Visitor reviews for Cypress Mountain Ski Resort

• March 26, 2018
  Michael Robinson from Canada
  

  Love this mountain. Switched last year to Grouse just for the change and it was a big mistake. Back to Cypress for 2017-18 and forever. Even on a crowded Saturday, you'll never wait more than 5 minutes for Sky Chair or Raven Chair (which is a good reason to save yourself the drive up to Whistler). There's a great variety of terrain, the groomers do a good job, the cafeteria is fairly priced and pretty yummy, the staff and the locals are really friendly (except for that one grumpy old guy who works the parking lot, he's hilarious). My only beef is that they close too early in the season, but I guess they start losing money as soon as sunny spring days arrive.

• Cypress Mountain Ratings

  Overall: 3.4. Based on 68 votes and 83 reviews. Vote

  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: 3.6 (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.
  Scenery: 4.2 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 2.0 (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: 1.7 (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: 2.3 (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.
  Snowsure: 3.8 (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.	Snowmaking: 3.8 (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: 4.1 (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: 3.8 (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: 2.8 (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: 4.2 (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: 3.2 (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: 3.9 (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: 4.0 (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.
  Variety of pistes: 3.9 (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.	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: 4.2 (1) No intermediate terrain at Cypress Mountain, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.7 (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: 3.7 (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.	Off-piste: 3.1 (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.
  Cross-country: 4.3 (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: 3.2 (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: 3.2 (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: 3.1 (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: 3.6 (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): 3.6 (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): 3.5 (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

• February 15, 2018
  Local Skier from Canada
  

  It's important to know this is not a resort, and not a big mountain. But it is a great local ski hill. Unfortunately, the investors who own this operation are selling it up with their crazy claims which are misleading.
  Staff are not as professional as at Grouse Mountain. That's the only thing that bugs me really.

  As a local ski hill it's really great, it's the best locally in Vancouver. Most terrain, incredible views, reasonably priced food for a ski hill. Yes, the line-ups are awful, but if you have a pass and your own equipment you avoid all that.

• February 12, 2018
  john from Canada
  

  Jesus, you guys are fricking vicious. Piles of snow by the cannons. Sure! Why doesn't that make sense? They aren't going to come by in a snowcat and smooth it over when people are riding! This isn't a fricking world-class resort. It isn't Europe or Whistler! The steep slopes can get icy! Why wouldn't they? So I think everybody just needs to chill!

• February 09, 2018
  john from Canada
  

  If anybody complains about going to Cypress, they should realize that conditions are not always perfect. Is it Whistler? No. It wasn't designed to be. It was meant to be a local ski mountain close to Vancouver. Sure, the food is expensive, it is at most ski resorts. So, if you really think that it is that expensive bring your own lunch! I do agree that on days with good conditions it does get crowded. But a lot of ski days can be fun if you know where to ski and have a positive mindset. I think that some of the views that you get from the Sky chair are amazing. I can't think of a place that has a view quite like it. I think that out of all the local mountains it definitely has the most terrain. I have noticed that they are a bit understaffed. In April-May of 2017, they closed and Grouse was still open, I think that this is an example of them being understaffed. They either didn't have the money for it or not enough interest. I went once in late December and it was hovering around the 0-degree mark. It started to rain at the lodge but midway through the Lions Express, it started to snow. We did a couple of laps because Sky chair was on standby. It wasn't awesome skiing but I made the most of it. I then proceeded to go and wait in line for the Sky chair because it was pretty much full snow up there. I soon realized that I could be standing here for a while so I went over to the Raven. The snow was quite heavy but I still quite liked it. I did laps on First Sun even though it was technically closed but I had asked the lifty and he said that it was fine. Please always check with a staff before ducking a rope! I went in to have lunch then went back to the Raven and did more laps. Finally, I went over to Strachan to go to Sky chair. The conditions were ok up there. There was some fresh snow but I was quite cold because I was wet. In the end, I am glad I went even though it wasn't great conditions. Overall, I really enjoy every day I get at Cypress Mountain!

