Mitch has put together a few points of everything you need to know when heading to Cypress mountain on a gap year or winter season experience with EA Ski & Snowboard.
Hear what he has to say below:
Mitch Cartwright - Cypress ski instructor intern 2017/18 winter season
"Cypress is the largest of the 3 local Vancouver mountains, and is just 30 minutes away from downtown! While not as big as other Canadian resorts, Cypress can offer just as much variety and caters to every single ability level, from the bunny hill for beginners to Top Gun for experts, Cypress has it all. Panoramic views of Vancouver to the South, combined with yearly snowfalls over 10metres is a perfect recipe for fun. EA’s program here is well known, and interns here stick around for a while! It's not uncommon to meet another instructor here who started with EA and is on their 6th season. Cypress offers you the perfect mix of mountain and city life and is the perfect choice for your internship.
Let's start off with mountain stats:
- Runs: 53
- Lifts: 6 Chairlifts, 3 Surface lifts
- Longest run: 4.1kms
- Lift running times: 9:00am – 10:00pm
- Avg Yearly Snowfall: 1083cm
- Vertical rise: 610m
Now for the best ski runs:
- Rainbow runs right underneath the Lions Express and when you can get fresh tracks in the cord there’s truly nothing better
- Moons is a hidden run that has some of the best powder stashes on the mountain, and there’s so many lines you can take you’re almost guaranteed fresh pow!
- Panorama is the crusiest run here and on a clear day you’ll have the best view of downtown Vancouver, combined with some tree runs on the side it’s got it all for beginners
Here's this year's best food spots:
- If you head to Sushi Bella in North Vancouver, you can get some of the best sushi you'll find anywhere
- Burgoo is a 'food for comfort' restaurant that serves up heart-warming and delicious meals on a budget
- Raglans is an EA intern favourite as it has a cool vibe, great cocktails & classics like burgers & nachos on the menu
- Twisted fork for brunch of course - the best 'eggs bennie' you'll find around here
Things to do throughout the season:
- Check out mountain madness
- Snowmobile tour anywhere in BC
- Go chase powder with Dave Holden
- Check out the Christmas markets
Cypress Mountain is a great place to be and work, if you’re on the fence about going on a gap year my only advice is to just give it a shot, you won’t regret it! Contact EA Ski and Snowboard Training now and secure your place as an intern next year, it’s a great experience by itself and if you’re interested in the industry then it’s the perfect way to get a foot in the door. Hope to see you here next year!"
