Snowshoeing on Cypress is awesome!
I've had a couple friends try and get me out snowshoeing but I've haven't made the time. Until yesterday. One friend goes snowshoe running in a class and I thought I'm way too old and fat for that. I was thinking more along the lines of going for a walk in the snow through the forest. The trails at Cypress are perfect for that. Snowshoe rental and a trail pass is cheap. The fist trail takes about 15 minutes at a very relaxed pace and takes you to Hollyburn Lodge. I've heard of Hollyburn lodge but wasn't sure what or where it was. Well it's this small cabin on Cypress you can snowshoe to or cross country ski to that was built in 1926 and has a great little cafeteria. They had a band playing there later that night.
The trails are very well marked and each junction has a great laminated map. I started climbing each trail one by one and each time thought, that wasn't so bad, then tried the next. I reached the top and said Ok this isn't the top. There's no view. Then I crossed over onto the Hollyburn ridge trail and kept going. That trail is free and is kind of like the Grouse Grind. Not really the leisurely stroll I had originally intended. Nevertheless, conditions were amazing. It was a clear day with a 380 cm base. You didn't really need snowshoes for the trails because they were so packed but the snoeshoes have these cleats or ninja climbing claws that makes climbing the icy hills easy(er).
It started to get really steep and icy and I started to get tired. Everyone on the way down kept saying it's just over that ridge, you're almost there. I was wearing my steel toes boots from work that I never wear because they give me blisters. I could feel the blisters on my feet break open and think OK this isn't fun any more. I ask a guy how much further and he says 15 more minutes. I say that's what the last guy said back there. He said no, this time it's true. That's the last ridge. It's well worth it. I was ready to quit and go back but decided to go on. Sure enough that was the last ridge and when you get there the view is awesome. It looks like a small crater on top of an old dormant volcano. It was well worth it indeed.
| January 26 2008. Conditions were fantastic. It was a great view at the top. As I started to descend it started to lightly snow. Then it really started to come down. About three cm in about an hour. If it was snowing on the way up visibility would have sucked and I would of had no view. It was awesome. |
As you climb you get glimpses of the view.
You don't get the complete panoramic view until you hit the top.
Great glimpses on the way up though.
| The view from the ridge is awesome. You can see an amazing 360 degree panoramic view. Looking south you can see Vancouver with Lion's gate bridge and Stanley park in the foreground. |
Looking north you can see the Lions.
| The sign says "End of mapped access." Gotta love it. On my way down there was a ranger climbing up on cross country skis carrying a huge sign to replace this old one. |
The snow has been around for a while so lots of icicles in the trees.
| This guy power walked up in hiking boots without claws or cleats. Very difficult given the steep icy conditions. Feeding a whiskey jack out of your hand seems to be a thing they do on the ridge. |
BTW They're adding tons of lifts and ski runs to Cypress. It looks like some of the 2010 Olympics are going to be held on Cypress. I thought it was all going to be in Whistler. That is awesome. The best part is on the map I saw a big logo for Bell. Bell won the Olympic sponsorship bid over TELUS. I get there and think this is paradise. No TELUS. No Darren. No bad business. Just good old Frank and Gordon or should I say, Wade and George. Let Freedom ring! Liberty's Bell. Gotta love it. Cheers.
Include Women's Ski Jumping in the Olympics
| IOC Executive board | FIS Headquarters |
| Chateau de Vidy | Blonchstrasse 2 |
| 1007 Lausanne | CH 3653 Oberhofen / Thunersee |
| Switzerland | Switzerland |