Where to go skiing near Vancouver, BC
 

Hi, we are going to Vancouver and would love to go skiing. We are at a beginner level and are not ready for Whistler yet. We will have a 7 year old with us and would prefer to stay close to the city. I have been reading about Grouse Mountain, Mt. Seymour, and Cypress mountain. Which one would you choose between the three of those? Budget is a consideration, although I think the prices are comparable. Thank you!

You can see Grouse Mountain from the downtown. Close enough? One of Vancouver's distinctions is that the mountains and the sea shore can be visted in a day and still have time for lunch.

If it's skiing you want then you may have no choice but to head out of town since the lack of local snow has all but closed local mountains.

More rain in the forecast means there's little chance of the situation changing. :'(

http://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-74_metric_e.html

Sam is right. The local mountains haven't had much snow. However, you could still go up to Grouse. I'm pretty sure they have other family activities and views of the City are quite spectacular.

Don't discount Whistler if your priority is to ski - it's set up for beginners as much as it is for experts. I don't ski, but I skied Whistler with friends years ago - they have green runs all over the mountain, and it was the first time I actually enjoyed skiing because the snow was incredible. My only other time skiing was on Vancouver's local mountains after school, and the snow was icy - terrible conditions for beginners. I hated it, as I kept wiping out - my skis were like ice skates and couldn't get a grip on the snow.

As others have said, right now there's practically no snow on the local mountains. However, if that changes, Cypress Mountain has the most varied terrain (this is where I learned to ski on those icy slopes back in my high school years), then Seymour Mountain, which I personally love for snowshoeing... and then Grouse. Grouse is more of a tourist attraction that just happens to have a ski run. It's also the only ski hill where you have to park at the bottom and pay $$ to take a gondola to get to the top. For Cypress and Seymour, you can drive to the top and park up there for free. I think some of them have free shuttles as well.

Thank you everyone. We ended up not going skiing because of the snow conditions (or lack thereof). Next time, I guess. But Whistler is on my list of must-see places so it is good to hear that it is a place for beginners. Happy New Year!

1. Cypress Mountain - West Vancouver, BC
Another venue of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Cyrpress Mountain is simply half-hour from Vancouver. Cypress has fifty two ski trails, served by nine lifts, and has the very best vertical rise of the North Shore Mountains. Cypress conjointly has one in all the foremost various race ski areas close to Vancouver, similarly as night athletics and riding.
2. Grouse Mountain - North Vancouver, BC
The nearest resort to downtown Vancouver (just quarter-hour north of the city), Grouse Mountain has twenty six ski and snowboard runs, four lifts, and 4 snowshoeing trails, similarly as Associate in Nursing array of out of doors Alpine activities, as well as (in winter) out of doors skating.
3. Mount Seymour - North Vancouver, BC
About a hour drive from downtown Vancouver, Mount Seymour has twenty four trails and 5 lifts, scenic snowshoeing, and fun conduit and tobogganing.
4. Mount Washington - island, BC
Mount Washington resort is that the premiere resort on island, settled within the Comox depression west of Courtenay; it's sixty trails and eight lifts and is that the second-busiest resort in B.C. next to Whistler Blackcomb. Mount Washington's several options embrace a Snowboard Park, rugged parcel of land for skiing, and trails for nordic skiers.
5. Sun Peaks Resort - Sun Peaks, BC
Voted the "2nd Best resort in Canada" in an exceedingly 2010 Condé Nast person Poll, Sun Peaks Resort has three,678 acres of skiable parcel of land, the second largest ski space in British Columbia, and also the third largest in Canada. Sun Peaks has 122 trails served by six raises--and there aren't any lift wait times, even within the height of winter! Sun Peaks' 3 mountains provide nice diversity, too, as well as gladed areas, bumps, steeps, long cruisers, and alpine bowls. Sun Peaks Resort is found forty five minutes north of Kamloops within the B.C. interior; that is concerning 5 hours by automotive from Vancouver or a 40-minute plane ride from YVR to Kamloops airdrome.

Thanks so much! I will check them out eventually. I appreciate this information tremendously.