Visitor reviews for Cypress Mountain Ski Resort

Cypress Mountain Ratings

Overall: 3.3. Based on 123 votes and 113 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.6

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Cypress Mountain is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.8

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Cypress Mountain has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.0

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.3

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.3

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Cypress Mountain.

Public Transport: 3.5

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Cypress Mountain, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 2.1

(1) No places to stay in/near Cypress Mountain, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 2.1

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 2.2

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Cypress Mountain.

Ski in/Ski out: 1.8

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 2.2

(1) There are no child care facilities at Cypress Mountain, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.7

(1) Cypress Mountain relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 3.9

(1) There are no snow groomers at Cypress Mountain, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Cypress Mountain are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.7

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Cypress Mountain is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.9

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Cypress Mountain, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.7

(1) Cypress Mountain usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.1

(1) The staff at Cypress Mountain are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Cypress Mountain are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 2.8

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.7

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 3.9

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 3.9

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.1

(1) No intermediate terrain at Cypress Mountain, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.6

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.4

(1) Not even a kicker at Cypress Mountain, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.1

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Cypress Mountain, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 3.1

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Cypress Mountain has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.3

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.3

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.0

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 1.9

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 2.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.6

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.4

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.5

(1) Overall, Cypress Mountain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.4

(1) Overall, Cypress Mountain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

