears. Earlier in the summer the tracks in this area had been closed due to grizzly sightings. This along with constant signs warning of bears and a lot of bear poop made for a rather stressful time. Dense clouds and limited visibility added to the sense or foreboding. Thankfully on reaching the top, the cloud cleared and bear sightings remained at zero. Another 40 minute descent had me back down in the  valley.

Another food stop, two climbs down and two to go. I figured it was smooth sailing from here but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The climb up to Zanarchy/Gargamel was brutal. I’d ridden ¾ of it the week before and thought I could guess what the rest would be like, but no. The last ¼ absolutely cooked me. I arrived at the top with no water or food left and feeling rather gassed.

At least it was all down from here right? Wrong! What followed was possibly the jankiest trail I’ve ever ridden. Roots, massive holes, rocks and pinch climbs all taking their turn to beat me up. Just wanting to get to the bottom and refuel, I was in a constant draining cycle of pinch climb after pinch climb. Halfway down I bonked. This bonk led into an almost-tantrum as I was met with yet another pinch climb. I’m not ashamed to admit, I had a bit of a moment. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I reached the bottom. I was way behind schedule, in a foul mood and in desperate need of sugar.

After a petrol station stop and 1 litre of Sprite, I was ready for the day's final climb. A climb I knew well. Opting for the quicker but steeper fire road instead of the climbing trail, I arrived at the top of Dark Crystal in good spirits, ready to drop into the final descent of the day. Dark Crystal is rough to say the least, and after a few stops along the way to give the wrists and forearms a break I made it to the bottom, content and intact.

14 hours after setting out, I was back at the van. A beer and the daily river swim/shower routine rounded out yet another cracker Whistler day... living in a van, in the car park, riding my bike.