Olympic Transportation Information

I recently attended an Information Session held by VANOC, the Ministry of Transportation, the City of Vancouver, the Passenger Transportation Board, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.
The following is the information that I gathered from this meeting.

Highway 99 Permits & Checkpoints

There will be a checkpoint for ALL vehicles at the Alice Lake turnoff, just north of Squamish (effective February 11th - February 28th, from 6am to 6pm every day during this time). To travel north of Squamish to Whistler, buses, taxis, limousines, and Olympic accredited vehicles will require a permit ("Whistler Commercial Carrier Permit"). This permit will allow limos to travel on the highway, as well as pick-up and drop-off passengers at the hotels or at designated pick-up and drop-off locations throughout the village. We will obtain this permit, however, all vehicles are required to queue at the checkpoint just north of Squamish. I am not aware of a means for any vehicle to by-pass this checkpoint. (If there was, there would be vehicles trying to jump the queue by going in these lanes!) VANOC does not anticipate any large delays due to this checkpoint, the idea is to keep traffic flowing smoothly. The maximum delay may be about 10 minutes.

There were no other checkpoints mentioned at the meeting along the highway.

There will also, be a special permit required ("Local Vehicle Access Permit") for limousines who must travel on some of the side roads within Whistler. In particular, Creekside will have much more restricted access. If you are staying in one of the residences or accommodations on the east side of the highway, we will have to obtain this permit. This permit may be obtained prior to your arrival from the municipality and is available to residents of the homes. If you are renting a house from someone, you may have to contact the owner, and obtain a permit through them. If you do not have a permit before your arrival, we will have the contact information of the "Commercial Carrier Transportation Manager" in Whistler and will be able to obtain a permit the day of your arrival. It is recommended that you obtain this "Local Vehicle Access Permit" for your residence (if it is required) in advance, in order to avoid delays on your arrival. The majority of accommodations in Whistler, will not require this special permit, the ones that do, we will be contacting you directly, with more specific instructions on how to obtain this permit. This "Local Vehicle Access Permit" will be required to enter the east side of Highway 99 in Creekside from February 1st - February 28th from 7:00am to 5:00pm. The Whistler permits will be available from the "Commercial Carrier Transportation Manager" in Whistler. His email is whistlercommercialcarrier@telus.net The manager will be available during the Games from February 1-8 between 8:00am and 5:00pm or from February 9-28 between 7:00am and 1:00am.

There will be NO permits required, NO fees, and NO restrictions to go into downtown Vancouver. Obviously, they are recommending to avoid the downtown and if we are travelling to/from the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to travel around downtown using the Second Narrows bridge (further east on the highway) and avoid the Lion's Gate Bridge.

MANDATORY SHUTTLES for Cypress Mountain (Freestyle Skiing/Snowboard Halfpipe), Whistler Sliding Centre (Bobsleigh), Olympic Park/Nordic Centre (Ski Jumping/Biathlon/Cross Country Skiing).

As with each venue, there will be security closures and the public will only be able to get so close to each venue. At most venues, we will have designated drop-off points, where we will be able to drop you off and it will never be more than a short walk. The only venues where ALL spectators will have to be dropped-off at a "departure hub", where you will be required to take a shuttle bus on the "Olympic Bus Network", are the Sliding Centre (Bobsleigh) in Whistler, the Olympic Park/Nordic Centre (Ski Jumping & Crosscountry Skiing) in Whistler, and Cypress Mountain (Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard Halfpipe) in North Vancouver.

Cypress Mountain

You will have to purchase a ticket in advance in order to take the shuttle bus to Cypress Mountain. These are available to purchase online now. You should be notified by email if you are a ticket holder or you should be able to order tickets here:

http://www.departurehubs.clickandpark.com/hub/cypress

So basically, for the Freestyle Skiing event that you will be attending at Cypress Mountain. We will transport you from your hotel in Whistler to the "Olympic Bus Network" in North Vancouver, where you will take the shuttle bus to Cypress Mountain. We recommend using the "Capilano University Departure Hub" if you are coming from Whistler. After the event, you will take the shuttle bus back to the departure hub in North Vancouver and we will transport you back to Whistler. The only thing you must do before this, is purchase your shuttle bus tickets in advance.

Sliding Centre and Olympic Park (Nordic Centre)

If you are travelling from Vancouver to the Sliding Centre or the Olympic Park in Whistler, you will be required to take the shuttle bus either from one of the departure hubs in Vancouver or from a departure hub in Whistler.

I have not found anywhere online where you can purchase tickets for a shuttle bus to the Sliding Centre or the Olympic Park, in advance, if you are travelling to these venues from Whistler.

