Vancouver Area

Vancouver

Talk about a beautiful city. That whole Vancouver area is just dripping with views. You are literally at the base of some of the most magical forests. Those forests where fairies are from, yeah those ones. With the hanging moses, ambient fog, old growth forests, and lush green it is always such a pleasure being anywhere around those mountains which are also just minutes away from the great city of Vancouver. The city itself has everything a major city has plus much more! The outdoors and the Vancouver area are all intermingled with Grouse and Cypress Mountain resorts which are only about a half an hour drive from downtown Vancouver. And don’t forget the North Shore! The birthplace of mountain biking as we know it today. I’ve ridden the North Shore and it is magical.

Squamish

Just down the road from Vancouver, you follow BC-99 along one of the most beautiful stretches of road I’ve ever been on. You hang on the side of the cliffs on the right and to your left you look over the incredible Howe Sound. There are massive mountains coming straight out of the water with snow capped peaks pending on the season. It’s hard to keep your eyes on the road.

If that wasn’t enough, at the end of that road you have Squamish, known as the extreme sport capital of the world. If you have ever seen any videos with climbing, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, there is a solid chance they make a stop through this area. Whatever adrenaline rush you're looking for, Squamish is a great jumping off point. You also have the Stawamus Chief, "The Chief", which contains the Grand Wall. The Grand Wall is one of the most famous climbing spots in the world since you can just do about anything there and it’s all a short drive from downtown Squamish.

Whistler Alpine

One of my top favorite resorts. There are a lot of things that make Whistler one of my favorites. The mountain itself is insane. With one of the biggest verticals you can find, the mountain contains such a wide range of terrain for all skill levels for summer and winter sports. You can also find a wide range of weather too on that mountain. One side of Blackcomb it could be blowing the piss out of you with wind and the other side, stagnant fog that has layered itself into the mountain. Also it would rain at the base and then snowing like frosty is throwing a rager up towards the peak. You definitely have to pay attention to weather and freezing levels on that mountain and know where to go. Incredible views too!

Whistler Village

The other reason why I love Whistler so much is the Apres scene. We do a big group trip every year there and it’s one of my favorite things I look forward to every year. You can get yourself into a lot of fun there and find yourself barely dragging yourself out of bed to hit the slopes the next day. Don’t worry, nothing lift beers and some fresh air can’t fix. Also don’t be fooled by the amount of snow at the village. I remember the first time I went to Whistler, I was like where the hell is all the snow while walking around the village. Next day, I took the lifts up and was like, oh there it is, and it’s a lot. Just remember you are at a fairly low elevation down in the village so weather may be quite different than what is being reported on the mountain.