You can actually get away with all season tire...some all season tires are actually REALLY good in snow, for example...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=124

where can you buy chains locally?!

Canadian Tire
Lordco
Costco
Anywhere:P

Went up yesterday. It was clear till about 10km from the village, where it was slightly snow covered.

However, on the way down, it was raining and everything washed away.

Be very careful though. Saw cops pull a guy over at 7:30AM, and 2 accidents on the way up.

The snow/powder was amazing though. If the weather clears up for the weekend you'll have a blast.

anyone recently went to Whistler?

^ clear going up and down.

thx..

is there any time allowance for going down from Whistler to Vancouver?

np, brah

just make sure you got some washer fluid. windshield gets pretty dirty.

yahh washer fluid is a must
i went up in 912's no problem with them
it was snowing like mad too.
butttt i was in a camry

if it is snowing the road check will be up and they will turn you away if you do not have snow tires or chains.

Just went last night, very nice drive road is great, no traffic.

in a couple months (during the olympics), unless you have some sort of pass, or show that u are going there for the games flashing ur tickets or something, they will not let u go up there.

but its better to be safe than sorry. 2 snow tires is better than no snow tires.

Half Fail, I talked to a local on the lift yesterday. This is true between the times of 6am and 6pm. So either early morning or evening time you can drive up. But, you need somewhere to park your car. All the parking lots are being taken over, so basically the only option I see is to ask someone you know who owns a place up there if you can park your car there, which is what I am doing. Or, you can pay the $25 for the shuttle ride up there.

still sucks for trucking companies that use the route instead of duffy lake old hwy 1 route. its like the long way round.

Good point I never thought about commercial use, maybe they'll issue special "commercial" permits or something. Man, thats a kick to the nuts hahah

Someone had told me if your car is AWD or 4X4 that they will let you pass without snowtires or chains......can anyone chime in on that?

I can chime in on saying that I have never seen a roadcheck ever on the sea to sky.

I have witness a roadblock on Sea to Sky and have heard of another story at least, with police turning back SUVs with no snow tires.

I have winters on the 911 I was in and was allowed to proceed.

Source:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimes...d-8aff3088f7d3

A reader raised the issue of winter tires and the requirements in B.C. (Dec 16).
Winter tires are not mandatory.

However, the Transportation Ministry does place signs on highways requiring vehicles to have winter tires or chains to travel on them. This gives police the authority to deny improperly equipped vehicles access to these roads and issue tickets to those who ignore the requirement.

Given that winter tires are not mandatory, driving without them will not void your insurance in the event of a claim.

However, when ICBC reviews any claim we look at all the factors involved in the crash. Drivers involved in a crash who were not using tires appropriate to the road conditions may be deemed negligent and this could affect how their claim is settled. But it would not put you in breach or make you necessarily at fault.

Whatever the road conditions, you need to always make sure that the tires on your vehicle are roadworthy. It's little use having the right tires for the conditions if they are badly worn, bald, or not properly inflated.

If you are in doubt about the condition of your tires, then it's certainly a smart idea to get those looked at by an expert. But there is also a quick check you can do at home first. Place a toonie between the tread of your tire. If the tread doesn't reach the gold centre of the toonie, it's time to think about getting new tires.

Char Roth
Manager
Victoria Claims Centre
ICBC

Hmm, I see. How do they tell if it's a snow tire?

Take this for example:
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...ctic_ci2_l.jpg

I can tell it's snow tire, the "roughness" (can't think of the word right now) of it gives it away but if you were to "smooth" it out then it wouldn't look much different than a set of normal tires.

http://www.rubberassociation.ca/wintertires.html

Tires marked with the mountain snowflake symbol meet or exceed industry established snow traction performance requirements, and have been designed specifically for use in cold weather and severe snow conditions.

http://www.rubberassociation.ca/images/snowflake.jpg

Maybe in the US? Here in BC, seems to be either winter tires or chains, regardless of AWD or 4X4.

going to take a trip with the family next monday, its not the olympic yet sea to sky is still open right? anybody been up there recently? how is the condition of the road? snow? ice? debris? rock chips etc?

As of Feb 11 you will need a pass. Don't bother going up during the Olympics in your own car, the parking situation is horrendous. VANOC has taken over every lot essentially. If you guys are wondering about road conditions check the webcams on the link below. Just know that in Whistler it can get ugly, and fast. I commute every day, in fact today there was a 4Runner on its roof in the ditch just south of Function Junction. Drive according to the road conditions, turn your lights on, and don't be a douche.

http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwayca...l/www/178.html