To purchase tickets on the Olympic Bus Network to these venues if you are travelling from Vancouver, please visit:

http://www.departurehubs.clickandpark.com/


Olympic Lanes

There will be special Olympic lanes (effective February 4th - March 1st, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) along the highway in Whistler from Function Junction to Whistler Village. And also, throughout downtown Vancouver. Limousines, taxis and buses will NOT be allowed to use these lanes. Only, "accredited" vehicles will be allowed to travel in these lanes, such as Olympic delegates, sponsors, athletes, and emergency vehicles. There may be some limousine companies and buses that will have accreditation, however, I believe they would only be allowed to travel in these lanes while transporting "accredited" people, all other times (when they are transporting the general public) they would NOT be allowed to travel in these lanes. These lanes are similar to the bus lanes that currently exist in Vancouver.

In Whistler the Olympic Lane will alternate between northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening.

Traffic & Parking Restrictions

Authorities are reassuring us that traffic will be flowing smoothly. There will be significant parking restrictions in Whistler and Vancouver, which will help with traffic flow. Nobody would give us a guess on the estimated travelling time from Whistler to Vancouver International Aiport (YVR). We are budgeting an extra hour travelling time to our transfers, this means that it would take 3.5 hours to travel from Whistler to Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

Almost all the "day parking lots" in Whistler will be closed including Lots 1-8 and the parking at the media centre. This is the reason it is strongly suggested that you arrange either public transportation on a bus OR a private limousine transfer.

Other Key Points

Most of the public transportation to/from the events leave immediately after the event has finished. If you would like to stay longer and enjoy the venue and area, we suggest booking a private limousine transfer.

Key Dates

Jan.1-Mar.21 - The "Olympic Line" train will operate between the Olympic Village and Granville Island.

Jan. 27 - Most of the media begins to arrive.

Feb.1-28 - Local Vehicle Access Permit required for certain areas of Whistler.

Feb.11-28 - Highway checkpoint begins north of Squamish.

Feb.4-Mar.1 - No travelling in Olympic Lanes

Mar. 21 - The Paralympic Opening Ceremonies.


Websites

Some important and informative websites are:

www.vancouver2010.com/gameplan

www.whistler2010.com

www.2010isu.com

www.travelsmart2010.com

* Keep in mind that a lot of the information on these websites is aimed at the general public that will be taking public transportation. Some of the information will not apply to people travelling with commercial transportation providers such as us at Alpine North Limousine.

Eagles and Salmon Viewing (Wildlife)

The following is a copy of an email I just sent a lady that was asking about some of the wildlife we might be able to see on the drive from Vancouver Airport to Whistler (Note trip to Whistler would be around mid-December so my email was directed towards that time of the year. The type of wildlife you will see changes depending on the time of year.):

At this time of the year, bald eagles usually congregate in the Squamish area to feed on the spawning salmon. I live about 15 minutes outside of Squamish and I took my dog for a walk down to the Squamish River and saw about a dozen in a small area. I haven't looked around town but if that is something you are interested in I will find out where they are "hanging" out. Usually, you can see them with just a slight detour off the highway. You can check out:

http://www.tourismsquamish.com/what-see-do/eagle-viewing

Historically, there have been thousands that visit the area but the last couple of years global warming/pollution or maybe it's just a natural cycle the numbers have been a lot lower. But I can almost guarantee you we will find one in a tree somewhere in Squamish.

The other neat thing that is happening in Squamish is the salmon are returning to spawn. We've been getting a lot of rain, so the river waters are a little dirtier with rain run-off but when the rivers are crystal clear from only glacier run-off, I know of a few bridges that are just a slight detour off the highway, where you can look over the bridge into the river and see the salmon heading up the river to spawn. If the river water is too murky when you visit we could always visit the Fish Hatchery, where they hatch salmon in a "farm" and release them into the rivers to help rehabilitate the salmon populations. This hatchery is only 10 minutes off the highway and it's a beautiful drive through forest and close to the Cheakamus River where you will probably see eagles and if you are lucky maybe some other wildlife. You can check out their website here:

http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/facilities/tenderfoot/tfoot_e.htm

As far as "furry" animals, like deer, elk, coyotes, racoons, cougars, bobcats, or bears. There's a few spots that I know where I often see them but it's just luck and there are no guarantees.

In the fall just before winter, the deer usually will be heading up in the hill sides for protection and food, so we will see them less often eating the grass along the roads in the winter.

There is actually a herd of elk in the Squamish Valley but I am not sure of their whereabouts, we see them occassionally, along the road on our way to our house but all summer I have only seen them about 6 times.

