Re-establishing the Alpine Baseline: 2025
Last year, Jay and I finally broke a five-year hiatus of Grouse Mountain. The hook was a local residents' promotion for a free gondola ride, which ultimately ballooned into four separate ascents in 2025. Our first run on August 6th was foggy and cool; a solid 5°C drop from the city. We checked on the resident grizzlies, Grinder and Coola, but the skyline views were entirely socked in. Because of the gloom, the mountain threw us a makeup day on August 14th. Naturally, it was even wetter and colder. The bears stayed hidden, but the local deer were out in force. Even with the damp, we realized how much we liked having a 1,231-metre peak sitting right on our transit line.
Since the commute was so easy, we bit on an email offer for discounted senior annual passes. Three trips break even, so the math was simple. The pass paid off on August 24th, finally delivering a 29°C day with the clear blue skies we'd been hunting for. Plus, we closed out the season on October 5th. A distraction at the cruise terminal inspecting the Le Commandant Charcot ice-breaker cost us the last free shuttle of the season, but we made it up to the peak by transit for a pre-hibernation goodbye to the bears and a rare lunch in the chalet.
Today's Ascent: July 5, 2026
Today, the forecast showed a patch of blue, so we put those passes back to work. They will expire next month. We hit the SkyTrain at 9:40 am, easily catching the 10:40 free shuttle at Canada Place. Instead of the usual transit vehicle, a massive, dedicated tourist coach hauled us up to the gondolas. We’re basically old pros at the logistics now. Up top, we noticed a display "Grouse Gravity Coaster." It’s a new 1.4-kilometre track weaving through the trees where riders control their own brakes, dropping 90 meters at up to 45 km/h. At $29 for two minutes of gravity, it’s strictly for the adrenaline tourists. We stuck to the free chairlift. The track itself was not in view, but we might let natural forces of nature work in our favour later this summer. We'll see.
Grinder and Coola were dead asleep when we arrived. They've been up here for 25 years, so I suppose they've earned a nap. We left them to it and rode the lift to the peak. By the time we finished taking in the city views and breathing the thin air, the bears were awake and working the crowd.
We ended up out of sync with the return shuttle, so we just grabbed a public bus down to Lonsdale Quay and rode the SeaBus across the Burrard Inlet. Because it dropped us right at Waterfront Station, we skipped buying lunch, hopped the SkyTrain, and ate at home in New West by 2:50 pm. From the misty freebies of last summer to today's streamlined transit loop, Grouse Mountain remains an incredibly efficient backyard escape. Ultimately, the true peak experience has nothing to do with the altitude and everything to do with successfully exploiting a senior discount to find a quarter-century-old bear taking a nap.
