Cypress mountain

The Cypress Mountain ski area provides close access to alpine sports for residents of Vancouver, British Columbia. Its popularity has grown beyond the North Shore Mountains, thanks to forward-thinking policies and careful planning. Like other winter venues near metropolitan areas, this facility offers visitors skiing or snowboarding in the day and evenings.

The ski resort is only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Motorists can use Trans-Canadian Highway 1 before transferring to Highway 99 near West Bay. Visitors will find the venue within the Cypress Provincial Park. The Vancouver International Airport handles most flights into the region.

Everyone is Welcome

The Cypress Mountain ski area is known for more than its terrain features. In March of 1987, it became the first winter venue in British Columbia to allow snowboarding. That has allowed riding to grow in popularity for Vancouver residents, who enjoy the view of the North Shore Mountains from their homes.

Guests traveling to the area will find plenty of accommodations off-site that will handle groups of any size. Six eateries provide the fuel skiers and snowboarders need to play all day/evening and sit across the alpine and Nordic sections of the property. Big Bear Sports sells the latest gear, clothing, and accessories guests need to enjoy the snow. It is only open until the afternoon, however.

The Cypress Mountain Ski Resort offers rentals, but ski bums traveling here need to rent before they arrive. Adult and child equipment provides the right gear for the family, and park rats have the option to rent for the season. Those bringing their gear can get a tune-up or quick repair here also. Cypress Mountain offers several ways to learn downhill through private and group lessons. The classes are broken into age groups and are taught daily or in multiple sessions.

Three Mountains of Fun

The Cypress Mountain Ski Resort stretches across Black Mountain, Hollyburn Mountain, and Mt. Strachan. Night skiing and riding are not available on Hollyburn's trails., but several runs on the other two slopes have lighting. An average annual snowfall of 245 inches provides a decent base, but the facility maintains snowmaking equipment to start the season earlier and supplement those totals. Several hydrants and guns provide additional machine-made snow to the resort's popular runs, with annual expansions providing top-notch downhill experiences.

Thirty runs, six terrain parks, and miles of Nordic trails receive grooming regularly so that guests experience the best conditions. There are 600 acres of skiable terrain here, offering lots of challenging fun for any skill level. Cypress Mountain has a base elevation of 3,000 feet at the lodge, with Mt. Srachan reaching 4,720 feet. Its highest vertical rise is 2.010 feet, providing plenty of potentials across the resort.

There are 53 runs at Cypress Mountain, with several long runs. The terrain rates as green/beginner (13-percent), blue/intermediate (43-percent), black diamond/advanced (44-percent). A double black diamond rating on Top Gun makes it the most difficult trail at the Cypress Mountain ski area.

Six ski lifts and a magic carpet provide an uphill capacity of 9,540 guests per hour and access to the trails and terrain parks.