Same with the coyotes and bears, it's just a matter of luck and actually, most bears will be in hibernation by then end of November. I did actually see a big fat one near the garbage landfill a few weeks ago but by the time you will be hear almost all bears will be in hibernation.

I've actually never seen a cougar in the wild and I've spent a fair amount of time outside and have only seen a bobcat twice and both times were this summer.

In Stanley Park I know of a spot where the racoons live and there's a good chance I could find them for you. Other animals I could show you are Canada Geese and Squirrels, ha ha, but you're probably not interested in those.

Oh yeah, if we went down to the estuary in Squamish (5 minutes off the highway) we might see a seal in the ocean and you will most likely see some eagles and other birds such as geese and ducks.

Sorry about the long email (I actually might put this email on my blog www.alpinenorth.ca/blog right now), but I love this kind of thing and would love to show you whatever you might be interested in. That is actually what got me started in the limousine industry, I wanted to start either off-road sightseeing tours or wildlife tours in Whistler but now I only do trips to/from Whistler. Before the spring I will be creating and marketing a wildlife tour. I like showing people things if they are interested. So just let me know what you might be interested in (we can talk about it on the drive also) and we can try and show you around a bit.

Snow Report!

Apparently, the amount of room reservations are way down this year, perhaps because people think that it's going to be very busy in Whistler this winter because of the Olympics. The actual Olympics is from February 12th to February 28th. So a bit before and a bit afterwards, I am sure it will start to get busy with media, sponsors, and athletes & their families arriving but a lot of these people aren't really in Whistler to ski the hill, they are there to work or compete. So, I think this year might be a great year to come to Whistler. Whistler Blackcomb is offering great deals on seasons passes, the new highway from Vancouver Airport (YVR) to Whistler is complete, the new Peak to Peak Gondola is complete, and the village is ready to be showcased to the world. This year is going to be a great year to visit Whistler, especially.....

Because, we are getting TONS of snow and it's only mid-November!

We've gotten 71 cm of new snow in the last 24 hours! And, over 164 cm of new snow in the last 7 days. With a base of over 156 cm at mid-mountain.

The lastest forecast is now ALL snow and NO rain. Before tomorrow morning, we are supposed to get another 50 - 70 cm of snow. And, before the end of this week (next five days/before the end of Friday) we are supposed to get between 110 cm and 165 cm of new snow! That's up to five and a half feet of new snow before next weekend.

And, if you look at the extended 14 day forecast for the town of Whistler, it doesn't look like the precipitation is going to let up at all before the end of the month and the temperatures are supposed to be staying cool and hovering around zero.

We didn't make it to Whistler mountain this past weekend but we did go ski touring to Red Heather Hut in Garibaldi Park. We were skiing knee deep powder on our first day of skiing this winter.

Apparently, opening day was a little bit busy in Whistler, because they didn't have all their chair lifts running, but I am sure if this snow keeps up, they will have more lifts open and more terrain open before the weekend.

Whistler Opening Early!

It's official, Whistler Blackcomb is opening early! Tomorrow! My partner and I were thinking, "We can go skiing at Whistler tomorrow". But I don't even know where all my snowboarding gear is. I'll have to dig it out of storage today.

Over 108 cm of snow has fallen in the last week. With over 48 cm in the last 48 hours. The snowbase is about 1 meter deep too. These measurements are measured at mid-mountain (1650 metres).

Uploading will be from Whistler Village Gondola from 8:30am to 3:00pm.

The Alpine forecast for more snow looks like this:

Today (Nov.13) 5 - 10 cm
Tomorrow (Nov. 14, Opening Day) 5 cm
Sunday (Nov. 15) 30 cm
Monday (Nov. 16) 20 - 30 cm

That's another 60 - 75 cm in the next 4 days.

Be aware that this is for the Alpine. The Valley forecast may be completely different because it is usually warmer in Whistler Village than it is on the top of the Mountain.

When looking at the forecasts, it's important to look at the freezing levels. Wherever the freezing level is for that day, it's probably going to be raining below that. The following are a few landmarks for elevation:

Whistler Mountain

685 metres - Valley Bottom (Whistler Village)
1000 metres - Olympic Station on Whistler
1300 metres - Raven's Nest on Whistler
1600 metres - The Chic Pea on Whistler
1650 metres - Mid-mountain
1800 metres - The Roundhouse on Whistler
2200 metres - Highest skiable area on either Mountain

Blackcomb Mountain

800 metres - Tube Park/Base 2 on Blackcomb
1000 metres - Top of Excalibur Gondola
1300 metres - Top of Wizard Express
1500 metres - Glacier Creek
1600 metres - Above Glacier Creek
1800 metres - Rendezvous on Blackcomb
2200 metres - Highest skiable area on either Mountain

So for example, on Monday in the Alpine Forecast, they are calling for 20 - 30 cm w/ 20mm of rain because the freezing level is going to rise to 1800 metres, which is higher than half way up the mountain. So there's a chance that it is going to rain way up near the top.