• November 18, 2017
  Rob of Coquitlam, BC from Canada
  

  Best of the 3 local mountains. I like the fact you drive up; limits fair weather skiers to small line ups, if any. The parking can be into #2 or B and you wonder where the people are. I can ski like hell from 9am to 1pm and seriously never have a line up. I get tired of skiing not of standing and waiting. 5 stars in my books for how quick you can be on the mountain.

• April 14, 2017
  Peter from Canada
  

  I would say Cypress is the best local mountain. No, it is not a world class resort, it's a local hill. I don't know why you would come from Europe and say "well, this isn't how it's done in Europe". They have the snow guns blowing snow because the window to make snow is usually very short so they do it whenever possible! Every hill here will do the same, welcome to the coast! Wear goggles. And of course there is loose snow close to the snow gun! It's blowing snow! And yes, steep slopes can get icy! In BC we ski all types of conditions, not just corduroy. And they close night skiing because at this time of year only pass holders are there at night; it makes sense to finish night skiing at the end of March. Otherwise they'd jack the price even more and then we'd be complaining about that!

  Look, it's not Whistler, it's not Europe but the terrain is great for the proximity to the city. Service is ok, parking sucks on weekends, the food is ok but expensive, the season pass options are pretty good.

• March 30, 2017
  Nats_dad from Canada
  

  I'm a local Vancouver skier. Cypress has great terrain (for the north shore) and good access and some excellent staff. But the management is really poor. On March 26th they eliminated night skiing for the season. Season pass holders (like my family) expect to be able to night ski into the spring, especially when there is such a great snow pack this winter. Ditto for XC at Hollyburn. (BTW the 2 other local hills continue to have night skiing...) In early season Cypress didn't have enough staff to keep order at lift lines, leading to chaos. Another person mentioned using snow canons while customers are skiing/riding. And season pass holders can't plan on bringing a guest up for a discounted lift pass.

• March 17, 2017
  Dan from Canada
  

  To all the haters, stay away. We don't need you or your expectation on how things work. Been riding here 30 years and never had a bad day. It's funny how everyone complains about everything except the terrain. You are probably not local and we really don't need you here. Next time you think of visiting or making comments, don't. Just stay home. Thanks Cypress and thanks Van City for being the greatest little place in the world. That means you Chris, Jamie and Geoff.

  [note from the editor: names will be removed after a short time.]

• March 01, 2017
  bob from Canada
  

  The food at cafeteria is expensive and small portion. Line up for rental is long and slow. Drive up is not bad if you have winter tires. Whistler is nicer and bigger. There is no accommodations for overnight stay. It rains often too. You may have to walk a long way from parking.

• February 10, 2017
  Hellen from Canada
  

  Cypress mountain is a great mountain but the resort management is very poor! In December 2016, there was decent snow when they opened so I wanted to go. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my silver pass for 2015/2016. I paid renew fee for 2017/2018 online when they offered early bird rate. I know usually they just put the 2017/2018 sticker on the old pass for renew. I called customer service to tell them I couldn't find my old pass. If there is any possible for me to get a new one. They told me I have to pay $60 for the new card. I asked them again if it was the correct information because I thought I paid renew fee and I shouldn't pay that much for only the plastic card. The answer was yes so I spent three days and searched my whole house to find my old pass. The funny thing is, when I got up Cypress office to renew my pass, I have been told I could get a new card for free if I preferred to get a new one. I wasted three days to find the old pass!! Another thing is the parking problem! Usually, when there is good snow, a couple of staff are standing way far from parking lot and try to stop people to park the car for a far distance of walk! And every time I found out there were a lot of parking space still available at parking lot! Plus, they started charging $10 for the half front parking which is ridiculous! They don't do any effort to improve their public transportation for customer but take advantage to collect money from customer! Again, mountain is great! And so close to city! Guys who work at wax shop are awesome! But I have never gotten good experience from the office service. And the worst thing is Lions chair lift shuts down quite often and people stay on cold seats for more than 15 min is quite normal. Be smart! If you see the lift stopped and crew are making phone calls then don't line up there and wait. You should move to another lift and enjoy you time!