Travel

The camp is in the resort of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Whistler is approx 1hr 30 mins drive north of Vancouver, BC on the West Coast.

The Whistler Bike Park is world famous and starts right in the middle of the village, a one minute bike ride from the hotel.

Whistler has been voted "THE NUMBER ONE RESORT IN NORTH AMERICA" eight times in a row by the major snowboard and ski magazines and is playing host to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Whistler in the summer is amazing. The mountain we ride is called Blackcomb Mountain. The lifts start right in town a five minute walk from THE DORM.

No. Please contact your local travel agent or find low cost airfare websites on the internet to book your flight. Please remember, you must arrive into Vancouver airport on the Saturday of whatever camp you selected, within our scheduled times. Arrive between 11am - 4pm, and depart after 11am. If you are flying from the east coast, don't leave booking your flight till the last minute, as our arrival day is a Saturday, one of the worst days for last minute pricing. It's the best day to arrive for camp, as all the Pre-Olympic road construction delays, or the usual rush hour traffic delays are not there on Saturdays. It cuts the drive to Whistler from the airport by an hour at least. You'll thank us for the arrival day when you arrive.

You can either fly or just meet us at Vancouver International Airport and we will transport you and your baggage in our chartered 52 passenger bus up to THE HOTEL in the Whistler Village. Approx 3 hr ride time. You can, of course, also drive up to Whistler and meet us at THE HOTEL before 7:00 PM on your arrival Saturday. We have our welcome meeting at that time and you don’t want to miss it.

If you are coming from outside Canada you need a passport to get into Canada. You can apply for one at your consulate. Talk to a travel agent for the exact location nearest you. If you can't get a passport in time for camp, bring the original copy of your birth certificate and a piece of photo ID. The best thing is the passport. Plus, you get a cool Canadian stamp in it to start your travel the world collection, just like the pros. If you are from outside the United States you will need a passport and possibly a visa depending where you are from. Check with your travel agent.

One of our members of staff would have to make a dedicated run to or from the airport to pick up or drop you off. There is an extra cost for this special service. No exceptions, sorry.

We DO NOT pick up or drop off before 10am because it isn't safe to ask our staff members to drive to the airport at 5 o'clock in the morning. Alternatively, you can make your own special transport arrangements. A taxi to Whistler from the airport or vice versa is $195 - $225 depending on the driver.

The transfers between Vancouver International Airport and THE DORM in Whistler are included in the price of your camp if you are participating in the Deluxe or Standard Camp. If you are participating in the Pro Camp there is a charge of $75 CDN each way for the transfers. If you are arriving withyour family, The campers registered travel free and every other family members is $75 CDN each way.

When you check in at the airport, where you live, you can sign in as an "unaccompanied minor". An airline representative will walk you through the airport and onto your flight. When you arrive in Vancouver, another rep will be there to walk you out to meet us. Then we will sign for you to be released into our care. There is no chance of getting lost, because you're with an airline rep the whole time. The rep will also help you with your baggage and at customs.

PLEASE NOTE

If the airline classes you as an "un-accompanied minor" make sure you have a NOTARIZED LETTER from both parents. All it says basically is both parents agree that you will be leaving your home country and attending Camp of Champions. Click here to see a typical example.

This notarized letter is especially important if parents are divorced. Make sure you can be released to The Camp of Champions staff in Vancouver. This part is your responsibility to have all the correct paperwork/information for that particular airline.

To make sure we're there to meet you and get you to the airport in time for your departure, we require your arrival and departure details as soon as possible. If you don't tell us when you're coming, we can't meet you. When you tell us at the last minute when you arrive we can’t guarantee a smooth arrival. Please let us know as soon as possible not as late as possible otherwise we might not have a seat for you on the bus.

Send us your flight details right away by filling out the form. Please don't leave it to the night or week before camp to get us the details as it adds a lot of un-necessary stress to the whole experience. For the camper and us. We worry as much as you do.

At Vancouver Airport we'll have Camp of Champions signage and our staff will have yellow Camp of Champions t-shirts on.

If you are traveling from outside Canada (such as the USA) we will meet you as you walk through from Canada customs after you pick up you baggage.

If you are flying from inside Canada to Vancouver Airport we'll meet you at the baggage carrousel area that corresponds to your flight.

Don't worry, there is only one door and we'll spot you a mile away lugging all your ski/snowboard/bike equipment at the airport in the middle of summer.

If you are driving, you can meet us at the Vancouver International Airport and we can bring the camper up to Whistler on our shuttles.

You can also drive to Whistler and just meet us at THE DORM. Whichever method is easiest for you is great for us.

Just make sure if you change your mind and decide to fly out instead that you send us an email so we are looking for you at the airport.

It's best to bring the equipment you're used to, as long as it is a high performance bike, preferably full suspension. If you don't have a full suspension bike we recommend using one of ours. There are over 300 miles of cross country trails in Whistler so if you have the energy to ride some of it feel free to bring your bike. If you're thinking about leaving some equipment at home, bring your helmet (full face is best), body armor, bike shoes, basically all your safety gear. You can also rent all the safety equipment for an additional charge in town.

It's best to bring the equipment you're used to riding, but we have a demo room at the DORM so you can try out boards, boots and bindings free of charge. If you're thinking about leaving equipment at home, bring your snowboard boots at least, because there are a limited number of sizes available.

Try and pack light, you always use less clothing than you think but bring your snowboard/skibiking equipment and your usual waterproof clothing as you would for winter snow. We also have tons of demo snowboard equipment for you to use FREE! Such as boards and bindings. Please limit your bags to a snowboard or ski bag and duffle bag/suitcase. It’s also best to not "Stuff" your suitcases as you usually get tons of free stuff at camp and you don’t want to pay for excess baggage when you get home. We guarantee you’ll win stuff we just can’t guarantee you'll win extra bags to carry it all home in.

Two pieces of checked luggage only please, otherwise the airline could hit you with an "over weight / over size" fee, and you will be dragging so much stuff around you'll be bummed. You can also bring another small backpack as your carry-on luggage for the plane.

Leave the gold chains at home.

There is limited room on our transfer buses we charter from the airport, so one board/ski bag and suitcase/duffle bag and a carry-on only please. If you want to bring your own downhill mountain bike or paintball equipment you can (there could be a fee by the airline for your bike). The best thing to remember is you don’t usually need have as many clothes as you think you do. Every summer we get so many kids saying, "Man I didn't even wear half this stuff!" Don't let that be you. There is also a coin Laundromat in the hotel so you can wash your stuff halfway through, or bribe your roommate to wash it for you.

PLEASE NOTE: Paintball equipment must be packed in your checked luggage, NOT IN YOUR CARRY ON. Double check with your airline in advance to find out their rules on transporting these extra items, to prevent any delays.

Definitely bring your skateboard and helmet. It's the only after camp activity where the equipment isn't supplied.

iPods are no problem but don't leave it lying around, they have legs, always have it on you.

You can change your US dollars into Canadian dollars at the Demo Room, the DORM front desk or at any Bank in the village. All stores take US currency as well as Canadian dollars.