With a week off from classes, midterms and term papers coming up next week, consider investing in some much-need fun during your time off! Vancouver boasts three local ski hills for your shredding pleasure: Grouse Mountain, Mt. Seymour and Cypress Mountain! Check them out this Reading Week!

Photo: theodora.com

Cypress Mountain: Located within Cypress Provincial Park in West Vancouver, Cypress Mountain offers both Nordic and Alpine trails for both downhill and x-country skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skills! Open from 9 am to 10 pm, ticket prices range from $16-19 in the Nordic area and $39-59 in the Alpine area, based on what time of day you’ll be skiing. Cypress Mountain also is home to a full service lodge , in addition to other tasty restaurants and pubs. Fun fact: Cypress Mountain was the site of Canada’s first gold medals on home snow, as earned during the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Mount Seymour: Offering skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and tubing/tobogganing, Mount Seymour is the perfect place to get your winter sport fix! Students can purchase $41 full-day lift tickets and also have access to Mount Seymour’s two fully-equipped lodges and activity centre. Mt. Seymour is located at 1700 Mount Seymour Road in North Vancouver.

Grouse Mountain: Grouse Mountain boasts skiing & snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing and an impressive terrain park, among other fun activities! A perfect weekday getaway, only 15 minutes from downtown, Grouse Mountain is open every day from 9 am to 10 pm. Lift tickets run for $59 for full-day passes, while only $48 from those skiing from 4-10 pm. Grouse Mountain is located at 6400 Nancy Greene Way in North Vancouver.

I hope you enjoy your time off next week and consider spending the day at one (or all) of these three great, home-grown ski resorts! Happy Reading Week!