Cypress Provincial Park

Cypress Provincial Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location of Cypress Provincial Park in British Columbia
Location	British Columbia, Canada
Nearest city	Vancouver
Coordinates	49°23′30″N 123°12′45″W / 49.39167°N 123.21250°W / 49.39167; -123.21250Coordinates: 49°23′30″N 123°12′45″W / 49.39167°N 123.21250°W / 49.39167; -123.21250
Area	30.12 km2 (11.63 sq mi)
Established	1975 (provincial park) 1982 (Howe Sound added)
Governing body	BC Parks

Cypress Provincial Park is a Provincial Park on the North Shore of Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. The park has two sections: a 21 km² southern section which is accessible by road, and a 9 km² northern section which is only accessible by hiking trails. Most of the park is in West Vancouver.

The southern section of Cypress Provincial Park contains a ski area (Cypress Mountain) that is operated under a Park Use Permit by a private company called Cypress Bowl Recreations Ltd, a subsidiary of Boyne USA. Boyne USA recently sold the ski operation to CNL Income Properties of Florida, USA, but Boyne will continue to run the ski operation for several years under a lease-back agreement.

Logging first began in 1870 to clear cut dense forests along Mount Vaughen, also known as Hollyburn Mountain. In 1922, the Lions Gate Bridge had still not been built; instead, Vancouverites would take their boats across the inlet and hike up to Hollyburn Ridge to ski. By 1926, the Hollyburn Lodge was built on Hollyburn Ridge, for the use of skiers and snowshoers. On January 16, 1927, the Hollyburn Ski Camp opened and created a new interest in the ski area. In 1933, the West Lake Ski Camp officially opened and brought hundreds of curious skiers that were willing to hike up the mountain. In 1946, the West Lake Ski Camp was sold to new owners and renamed the Hollyburn Ski Lodge. On January 17, 1951, the first chairlift was officially opened and was called the Hollyburn chair. In 1970, BC Parks selected the ski area as a Provincial Park. Shortly after, Cypress Ski Area was officially opened. For the next three decades, infrastructure was put in place to facilitate the growing demand of recreationists wanting to use the area. In 2010, Cypress helped host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

During the winter, this is a ski area for both cross-country and alpine skiers. The ski operation has four quad (2 are high speed)and two double chairlifts, as well as a tube tow and a magic carpet for their ski school participants. With 53 downhill runs (beginner 23%, intermediate 37%, advanced 40%) and over 19 km of cross-country trails, Cypress Mountain is the largest ski area on Vancouver's North Shore. It also has the highest vertical rise, 613 meters (2010 ft), of the three North Shore ski resorts.