British Columbia is blessed with a number of ski resorts that offer everything you could imagine, and there are some of the best ski mountains in the world,
Canada has many top ski resorts that are the envy of other countries. There are plenty of mountains and resorts to choose from but here are some you might want to consider if you haven’t already been.
If you are planning a ski trip to Canada or interested in other mountain activities then read on for some information about 3 great ski mountains and resorts in Vancouver.
How popular is skiing in Canada?
There are around 275 areas designated for skiing in the country. In total all these areas receive around 19 million visits each season. This takes into account snowboarders as well as skiers. The average time spent on these activities is about 7.5 days a year each.
By using the amount of visits each year by the time spent on the slopes then it is estimated that there are around 2.5 million skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts active in Canada.
It is a healthy activity that friends and families enjoy doing together and it is estimated that 15% of Canadians are active skiers or snowboarders. Where can you take up this activity if you live in Vancouver? Well you are lucky because there are some great ski spots including one of the best anywhere.
Grouse Mountain
This mountain is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Canada for good reason. Grouse Mountain is known as a four season destination. This means it has a huge range of activities all through the year. The mountain is 1250 metres high and rises above British Columbia. You can take the Red Skyride for an 8 minute ride up to the summit and see the amazing views from the top.
There are many things to do around the year including paragliding and ziplining for the adventurous. The Theatre in the Sky shows wildlife films throughout the day, there are numerous places to dine with fresh coffee and BBQ available. The wildlife refuge on Grouse Mountain has endangered animals living in a safe environment and includes two grizzly bears left as orphans.
Of course what you are interested in is the Winter activities and Grouse Mountain has plenty of action. Grouse Mountain is around 15 to 20 minutes only from downtown Vancouver. There are a variety of trails for all levels of skiers here. Take the Screaming Eagle chair to the green trails or head Purgatory or Devil’s Advocate for the black trails. For snowboarders there are also terrain parks to try out freestyle moves. The peak also has availability for later skiing as it stays open until 10pm.
Alternatively there is snowshoeing for newcomers to enjoy the winter beauty by following one of the trails on the mountain. Ice skating on a 8,000 sq ft pond is available if that takes your fancy but if you want something relaxed and romantic then you can take a sleigh ride.
Cypress Mountain
This mountain resort was used in the 2010 Winter Games for the snowboarding half-pipe event. Cypress Mountain is popular with snowboarders and has 4 separate and different terrain parks. Patio Park is for beginners and younger snowboarders and the District is for the more serious players.
Skiers are not left out here though. The mountain has 53 downhill runs with simple green trails like Panorama and the Black on Black trail for more advanced skiers.
Whistler Mountain
Whistler Blackcomb is legendary among the skiing world. It has a huge amount and variety of trails, adventure parks , different terrain parks and half-pipes. It consists of two mountains; Whistler & Blackcomb and you are able to travel between them making exploration of both mountains easy by way of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. A shuttle service like Epic Rides can get you from Vancouver airport to Whistler in just a few hours.
If you are looking for something amazing to do in Vancouver then Richard Morrison Vancouver and Whistler can help you out. There are amazing trails on Whistler such as the Peak to Creek which goes through 7 kilometres of hops, bowls and glade runs right the way down to Creekside Village. If you want to see where the pros go then there is the Dave Murray Downhill which was used for downhill events in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Canada has some great places to ski and Vancouver is lucky to have some of the very best. These three ski mountains offer some of the best winter sports along with other activities for non skiers too.
