Don't know if this helps, but I also did a fair amount of research, and after doing IMWI a bunch of times, I'm signed up for IMMT next year. Read lots of reviews on it here, and it sounds fantastic.

Spot

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Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Tons of great events out there, you will not regret Tremblant, hurry while its still open...

Have done both.

I prefer IMMT.

1. Better swim in cleaner water.
2. Road quality is much better at MT for the bike course. (Think 1st world roads vs. 3rd world roads lol)
3. Run is very well supported at IMWI, run at IMMT has a nice out and back that is tree covered and is a nice break.
4. Pedestrian Village at IMMT can't be beat.
5. Cost of staying at IMMT is likely much higher if you stay in the village.

I would definitely do IMMT, and yes it won't be open much longer!
PS, I'm in for next year as well.

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Founder of THE TRIATHLON COLLECTIVE (Closed Facebook Group). A SBR discussion group without the white noise/trolling!

I've done both and since you haven't been to MT you should go ahead and do that one vs doing WI again. If you can swing the added cost, MT is a great race and venue. Having said that, if I had to do one of them again it would be Wisconsin.

Mont Tremblant can be economical if you do one of the following:

1. Rent a large condo with multiple friends and cook all your own meals
2. Stay off the mountain/pedestrian village in a multitude of other spots....not as convenient, but cheaper

If you stay in the village you pay a premium...BUT you can't beat staying in the Tour des Voyageurs, walking through the cafe attached to the hotel which opens at 4 am, get your breakfast, take 10 steps, and get body marked and take 100 more steps and you're in transition...after the race, you're 100 feet from the finish line. You can't even get that close with the King Kam Marriott in Kona!

IMMT is by far my favorite venue....I have also found the hospitality in Mont Tremblant to be the best of any race of any type I have been to. I would definitely do IMMT.

As Dev said, the pedestrian village is a bit pricey but well worth it. I did the full IM there in 2012 and we rented a house two miles away. Even though it was close, it was still a hassle on race day. If you are going with family, I would suggest somewhere in the village. I just did the 70.3 WC in Mont Tremblant and we stayed in the Homewood Suites, it was a bit pricey but ver roomy (2 Bedroom Suite) and super convenient.

I didn't even stay in the village but I saw that place and thought if I ever come back that's where I'm staying!

I really appreciate everyone's advice. It reconfirmed everything I've read so I went ahead and snagged a spot and will see you all there!

As far as hotels, it looks like I can get into the Marriott Residence Inn using rewards points. Anyone ever stayed there? Thoughts? It looks like its pretty close to the village so I'm hoping it would be a good spot to stay.

Haven't stayed there but it is right in the middle of the village. Great location

That hotel is at mile 26.1 of the run course. 0.1 mile downhill run from there to the finish. Great location!

Done deal! Thanks again

anyone know how close to sell out (ahem, marc)? on the fence for number 3

I think it's going to be hard to get an exact answer. My answer is... Sign up! If it sells out you will probably regret it. Best IM race out there IMHO.

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Founder of THE TRIATHLON COLLECTIVE (Closed Facebook Group). A SBR discussion group without the white noise/trolling!

I stayed there for IMMT this year. Super convenient location. Like Dev said, it's about 1/10th mile from the finish line. Free breakfast everyday was nice too. The only real negative I have about the place is price. We had one of the 2BR Bi-level suites and it was $500/night. Yes, resort prices for sure but hotel prices in MT are much pricier than Whistler (which has many more hotels). Still better than paying the same price for some 2-star dump in Lake Placid.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Whats your estimation on price difference when in the venue area, taking out the travel to the race venue?

this is our fav im location. we rent a condo in les manoirs, 2 br, for about 200 a night which i think is more than reasonable. we cook some and eat out some. we've done ims in florida, lake placie, austria, germany, and this is our favorite by far. we are coming back up for the 4th time next year. i don't think you'd ever regret the experience.

Compared to???

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

That part in bold and underline gets me about LP. My family will never go back there (I have done that race 11 times). I have paid 25% less for a 25th story suite at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong Harbour than for Schultz's at LP on race week. That really was the straw that broke the camel's back for me at LP.

Having said that, LP was my favourite course, subsequently overtaken by Nice and Whistler, but on all three courses, we get a fair race. Heck, even at Texas on a fairly flat course I was more or less solo for the majority of the race (on the other hand, at Tremblant I get to see the guys sitting in 50 person groups behind me while I am riding solo...in Texas, I never see what is going on behind). I don't like the first 70-80K of Tremblant as there is a bit too much pack formation...rolling start would get rid of most of that and Tremblant would be the perfect race at that point. Until they do rolling start if you are decent swim-biker you're wasting energy on the weak swim-pack riders.

Whistler vs MT. is it a significant amount cheaper, or more or less a wash because I would rather race MT then Whistler, but by a slim margin.

Everything in the resort at Whistler is cheaper because there are more hotels, more condos, and more restaurants and no 'resort tax'. Also there is a grocery store in the village and McDonalds-Subway-Starbucks, whereas Tremblant in the resort has none of that. At this point though you are comparing a AA top Canadian resort (Tremblant) with a AAA world resort (Whistler) that needs to compete with Vail, Chamonix, Verbier, St. Anton etc etc. It's an unfair fight just like Penticton vs. Whistler is an unfair fight. As a resort, Whistler is like Tremblant but on steroids+EPO+HGH all at once. Everything is bigger and better, and that's not putting down Tremblant as this is my "local home race". Just being objective for ya.

To riff of Dev and my 2x Whistler and 1x Tremblant experiences...

Hotel prices of similar perceived quality were probably 40-50% cheaper in Whistler... and potentially newer and nicer. Way more hotels and rooms in Whistler. Whistler isn't cheap either but it's a bargain compared to Tremblant.

Restaurant food prices were cheaper in Tremblant but the Tremblant resort tax on food was ridiculous. I shit you not when I say the three (or four) different taxes paid at restaurants accounted for nearly 40% of the bill. So restaurant prices ended up a wash due to the taxes in Tremblant.

Groceries. Far more options near Tremblant than Whistler. There are two small grocery stores in Whistler Village. One is small and the other is very small. There's a very small shop in Tremblant as well but there are three big grocery stores nearby in St. Jovite. The nearest grocery stores to Whistler are in Squamish or Pemberton. Squamish is on the way assuming you're coming up from Vancouver but even those grocery stores are older and nothing fancy. The stores in Pemberton look like grocery stores circa 1970 here in the USA. Prices at the grocery stores near Whistler were insane. Not quite as bad in Tremblant but still pricier than what we pay in the US.

Overall cost was cheaper at Whistler due to paying $300/night for hotel vs $500/night in Tremblant.

Flights were almost identically priced from Houston to Vancouver and Montreal. Both Whistler and Tremblant are about the same distance from the respective airports but Tremblant is a faster and easier drive. Getting out of Vancouver is a huge pain in the ass. Getting through Montreal was no big deal. That stated, the drive from Vancouver to Whistler is absolutely stunning.

Tremblant is an great place but on pure aesthetics it pales in comparison to Whistler. Everything about that part of BC looks like a postcard.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One