Cypress Mountain holds a special place among Canadian ski resorts, a proper mountain with Olympic credentials just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver on the North Shore. Skiing here goes back decades before the Games arrived, and by the time Cypress hosted the freestyle skiing, snowboard, and ski cross events at the 2010 Winter Olympics, it was already a well-established freestyle mountain. That heritage still runs through the place, in its terrain parks and its confident freestyle culture. On a clear day you ski with views stretching from the Pacific Ocean and Vancouver's skyline out towards the peaks of Vancouver Island.

The skiing spreads across two peaks, Black Mountain and Mount Strachan, over around 600 acres of varied terrain. There's a modest amount of gentle beginner ground, a good spread of intermediate cruisers, and above them a real concentration of steeper black and double-black runs, along with gladed tree runs and open bowls when conditions allow, so the mountain rewards confident skiers. Three terrain parks continue the Olympic freestyle tradition, and floodlit runs carry the skiing well into the evening. The coastal snowpack brings heavier, wetter snow than the BC interior, but extensive snowmaking and daily grooming keep conditions consistent through a season that usually runs from late November into April.

Off the slopes, Cypress has more going on than the downhill runs. There's an extensive cross-country network, guided snowshoe tours through the forest, and a tubing park for something more easygoing, plus a base lodge with a cafe, grill, and bar to warm up in. The wider North Shore adds places to eat and unwind close by, and downtown Vancouver, one of Canada's liveliest cities, is near enough for an easy day trip when you fancy its restaurants, culture, and waterfront. That mix makes Cypress a resort you can build a trip around, whether you're here for a few days of skiing or a longer stay pairing mountain days with the city.

Check out Cypress Mountain ski deals to start planning your trip.