Vancouver residents looking forward to barbecues, beach balls and picnics on Canada Day, take note: You'll also be able to hit the slopes on Grouse Mountain. Grouse will remain open for skiing and snowboarding on weekends until July 1, after a phenomenal season with a total of 995 cm of snow so far.
"At this time we have the most snow in our recorded history," said Grouse Mountain spokeswoman Sarah Lusk. Although records only go back 10 years, Lusk said many mountain employees have been comparing this year to 1999 and 1996. "Some remember that we were skiing on Canada Day in '96," Lusk said. "But this has definitely been a banner year in terms of snowfall."
The mountain will be temporarily shutting its slopes from Tuesday to May 27 for annual maintenance. Skiing and boarding will resume on the weekends starting May 28. Meanwhile, Grouse's summer activities will begin May 20. "That's the awesome thing about Vancouver; we have winter and summer at the same time," said Lusk.