Anyway, the ski hill is opening tomorrow and there's lot of snow now.

To see the Alpine Forecast visit:
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/weather/forecast/index.htm

To see the Snow Report visit:
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/weather/snowreport/index.htm

To see recent photos on Whistler Blackcomb's homepage:
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com

Oh yeah, when booking your transportation to Whistler, don't forget when it's snowing this much on the highways, it helps to have an all-wheel drive 4x4 SUV to transport you and your family safely from the airport to Whistler with all your luggage and ski/snowboard gear. Especially if you are staying in the Upper Village on Spearhead Drive or Painted Cliff Road because they are quite steep and it helps to have extra traction. Alpine North Limousine has the most comfortable and safe luxury SUV's on the market, so don't forget to make your reservations after you have booked your flight or accommodations. Call 1-866-784-4020 or Email info@alpinenorth.ca if you have any questions or would like to make a reservation.

Traffic & Travelling Times

When planning our trips to Whistler, we usually budget around 2.5 hours for travelling time from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to Whistler (and vice versa). As of today, most of the contruction on Highway 99 ("Sea to Sky Highway") from West Vancouver to Whistler is complete. If there is no traffic in Downtown Vancouver or on the highway, it is possible to go from Whistler to the airport in 2 hours but is dependant on traffic and that is why we allow 2.5 hours.

Determining when there is going to be traffic delays when going through Downtown Vancouver is a bit tricky because the bottleneck is the Lion's Gate Bridge, which only has three lanes on the bridge but there are many more lanes than that that feed onto the bridge. The three lanes on the bridge alternate. So usually in the mornings when the morning rush hour is heading into downtown to work, they will have two lanes going into downtown and only one leaving (an vice versa in the afternoon, when workers are going home). BUT, I have found that this is not always the case! I think they monitor what side of the bridge is backing up and change the lanes accordingly. But sometimes, they try to make things run smoothly and change the lanes back and forth throughout the day and that is what makes it trickier to predict. But, as a rule of thumb in the mornings there is more traffic going into Downtown from West Vancouver over the bridge and in the evenings there is more traffic leaving Downtown into West Vancouver.

Basically, if you get to the bridge and they have two lanes open in the direction you want to go, traffic will flow. But if you get to the bridge and they only have one lane open in the direction you want to go, it can definitely add some time to your trip. But usually not more than an extra 30 minutes.

If there is an accident on the bridge that can also cause problems, but there is always another way around. Instead of going over the Lion's Gate Bridge, we would travel further east along the Highway 1 and use the Second Narrows Bridge. Normally, we don't use this route because it is usually the same amount of time but a farther distance (end up having to back track). We will probably be using this route more during the Olympic period when there will be added traffic restrictions in Downtown Vancouver.

The other place there may be some traffic is in Whistler. Usually when the ski hill is open in the winter or when the bike park is open in the summer, on Friday evenings there is heavier traffic going to Whistler for the weekend and Sunday afternoon there is heavier traffic leaving Whistler. This can cause a bit of delay but usually never more than an extra 15 minutes.

Stop along the way, obviously, will add more time to your trip and if you would like to make any stops along the way, please let us know ahead of time, to help us with our scheduling and logistics. We offer complimentary stops along the way, up to 1 hour at no extra cost, but anything over that we may charge a waiting fee of $45/hour or service fee of $90/hour (for large detours).

As a rule of thumb we recommend leaving Whistler 5 hours prior to your departure time at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for International flights. This allows for 2.5 hours of travelling time and 2.5 hours to check-in at the airport. (4.5 hours prior for Domestic flights or less if you don't mind less time to check-in but we don't recommend this because it doesn't leave any room for any unexpected delays on the way).

TRAVELLING TIMES
Whistler to Squamish - 60 minutes
Squamish - Downtown Vancouver - 60 minutes
Downtown Vancouver - Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

TOTAL
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to Whistler - 2.5 hours

OTHER
Whistler to Seattle SeaTac Airport - 4.5 to 5.5 hours
Downtown Vancouver to Seattle SeaTac Airport - 2.5 to 3.5 hours

The only other thing that may slow us down on the drive is the weather such as snow. But all our luxury SUV's have all wheel drive 4x4 and are equipped with top of the line winter tires. They handle extremely well in snow covered roads. What will slow them down, is other drivers, so we still have to budget a little extra time if it is snowing heavily. The road maintenance crews usually do a good job of clearing the roads and applying salt to prevent ice from forming on the asphalt. Your chauffeur will usually arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled pick-up time but on the day of your trip, if the road conditions are poor your driver may arrive even earlier to allow extra time for poor road conditions.

