Extended Hours and Retail Specials for Final Weekend of the Winter Season

Thank you all for your patience this final week of skiing and riding as we service our Red Skyride.

In anticipation of steady traffic this weekend and in celebration of our final days of snow sports for the season, we are kicking off our operation an hour earlier on both Saturday and Sunday. Our first uphill tram will be at 7:15 am on both days, with ski lifts opening at 7:30 am. We encourage you to come up earlier to take advantage of first tracks and avoid congestion.
Our sincere thanks once again for your support over this epic season and we look forward to seeing you soon.

As an added bonus, in honour of the end of our snow season, you'll find the following featured specials in Outfitters from April 11th to Monday April 14th:

• Smith Sunglasses, 30% off
• All 2007/2008 Fall/Winter Apparel, up to 50% off.
• Sorel winter boots, 50% off
• Ski and snowboard accessories and tools from Burton and RC, 30% off
• All ski gloves from Swany and Kombi, 30% off
• All helmets by Smith, Protec and RED, 40% off
• MSR Snowshoes, 40% off

Come on out and play this weekend!

Fastest Y2Play Campaign

As this year's Y2Play campaign wraps up its 10th year, we are extremely proud to share it sold out faster than all previous years, and has contributed to over 1,000,000 visitors in the past decade. The purpose of Y2Play has always been to afford the opportunity to participate in winter sports to a greater number of people. Another indicator of the enthusiasm and growing participation is the record breaking number of visitors in the past 4 months. December, January, February and March were our highest attendance ever.

The past weekend's Quiksilver Showdown Over the City contributed to our increased attendance as we hosted an event showcasing some of the best local and international snowboarding talent. Under snow-covered skies, riders shot off massive jumps on the course created by our Terrain Parks Supervisor Dave Cashen.

The exceptional winter weather has left us with an astounding 538cm base that in a few short weeks will need to be cleared to make room for the awakening of our resident grizzlies, Grinder and Coola, as well as the opening of our Spring/Summer hiking season.

While the winter season is coming to a close, don't miss the opportunity to carve a few more turns as you watch the sun set to the west and the city lights flicker beneath you. But get ready for Spring when the Grouse Grind opens up as well as Alpine Hiking.

What a great season!

With record snowfalls and a full season of winter events and activities, we’ve seen a fantastic volume of outdoor enthusiasts. 24 hours of Winter on February 9th was the Grouse Mountain celebration of the Countdown to 2010. This unique event brought up enthusiastic crowds all night long and everything from dining to ice skating was fully utilized. The Yeti Snowshoe race the following weekend brought this series to a new level. The inclusion of Grouse Mountain finally made it a triple crown event, occurring on all 3 local mountains.

On February 25th, the VASS (Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports) Corporate Cup, hosted by Grouse Mountain brought together inspiring, elite athletes with Corporate Teams for a day of fun racing, team building and awareness. Our very own Stuart McLaughlin jumped on the slalom course and also played a game of sledge hockey.

A big congratulations to our Observatory Restaurant for winning a Silver award for its wine list at the Playhouse International Wine Festival. Brent Fraser, the food and beverage manager AND sommelier has grown the wine offerings to over 500 selections. Combined with Chef Dino L. Gazzola's culinary expertise, the Observatory has once again risen above the clouds.

March 22nd brings the 10th Annual Snowshow Classic. A Grouse Mountain staff favourite, this event brings together all skill levels to compete in a 6km race along our snowcapped alpine snowshoe trails. This year's event starts at 7pm, and brings a new atmosphere to this popular event. With head lamps affixed, racers will whiz through the course in time for some celebratory Après at Altitudes Bistro.

This season has certainly been jam-packed with fun events and great conditions, but what's amazing is that there is still over a month of skiing and riding left! Almost 80% sold out, the Y2Play pass means you can ski/ride until the end of this season, and all of next season. With the Showdown Over the City (Vancouver's largest Pro-Am contest) on March 28-29, there's plenty more fun to be enjoyed this season, both as an athlete or a spectator.

We're off to enjoy more winter sports, but check in again soon for some upcoming Spring events and activities.

Members Stay Motivated

As the decadence of the holiday season recedes in our memories and retailers replace Christmas Gift Ideas with Valentine's Romance Packages, the stark reality of our augmented consumption lingers on. In many cases, our bathroom mirrors unforgivingly reflect this reality every morning, prompting us to undertake radical fitness regimens that are doomed from the outset. Some statisticians estimate the New Year's resolution failure rate to be as high as 95%. Why so high?

One answer is lack of concrete objectives. Why are we in the gym at 6:30 am, hardwired to our iPods and counting down the seconds of our requisite 20-minute treadmill labour? For many, the reasons are nebulous, pointing to little more than the widely accepted hysteria surrounding "better living" in the New year. If the outcome of the regimen is unclear, and the anticipated reward undefined, the motivation quickly wanes.

It is for this reason that Grouse Mountain invented the Membership. Fitness is not a time-of-year initiative, but an on-going way of life. We know, we know, this whole "way of life" thing seems like such a major shift and commitment. Take our word for it, it doesn't have to be. Start small. Try a 15 minute hike through the forest on a pair of snowshoes. Maybe you'll spot an owl. Take a crisp, deep breath of mountain air. You'll feel better already.

From there, attempt a longer trail, maybe one with a bit of a climb. Again, your motivation is nothing more than a pleasant respite from the grind of city living. And what's 30 minutes, anyway? Another re-run during the writer's strike? Before you know it, you'll anticipate these hikes and will wonder what's up over that next bend on the way to Dam Mountain. We can describe the view to you, waxing poetic about panoramic vistas as far as the eye can see, but we'd rather you experienced it for yourself.

A Grouse Mountain Membership is your access tool to all this terrain and other cool winter stuff like ice skating, special rates for your friends and family, and deals on the gear you'll want as your fitness level increases. For $89.95, you can travel the Skyride as many times as you want for a whole year. And who knows, by the time spring rolls around, your winter workouts might have put you in a position to tackle that other trail you've been meaning to try: The Grouse Grind.

Hopefully with some concrete goals and a stunning outdoor setting you will be inclined to shift your fitness ambition from an ill-fated New Year's resolution to the timeless exploration of a backyard playground.

First out of the gates!

A November winter season opening is always something to celebrate! Grouse Mountain was happy to once again be the first out of the gates with downhill terrain for the Lower Mainland.

We are very optimistic about the season ahead and would like to reiterate a message of thanks to our dedicated snowmaking team whose efforts have gone a very long way in complimenting our natural snowfall and expanding our available terrain. For a great collection of early season photos, visit the CBC's website here. Thanks to Evan Mitsui for shooting these great images.