Hong Kong is a place where you have everything…. except snow! Having grown up there skiing isn’t one of those accessible weekend activities, it typically involves flying to another country. In Vancouver, it’s quite the opposite, it’s easier for me to get to the slopes than get to the plane. Having moved here recently, I thought what better way to immerse myself in ‘Vancouver life’ than hit the slopes!
Having little (none) experience skiing, I decided to grace the local mountains and learn from the best – locals!
For those in New York, London and Hong Kong skiing in Vancouver typically means skiing in Whistler. The reality however, is that Vancouver has three great mountains (Grouse Mountain, Cypress Mountain and Seymour Mountain) all of which are full-fledge ski resorts offering runs catered to newbies like myself and seasoned experts ( double black diamonds).
The largest resort is Cypress Mountain known to locals as ‘Cypress Bowl’. Cypress Mountain was the host to many of the Winter Olympics snowboarding events in 2010. It has 9 lifts and 53 runs, the longest of which is 4.1km. While the après-ski activities may be limited to beer and poutine, you have a vibrant Vancouver downtown core just 20 minutes away.
For those visiting with no ski/snowboard equipment, fear not! Cypress has all the gear you need, ski pants, jackets and helmet included too. I registered for my lessons 24 hours in advance and was taught by Mike Cann who is not only patient, kind and encouraging but also been teaching for 30 years!
Heading up? Give me a shout!
