
86 hectares, 33 runs in North Vancouver. Celebrating 100 years in 2026, closest resort to downtown Vancouver.
Grouse Mountain's summit reaches 1,250 metres, dropping 369 vertical metres to a base at 881 metres across 33 runs spread over roughly 86 hectares in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Terrain splits 48 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent advanced, 12 per cent beginner and 10 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 9.2 metres. Seven lifts, including one aerial tram, four quad chairs, one triple chair and one gondola, serve the mountain.
Grouse Mountain marks its 100th anniversary as a ski resort in 2026, having operated continuously since its inaugural season in 1926, and remains one of Vancouver's most visited natural attractions across all seasons. Its considerable proximity to downtown Vancouver has built Grouse's reputation as the city's most accessible mountain, drawing both dedicated skiers and casual day visitors.
The mountain was named in October 1894 by the first recorded hikers to reach its summit, who hunted a Blue Grouse along the way and honoured the bird in naming the peak. The Cromie family, then owners of the Vancouver Sun newspaper, purchased Grouse Mountain for 75,000 Canadian dollars in 1945, before Andrew Saxton Sr and a group of investors bought the mountain from the Cromies in 1964.
The McLaughlin family gained a controlling interest in 1974 and purchased the remaining shares in 1989 to achieve full private ownership. Grouse Mountain now operates as a Northland Properties company, remaining locally family owned. A new Grouse Gravity Coaster opened in spring 2026 as part of the resort's centennial celebrations. Adult daily tickets run from 89 to 109 Canadian dollars.
Grouse Mountain is a compact city ski area above North Vancouver, with 33 runs over about 86 hectares and a 369-metre vertical between 881 and 1,250 metres. It skis steeper than the size suggests, with 48% intermediate, 30% advanced, 10% expert and 12% beginner. The Skyride aerial tram carries skiers up from the valley, and the mountain is built for short, efficient laps rather than long days of exploring. Around 9.2 metres of snow falls in a typical season, though a low base elevation means conditions can turn soft and wet.
The Cut is the signature run and is floodlit for night skiing, along with Peak, Heaven's Sake and several other favourites. Quad chairs such as the Olympic Express and Screaming Eagle move skiers around the upper mountain, and the Greenway chair serves beginner terrain. Grouse suits after-work skiers, intermediates polishing technique and beginners who want a short trip from the city. Experts and anyone wanting a full day of variety will tire of it quickly, so think of it as a local hill with a great view.
The 2025-26 season at Grouse Mountain ran from 22 November 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 9.2 metres. This season also marked Grouse's 100th anniversary as a ski resort, having first opened for skiing in 1926.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Grouse's intermediate-weighted terrain. Given its considerable proximity to Vancouver, Grouse draws a genuinely broad visitor base, from dedicated local skiers to casual visitors combining skiing with the mountain's other attractions.
Grouse's night-skiing programme continues to draw strong weekday evening visitation from Vancouver throughout the season. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's considerable proximity to the city and year-round attractions.
The resort's centennial celebrations, marketed as Grouse100, ran throughout the 2025-26 season alongside standard operations, including the spring 2026 opening of the new Grouse Gravity Coaster. Grouse Mountain continues to build on a full century of history since its 1926 founding under Northland Properties' family ownership. The resort's Vancouver proximity and centennial milestone remain central to its identity this season.
Grouse Mountain sits in North Vancouver, British Columbia, on the North Shore mountains, with a base elevation of 881 metres and a summit at 1,250 metres across a 369-metre vertical drop over roughly 86 hectares. This setting places Grouse within Metro Vancouver, closer to downtown than any other resort in the region.
North Vancouver and the broader Metro Vancouver region offer extensive lodging, dining and services within a short drive of the resort, given Grouse's position essentially within the city's boundaries.
Nancy Greene Way provides direct access to the resort's base, from where the Skyride aerial tram carries visitors up the mountain. Winter driving conditions on the approach road can include snow and ice at higher elevations.
Vancouver International Airport, roughly a 45-minute drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Grouse's considerable proximity to downtown Vancouver making it a genuinely convenient option for international visitors and local skiers alike.
Hotels and lodges near Grouse Mountain, powered by Stay22.

Europe’s ski season is open, technically. After a record-warm summer, glaciers in Austria, Switzerland and Italy are running a few pistes apiece, Sölden, Stubai and Kitzsteinhorn started late, Titlis has pushed back to 24 October, and Zermatt reopens a few lifts on 14 October after more than two months shut. Finland’s Levi and Ruka are skiing on stored snow. Here is what is open, and what you actually get at each.

Zermatt is having another crack at a World Cup downhill, and this time nobody has to cross a border. Around 13 million Swiss francs is going into rebuilding the Gornergrat piste, including a jump fed by a roughly 300-metre in-run across the roof of the Gornergrat Railway gallery, with the Matterhorn lined up behind it for the TV cameras. First men’s race is pencilled in for March 2028, pending FIS homologation.

Lake Tahoe’s highest base elevation is paying off early: Mt. Rose has started making snow for 2026-27 after the first flurries and a cold snap. The Nevada resort is backing it with nearly US$2 million in upgrades, including a replacement snowmaking main line, a new PistenBully groomer and restraint bars on every lift. Opening day is yet to be confirmed, though Heavenly and Northstar are already eyeing 20 November.

