Cypress Mountain Webcam – See the North Shore Ski Slopes

The Cypress Mountain Webcam streams three live views from the resort’s own cameras above West Vancouver, British Columbia. The main camera sits near the top of the Lions chair and looks straight down the lift line: a tower with quad chairs in the foreground, more towers stepping down the slope, a run dropping away beneath them and a dark ridge of conifers on the right. On a clear day, open water shows on the horizon beyond the trees. Two more tabs switch to the Plaza Cam, which watches the base area and its Olympic rings, and to the Eagle Chair Cam on the Black Mountain side. The scene follows the seasons, with snow-covered runs in winter and grass, rock and autumn color on the same slopes in summer and fall.

About Cypress Mountain

Cypress Mountain is the ski area inside Cypress Provincial Park, on Vancouver’s North Shore, and the resort bills itself as Vancouver’s biggest. It is about a 30-minute drive from downtown. The terrain spreads over two peaks on either side of Cypress Bowl. Mount Strachan is the higher one, and the Lions and Sky chairs together carry riders to its 1,440-meter (4,720-foot) top. Across the bowl, the Eagle Express climbs Black Mountain to 1,200 meters (3,940 feet). The base sits at 826 meters (2,710 feet), which gives a vertical drop of 614 meters (2,014 feet) over 53 runs and more than 240 hectares (600 acres) of skiable terrain. The third peak of the bowl, Hollyburn Mountain, carries the resort’s Nordic area on Hollyburn Ridge.

Cypress was a venue of the 2010 Winter Olympics and hosted every freestyle skiing and snowboarding event of those Games: moguls, aerials, ski cross, halfpipe, snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom. The Olympic rings at the base, which show up on the Plaza Cam, mark that history. Skiing in the bowl goes back much further than the modern resort. Hollyburn Lodge on First Lake opened as the Hollyburn Ski Camp on January 16, 1927, and reopened after a renovation in 2018. The park itself received Class A provincial park status in 1975, and the resort is now part of the Boyne Resorts group.

On the Plaza Cam, the Olympic rings stand near the middle of the picture, and floodlights keep the plaza lit after dark. In summer, the outdoor axe throwing range fills its foreground. The Eagle Chair Cam is named for the Eagle Express, the high-speed quad on Black Mountain.

Weather and Climate in Cypress Mountain

Cypress Mountain has a wet coastal mountain climate. The weather station on Hollyburn Ridge sits at 930 meters (3,051 feet), about 100 meters (330 feet) above the base area, and records an average of minus 1.4 C (29.5 F) in January and 12.6 C (54.7 F) in July. Precipitation adds up to about 2,805 millimeters (110 inches) a year, and at this height much of it falls as snow in winter. The resort cites an average of 230 inches (584 centimeters) of snowfall a season. In the snowy months the Lions Chair Cam can show fresh snow loading the trees and the chairs, and low cloud can shrink the view to the nearest tower.

Once the snow melts, the runs on camera turn to grass, rock and gravel, and the lifts keep turning for sightseers rather than skiers. By late September the low shrubs on the open slopes under the Lions chair turn rust and orange. Late in the day the Lions Chair Cam looks toward the sun, which means sunny afternoons bring backlit ridges and lens flare rather than flat light.

Things to Do Near Cypress Mountain

In winter, the 53 downhill runs are the main draw, and the resort sells night skiing tickets for evenings under the lights. Away from the lifts, the Snow Tube Park has up to six chutes roughly 100 meters (330 feet) long with a tube tow back to the top, and 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of in-bounds snowshoe trails run through subalpine meadows. Cross-country skiers head for the Nordic area on Hollyburn Ridge, where the Lights of Hollyburn route follows a one-kilometer (0.6-mile) snowshoe trail through old-growth forest to the historic Hollyburn Lodge.

Summer brings the Eagle Coaster, which the resort calls the longest coaster on the North Shore: a 1,700-meter (5,577-foot) gravity-powered descent with a 279-meter (915-foot) drop, speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph) and views over Howe Sound. Scenic rides use the Eagle Express, Lions and Sky chairs, and the resort describes 360-degree views from the top over the North Shore Mountains, downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Hikers can follow sections of the Baden-Powell Trail through the southern part of Cypress Provincial Park or visit Yew Lake, where old-growth yellow cedars above the lake carry bark-stripping scars 350 to 400 years old. Farther north, the Howe Sound Crest Trail heads into the section of the park that includes The Lions.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of the North Shore mountains and the province’s ski country, try these cams.

• Grouse Mountain Webcam
• Mount Seymour Webcam
• Whistler Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Cypress Mountain located?

Cypress Mountain is in Cypress Provincial Park in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the North Shore mountains. The resort puts it about a 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver.

What can you see on the Cypress Mountain Webcam?

Three views: the Lions Chair Cam looking down the lift line on Mount Strachan toward a forested ridge and open water, the Plaza Cam on the base area and its Olympic rings, and the Eagle Chair Cam on the Black Mountain side.

What is the weather like on Cypress Mountain?

Cool and wet. On Hollyburn Ridge, January averages minus 1.4 C (29.5 F) and July 12.6 C (54.7 F), with about 2,805 millimeters (110 inches) of precipitation a year, much of it snow in winter.

How high is Cypress Mountain?

Mount Strachan, the highest point of the ski area, reaches 1,440 meters (4,720 feet). The base is at 826 meters (2,710 feet), for a vertical drop of 614 meters (2,014 feet), and the Eagle Express on Black Mountain tops out at 1,200 meters (3,940 feet).

Which Olympic events were held at Cypress Mountain?

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Cypress hosted all of the freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions: moguls, aerials, ski cross, halfpipe, snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom.

Does Cypress Mountain have night skiing?

Yes. The resort sells Night Owl lift tickets for skiing and riding under the lights, and the Nordic area sells evening tickets for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

What is there to do at Cypress Mountain in summer?

The Eagle Coaster, scenic chairlift rides up Black Mountain and Mount Strachan, outdoor axe throwing and hiking in the provincial park.

How can I check snow conditions on the Cypress Mountain Webcam?

The Lions Chair Cam and the Plaza Cam show at a glance whether snow covers the runs and the base. For numbers, the resort’s mountain report lists live conditions, snow totals and weather.

Source: Cypress Mountain