Cypress Mountain

Around 8km north of West Van via Hwy 99, Cypress Provincial Park transforms into Cypress Mountain ski resort in winter, attracting well-insulated sporty types with its 53 runs, popular snowshoe trails and a snowtubing course. Handsomely upgraded as the venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics snowboarding and freestyle skiing events, new facilities include a fancy lodge and huge improvements to popular runs like Hutch, Windjammer and Lower Panorama (where Canada won its first Olympic gold on home soil). If you don’t want to drive here, consider taking the seasonal Cypress Mountain Shuttle Bus.