Utah is still building flat out. For 2026-27, Powder Mountain opens a steep new Skytrac chair into more than 1,000 acres of advanced terrain, Deer Valley adds 200 acres on Hail Peak, Sundance gets a new quad and Park City adds a gondola from its new parking structure. Snowmaking is expanding almost everywhere, Eagle Point stays closed after the Cottonwood Fire, and the 2034 Games are setting the pace. Here’s what’s new, resort by resort.

Mt Hutt is getting busier, and its base lodge is about to catch up. NZ$12 million goes into a heated sun deck roughly three times the current size (430 m² to 1,300 m²), plus a new toilet block, heated steps down to snow level, extra storage and a new food and beverage outlet. Building starts after the 2026 season, with everything due for winter 2027.

Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.

Less than four months out from the Crans-Montana 2027 World Championships, the man running the organising committee has stepped down. Claude-Alain Schmidhalter resigned as Swiss-Ski vice president and OC president after being indicted over a business dispute unrelated to skiing. He denies the allegations and faces court on October 27. Interim leaders are in place for the February 1-14 event.

Kelly Canyon had a rough 2025-26, and the Idaho resort has spent the summer making sure it doesn’t repeat. Snowmaking now reaches the top of Goldrush, the terrain park is doubling in size with a stereo system, lights and a snack shack, and the car park is getting bigger. Grooming is stepping up too. Target opening is December 4, conditions permitting.
Grouse Mountain's 2026 - 2027 season typically runs from December 18 through April 18. That window is roughly 121 calendar days, though daily operations depend on snow cover, weather, and lift maintenance.
Resorts in British Columbia, Canada often announce firm dates closer to winter; check the live snow report before you travel if you are planning around opening weekend or spring closure.
Grouse Mountain lists about 213 acres skiable of marked terrain spread across 33 named runs (86 hectares alongside 213 acres skiable). That footprint is what most riders experience on a lift-served day. Side-country or hike-to terrain may sit outside these published numbers.
Use the trail map to see how the mountain is laid out and where the longest fall-line runs connect back to base.
Trail grading at Grouse Mountain breaks down roughly as 12% beginner, 48% intermediate, 30% advanced, 10% expert. The advanced and expert share is substantial, so confident skiers and riders will find plenty of steeper fall-line options once they leave the nursery slopes.
Percentages describe the resort's published piste mix, not vertical metres. A mountain with modest "expert" stats can still feel demanding if the steep terrain is long or exposed. Read the trail map alongside these numbers when planning your route.
Grouse Mountain operates 7 lifts across 4 lift types. The fleet includes 4 quad chairs, 1 aerial tram, 1 gondola, and 1 triple chair.
Lift mix affects how quickly you can lap your favourite zones. Gondolas and trams move big crowds to mid-mountain, while shorter chairs and surface lifts often serve learning areas or local pods. Check the live snow report on ski days for real-time open/closed status.
Base elevation at Grouse Mountain is about 881 m (2,890 ft), with the summit around 1,250 m (4,101 ft), giving roughly 369 m (1,211 ft) of vertical from base to top.
Higher start heights usually mean colder, drier snow holding longer into spring, but also thinner air and faster weather changes. Pack layers if you are riding from village level to summit lifts in one day.
Grouse Mountain averages about 915 cm (360 inches) of natural snowfall per season. That is a long-term climate figure. Any single winter can run well above or below it depending on storm track and temperature.
For trip planning, pair this baseline with the live snow report and webcams: fresh cycles show up in overnight totals and summit cameras long before season averages tell you much about today's surface.
Published single-day adult pricing on SnowStash currently spans CA$69 to CA$109, depending on date band and whether you are buying peak or regular windows. Multi-day products (season passes) usually lower the per-day cost if you are staying several days. Tickets can be bought online through the resort's official checkout (linked from our lift tickets page) or at on-mountain ticket windows, subject to availability.
Buying ahead of peak holidays and weekends generally saves money and guarantees access on sold-out days. Before you commit, scan the snow report and webcams so you are paying for conditions that match your expectations.
SnowStash pulls together 3 live mountain webcams, a downloadable piste map, and the daily snow report for Grouse Mountain so you can plan from home. Webcams refresh on a short interval and are the fastest way to judge visibility, wind exposure, and whether storm snow is still falling.
The snow report adds structured totals, base depth where available, and lift/trail status when the resort publishes it. Use both together: cameras show what it looks like right now, and the report summarises numbers your group can compare day to day.
Yes. The downloadable PDF/image map is better for offline planning, marking meeting points, and understanding the full mountain layout at a glance.
Both versions are on the trail map page for Grouse Mountain. If you are navigating with kids or meeting friends across separate lifts, screenshot or print the static map and keep the live map open on your phone for operational updates.
Grouse Mountain sits in British Columbia, Canada. That regional context matters for travel planning: airport transfers, snow tyres, and typical storm patterns all follow geography as much as resort marketing.
Browse nearby accommodation from the resort page if you are comparing village-base vs valley-base stays; where you sleep changes your first lift of the day more than most trail stats do.