Grouse Mountain

On my way back from Whistler in 2009, I decided that I should drop in on the local mountain of some relatives before flying back to the UK.

Grouse Mtn was a pleasant suprise, excellent snow and a good selection of varied terrain were both welcome. The visibility was poor as we were stuck in a cloud for most of the day, but it was snowing, and the snow cannons had obviously done an excellent job also, with a base of almost twice that at Whistler when I visited.

I felt the lift system was quite good, and despite being a city hill, with lots of people in a relatively small space, the detachable lifts certainly helped to prevent any ridiculously long waits.

There is plenty of good steep and gladed terrain for such a small area, and the variety that was on offer was very good I felt. When the cloud got too bad I hit Paper Trail, a narrow, fun gladed run. I didn't get to try out the terrain park, but had a quick look at the small one I could find, as well as the boardercross that was set up under the Screaming Eagle chair.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to ski under floodlights (just until the hordes arrived after work and school, at which point I headed back down), there was a great break in the clouds too, allowing for a good view of Vancouver as it lit up for the night. Within an hour of leaving I was back in by downtown hotel having a shower and deciding where to go for dinner and drinks. This is where I was torn for 'nightlife' - Grouse Mtn itself doesn't really have any other than the skiing and a restaurant, but within the city at the base is plenty to do...

Overall, I was quite pleased with my time on Grouse Mtn, though probably wouldn't go there over somewhere else for more than a day/evening, simply because of its compact size. The value is reasonable, presumably due to the sheer numbers that head up the cable car.