Fun and excitement in a sports paradise

“Just don’t forget your running shoes!” You often get this tip when travelling to the metropolis on the west coast of Canada. The harbour city is located spectacularly on the Pacific Ocean, a city of skyscrapers surrounded by sea and mountains. Without question, the laps around Stanley Park, the seventeen-mile-long Seawall along the coast or False Creek could hardly be more spectacular – here you can wind your way around the bays through fantastic nature. The shorter routes at Kitsilano Beach or Beaver Lake also bring runners within view of Canada geese and snowy owls. It is the proximity to nature that makes almost all Vancouverites so sporty. This also applies to cycling and skating: the tarmac paths offer enough space for everyone.

People with skis or snowboards on their backs are just as much a part of the Vancouver cityscape as those with leggings and running shoes. Want to get on your skis in the afternoon? That’s not a problem in Vancouver! Alpine and cross-country skiers only need a few minutes on the Skytrain, the local elevated railway, from the city centre to the ski lifts. The season here usually lasts from November to the end of April, and skiing on the Horstman Glacier, which is part of the Whistler-Blackcomb ski area, even continues until the end of July. It takes less than two hours from the city centre via the “Sea-To-Sky” highway to the ski resort, where the alpine competitions of the 2010 Winter Olympics were held.

Ski fans who are used to skiing in the Alps almost always choose between alpine skiing or cross-country skiing in the valley. This choice is superfluous in Vancouver! Around the mountain station of Grouse Mountain, you can go ice skating, snowshoeing, on horse-drawn sleigh rides or cross-country skiing – always with a phenomenal view of the ocean to the west. Further in this direction, on Vancouver Island, you can see Mount Washington, one of the snowiest ski resorts in Canada. The Raven Lodge cross-country ski centre offers 55 kilometres of trails in Strathcona Provincial Park, and 22 kilometres of trails are available for snowshoeing. The mountain top offers a fantastic view over the Strait of Georgia.

For mountain bikers, the Whistler Bike Park is the first port of call. The route network in British Columbia extends across many wilderness areas, but real locals are drawn further east. Near Invermere is the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, where after the Whistler Bike Park, the second-longest downhill run with gondola access has been created. At the top, the trails are rough and rocky, while further down in the valley, the paths wind their way over scree fields and through forest wilderness. Along the way, there are stunning views across the Columbia River valley to the Rocky Mountains. Almost everywhere, the “enduro riders”, as the cross-country and downhill riders call themselves, can rely on shuttle pick-ups to carry their bikes to the most remote trails.