Our drivers are very experienced drivers and are very familiar with the road conditions, traffic, and roads in Vancouver and will do every they can to make sure you get to the airport on time and safely.

Please feel free to contact us anytime if you have any questions or concerns about travelling times or traffic. Even if you haven't booked transportation with us yet, we are more than happy to help however we can.

Whistler Restaurant & Dining Guide

I've put together what I think is, "The Best Dining Guide for Whistler".

If you are able to open my spreadsheet (whistler-restaurants.xlsx) you will be able to see all the different restaurants and pubs in Whistler. If you cannot view the spreadsheet above, I have attached photos below. If you are good with Excel and really want to plan out your holiday because you don't have much vacation time, you can play with the spreadsheet to narrow down your options. I've tried to do this for you by having different sheets that contain the same restaurants and pubs, they are just sorted differently.

For example, if you know the type of cuisine you want to eat, then you would go to the "Cuisine" sheet in the above spreadsheet (I have also attached this sheet below for those that cannot open the spreadsheet in Excel). If you wanted to eat "Steak/Seafood" you would scan down to this area of the chart. If you know your price range you would look at the "Price" field. If you wanted the best (most expensive), you would either go for "Hy's Steakhouse" or "Rim Rock Cafe". And if you were staying in the main Whistler Village and you didn't want to travel to Creekside, then you probably want to go the "Hy's Steakhouse". If you wanted to try the "Rim Rock Cafe" in Creekside you could always arrange transportation to Whistler Creekside through Alpine North Limousine.

It's a similar process for the other sheets, they are just sorted by, "Cuisine", "Price", "Location", or simply "Alphabetical".

In the "Price" field we have 4 different ratings. They are:

$ - Least Expensive (Basic Food)
$$ - Average Price (Good Food)
$$$ - Higher Price (Better Food)
$$$$ - Highest Price (Best Food/Finest Dining)

You can almost think of the "Price" field as a "Rating" field because the majority of the time, the rule-of-thumb is, "You get what you pay for!"

The idea of my dining guide was to have one guide that you could print and carry with you on your trip to Whistler. It is meant to be as simple as possible. You still have to make a few decisions but once you do, it is very easy. I would recommend calling the places before you go to make sure there is room for you and to make sure the place is still open (...there are so many places that open & close all the time, it is hard to keep track!).

Also, remember that this list doesn't include all the pubs/bars/dance/clubs because if they don't serve food then they are not on this list.

I thought of making the "Top 10 Best Places to Eat in Whistler" but people's preferences are so different and they change every day. And, if you ask two different people, what place they would recommend, you probably would get two different answers. So take advantage of the 2.5 hour drive to Whistler and feel free to ask your driver on your limousine ride up to Whistler. You haven't just booked "transportation to Whistler" with Alpine North Limousine, you have booked a "fully personalized "boutique" transportation service". Your driver will be able to help you decide or make a recommendation based on your preferences.

I hope this helps!




whistler-restaurants.xlsx

Olympic Information

We have been getting a few inquiries about transportation during the Games and we have been working very hard to try and find answers to people's questions. Please be patient because our Olympic organizing committee (VANOC) is getting busier and busier and it is hard to reach someone with them to talk to.

What I can tell you so far:
- our limousine service will have all the necessary permits required to provide quality transportation during the Olympic period between Vancouver and Whistler.
- we will be fully operational during the Olympics and will be able to operate between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Whistler.
- there may be checkpoints that we will have to go through but they will only be minor delays
- we will pick-up and drop-off our guests as close as possible to each venue but they may have to walk a short distance to the event. This is due to security closures and everyone, regardless of their mode of transportation will have to walk. The exact details for each venue will be posted here as soon as I get this information.

Please be assured that we will ensure you have a comfortable trip with us and we will be doing everything possible to make sure you get to your destination as quickly as possible.

You may visit the Vancouver 2010 website (www.vancouver2010.com) which will hopefully answer some of your questions but keep in mind that most of the information there is directed at the general public and is not specific to limousine companies. Which is why I will be posting more information here as soon as I here back from VANOC.

Please be patient and check back here soon. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us (604-849-0224) anytime and if we don't have the answer right away, we will get you an answer as soon as possible.