Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver

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Cypress Mountain is a popular snowboarding, skiing (Nordic and alpine), snowshoeing and tobogganing hill in West Vancouver.

Cypress Provincial Park in scenic West Vancouver is the largest park in the municipality with over 3,000 hectares of land protected within its boundaries. The park offers year round activities such as skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, hiking and biking and has some of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the region.

Cypress Provincial Park is one of three accessible mountains in the Lower Mainland (which also include Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour). The furthest west, Cypress offers sweeping views of the City of Vancouver and beyond. On days and nights with good visibility it is possible to see all the way to Washington State. Depending on where you are on the mountains you can either see to the north over the Cascade Mountain range or south toward Vancouver.

Cypress was named for the bowl that is located between the two mountains leading to its misleading name; the two actual peaks that comprise of the park are Black Mountain and Mount Strachan.

In the winter, there is both Nordic and Alpine skiing, snowshoeing and a tobogganing hill at Cypress Mountain. Skiing hours are from morning until evening as night skiing is available on both mountains. With a range of runs for all ability levels and a well stocked rental shop (which include suit rentals), a chalet, and amazing views day or night, the mountain draws large crowds which travel up the mountain to ski. Be forewarned: if you are not taking the bus that transports people up to the top during the ski season, it can be very hazardous to drive up the steep, icy roadway without proper snow tires or chains. The snow can be on the ground from as early as October to as late as June. It is this anomaly that popularizes Vancouver, with its mild temperate climate in the valley and the snow covered peaks in the summer.

The summer months, although brief, see Cypress Provincial Park's 3,000 hectares descended upon by many hikers and sightseers. The drive up offers two sightseeing stops: a picnic area mid-mountain and the lookout further past the picnic area which offers an amazing view of the Lower Mainland. There are several trails throughout Cypress Provincial Park and visitors can also climb the ski runs to admire the views. However, there is usually snow at the top of Black Mountain and Mount Strachan until late summer which makes the peaks difficult to navigate.

Offering adventure and excitement during every season and in almost all weather, Cypress Provincial Park is a popular destination which served as the freestyle skiing and snowboarding venue during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. The venue is most notable as the location where Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first Gold medal on home soil for Men's Moguls.