Classic Whistler trails didn’t build themselves.
words :: Cooper Saver
With the modernized capabilities of trail bikes and explosive surge in pedal-powered thrill seekers over the last decade or so, Whistler’s westside trail network has returned to the spotlight, giving riders another world-class destination outside of the park. These days we have most of the valley’s best-kept secrets at our fingertips thanks to apps on our fancy phones, but most folks don’t know that these trails predated our current technology, dropper-post seats and well-functioning suspension by several decades.
Back then, unless you had a copy of the Whistler Off Road Cycling Guide—a trail book first published in 1990 by local heroes Grant Lamont and Charlie Doyle—every adventure could result in either getting lost, ending up in the clinic or (if you were lucky) striking gold amongst the slabs and roots.
Grant and Charlie foresaw the impending mountain bike revolution and made their intentions clear by introducing the guidebook, the first of its kind in the Sea to Sky.
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Grant, who was one of the original Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) board members when it was established in 1989 (and current project leader of the Western Mountain Bike Tourism Association), says, “The goal for us with the guidebook was preservation and identification. We did some research into land use, and once you’ve published something about a trail and the area, it’s kind of enshrined.”
Proceeds from the book went back into maintaining the trails and, with tens of thousands of copies sold over the past 35 years, Whistler’s original trails have been legitimized and preserved as crucial community assets. And many trails from the book’s first edition—Mel’s Dilemma, Binty’s, Billy Epic, Rick’s Roost and more—are still in regular use.
For riders, these trails serve up a healthy dose of old-school jank, the type of thing Whistler was known for prior to machine-built flow and chairlifts. Fast and smooth may be the majority’s favourite flavour of the day, but slow with steep, calculated tech is quintessential BC mountain biking, and for Whistler riders looking to dial in those skills, the westside remains the zone of choice.
These trails serve up a healthy dose of old-school jank, the type of thing Whistler was known for prior to machine-built flow and chairlifts.
“I remember being up there by myself with a chainsaw, cutting away,” says Vincent “Binty” Massey, reflecting on the build of his iconic namesake trail connecting 19 Mile to Rainbow. “This bear started coming at me. I had to drop the saw, run and leave it there ‘til the next day.”
“We were more into descending because we’re skiers, too,” Binty says of the trail. “I mean steep-and-deep tree skiing. It was a big dig, and the descent was just as steep as we could get it.”
Binty’s was built mostly solo over the course of several years and completed in 1995.
Soon after, the municipality created access via the Flank trail, which was a major feat in itself. “They just thought we were thrashing trails,” Binty says. “But organized as WORCA, we got invited to the table for the planning of trails. Twenty-plus years ago we etched out our dream plan, and [the municipality] came on board; the Flank trail was part of that. We initially focused on Rainbow and up to the Callaghan, and lo and behold, it got built.”
Binty, alongside fellow pioneering builders like Dan Swanstrom, Richard Kelly and Bob Eakins (a former WORCA president) helped kickstart a two-wheeled movement that turned a ski town, which was once empty and quiet in what was then seen as the off-season, into a top year-round destination.
The next time you’re slogging up to Binty’s, think about those old-time riders death-gripping their V-brakes, cratering the rims on their hardtails.
“We’re fun hogs and thrill seekers,” Binty says. “It’s a buzz that you just can’t beat. All our friends who are still in Whistler that are still seeking it, they still can’t get enough of it. It’s not a thing that ever goes away.”
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