March 20, 2023
MD from Ski Canada Canada
A comment below sums up the mentality that must be present amongst Cypress management. Classic moronic customer-blaming for very valid complaints. Obviously, not going to address idiotic suggestion to "just get better" to deal with marginal conditions. The price did not reflect the amount of quality skiing that could be done this season. And if this is a climate change issue, then the price should be lowered going forward to reflect the crappy skiing on offer. Getting parking is a nightmare, I've turned up at 8am before and still ended up in the overflow. This whole argument of being early is stupid, the resort should provide sufficient parking for people to be able to show up any time of the day without having to spend an hour walking through knee deep snow. If this is not happening, they clearly sold too many passes/tickets, sacrificing customer experience to make more money. Passes didn't work year round, not just in January. Pass lineups in November were massive too. It's a sign of complete negligence that nobody made sure that peoples passes will work on opening day. As for staffing issues, this is always the fault of the employer. Salaries at Cypress were too low and the working conditions were crap. They failed to secure enough workers. Other local mountains didn't experience the same staffing issues this season. And yes, Cypress makes more than enough money to pay their workers more. My take on Cypress is that it's a greedy operation. You are a cash cow here and they will happily prevent you from enjoying yourself if it means they can make more money. Finally, the proximity of the mountains to the city in no way invalidates these valid issues with them. Each NS mountain charges big resort rates. If I'm paying 600 for a season pass, I expect 600 worth of value.
January 18, 2023
DD from Ski Canada Canada
All those complaining about the conditions or chair lifts or passes not working... I would suggest: - Getting better at skiing/snowboarding so you can still enjoy yourself in marginal conditions. it's only going to get worse with climate change. An expert can usually have fun as long as there's snow - Passes not working. You wait till January to check your pass works. You could have done that in December. It's on you dad. - Lifts not working due to staffing issues. Welcome to the new reality. lots of businesses have to cut back because workers aren't interested. - Parking too far. Well if you wait till 10am to arrive. Yes parking will be full. Better wait till 5pm when people leave and you can park. I grew up riding at Cypress, Grouse and Seymour. They're not perfect but you complain about this and that even though they're 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Come on.. Don't like the mountain, go elsewhere. Whistler's snow is great! Can't go elsewhere.. pick up ice skating. No line ups, lots of parking, it's close and cheap.
January 12, 2023
John from Ski Canada Canada
Quite strange. No review found for this year. This has been the fourth year for my family bought Silver pass of Cypress Ski Resort. It gets worse year after year and I still bought season pass, with little hope that things will get improved. But, unfortunately, it becomes hopeless. The first riding with old pass was rejected and I had to pay, visiting to long line up office to get new one. The parking has been a headache issue plagued to every family. Just think about how long you have to walk from the end of Park lot 3B. The stuff in guarding the traffic actually create more problem for long line up. Raven lift chair was a big contributor to ease the long line up in Eager and Lion express. But, I have not seen the Raven lift chair operated since the beginning of this season. I heard that they are short of stuff, which is unacceptable excuse. It becomes a wish to have Raven in operation this year since the snow condition became so poor now. The new Sky Quad moves like a turtle even with it's capacity expanded. Do not know what is in the mind of management team of resort. Anyway stop complaint since it does not change anything in Cypress Ski Resort. Will it not stop for next year?
January 12, 2023
robinson from Ski Canada Canada
It used to be my fav spot for skiing, not anymore. Uneven surface and lack of grooming is disgusting. No proper lights during the night, some areas not covered at all, its scary coming down fast at night. Maybe thats why u gotta sign the waiver form. I'll spend my money somewhere else. Luckily there's two other areas in V where you can get decent skiing. Bye bye Cypress. Such a shame!
February 25, 2022
Carl from Ski Canada Canada
I only hope that many more will keep complaining about Cypress Mountain on this site. This has been a great season and you’ll hopefully scare enough people away so that I can enjoy it more with even shorter lift lines.
February 14, 2022
Tom from Ski Canada Canada
It is sad that this mountain is run poorly. I don't think I will renew my season pass (of over 3 years) this year. There is little regard to the skiing experience and all management efforts seem to be to maximise the people on the hill to the point that they will get fed up and eat overpriced food. Money seems to not be invested in the people that run the mountain, but on restaurant expansion and summer rides. They spent a lot of money on snow-making last year, but didn't have staff or equipment to handle when we had record snow fall in January. Later in the month, instead of grooming runs when it got icy, they blew the snow machines over it. I can appreciate the staffing challenges this year, but I wish Mr Chamberlain would consider the ski user experience more, make that great and more people will come. Let us know what the lift waits are like (at least turn the webcam to the lift lineup), let us know when the runs were last groomed, what the run conditions are, keep the mountain open in April when there is record snow pack. So many people have had a poor experience, the one upside is that perhaps it will be less busy. Consider making our experience amazing and you'll have a better business.
February 09, 2022
Charlie from Ski Canada Canada
As a season pass holder and dad of three, I'm a fan of Cypress. A good mix of terrain for adults and kids, and lots of snow. There have been a lot of recent negative reviews, some of which are a little unfair. If you want to ski Cypress on a bluebird weekend day, be prepared for crowds. On the other hand, many weekend days so far this year (with less perfect weather) have had lift queues of 15 minutes or less, and week days are mostly quiet (as long as schools aren't closed). Arrive before 9am if you want to avoid a long walk from the car, but if you're organised it's a lot better than some make out.
January 16, 2022
G. Adams from Ski Canada Canada
As a seasons pass holder, I know that if I come up the hill anytime after 9:30 am, I will be spending all day in lineups. It's just insane. Management, you need to limit ticket sales so that at least it's a reasonable experience for those that purchase first. 30-40 min lift lineups with ten minute (if that) runs is a little much, don't you think? And the number of skiers on the hill just gets dangerous!
January 07, 2022
Derek Steep from Ski Canada Canada
Another day, another service disaster at Cypress. Yesterday, no lifts open till 11am, no update to the website so thousands of people wasted their time. Today, lifts did not open til 9:15/25(?) again, only one lift running (not counting Bunny Hill). Massive lines, got three runs in by 11:30 then called it a day. Next year just going to go to Whistler unless they start operating their lifts. I just continue to shake my head at this potential gem that is run so poorly. I'd recommend no one buy a pass here anymore.
January 07, 2022
Garth from Ski Canada Canada
I am amazed that more has not been written concerning the issues at Cypress Mountain, as those opinions expressed in early January 2022. There has been a total disregard for the public who have invested a lot of their time and money to go to Cypress to try to enjoy a day on the slopes. It surely is an example of Corporate irresponsibility and arrogance. I feel sorry for the many hard-working lift-operators, kitchen staff, equipment operators, etc. doing their best to provide a service to the thousands of ski enthusiasts. I also was at Cypress Mountain on Tuesday, January 4. I got only two runs in before 12:00 noon. While it's understandable that avalanche concerns were responsible for delays, understaffing and/or selling too many passes surely must be an issue. Sky Chair was closed, which is understandable but Midway was not open, nor was Raven Ridge. The website that morning stated there would be slight delays in opening Lions and Eagle chairs. The Lions Chair did not open until 12:00 noon. I was at the hill from 9:00am until 2:00pm and got only five runs in. I would be fuming if I had to pay $120 for a one-day lift ticket. The snow was fantastic but no one had an opportunity to enjoy it...... I returned to Cypress on Wednesday, January 5. It was also a frustrating start to the day as only the Eagle Express and Easy Rider were open at 9:00am. Midway chair was closed and the Lions Express Chair did not open until after 10:00am. Parking lots were full once again. Thankfully, the Raven Ridge eventually opened and I spent most of my time there but I feel for the hundreds of families who went up for the day and had to endure very long lift lines on the only two chairs open(except Easy Rider) Eagle and Lions Express, in probably one of the best snow conditions of the season. At the very least, Cypress Mountain should communicate both on their website and at the hill concerning lift status and waiting times as it is not fair to the public who has reasonable expectations to get value for their money on what is potentially the best ski hill on the North Shore.