West Vancouver, British Columbia — One of the closest ski resorts to Vancouver is adding paid parking.
The Daily Hive reports that Cypress Mountain Resort has announced that it’s adding paid parking to most of its lots. The reasoning is that demand often exceeds the number of parking spots available, causing traffic pileups. Starting on opening day, parking in Lots 1, 1A, 2, and 3A will cost $10 CAD. To help improve the guest experience, Cypress will introduce a free shuttle service from Lots 2, 3A, and 3 B to the ski resort. In addition, Cypress plans to introduce a carpooling app to reduce further traffic woes.
Parking will remain free for Season and Sky Card passholders. However, they’ll need to register their license plates. Ikon passholders will need to pay for parking.
Parking will remain free in Lot 3B, which is commonly used by hikers and backcountry skiers. Cypress Mountain skiers who want to avoid paying for parking can also park in this lot. Parking will also be free on a portion of the Nordic Area access road.
Ultimately, the move to paid parking seems to be the price for its convenience. Located around a thirty-minute drive from Vancouver, it is easy for many people to reach. $10 CAD ($7.42) isn’t much compared to other ski resorts with paid parking, so I don’t see it as a huge deal.
The one part of the plan that bugs me is their policy regarding not refunding people in case they can’t get to the mountain due to bad weather. Here was their answer to the following question on the FAQ page: “If it’s bad weather, will I be refunded my parking cost?”
“Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather. If the weather is poor, we will not refund the cost of parking.”
Many ski resorts, such as those that use paid parking, do make exceptions when the weather prevents people from making it up. So, if they’re looking for a smooth implementation of this parking plan, I’d suggest fixing that first.
This isn’t the first time Cypress has introduced paid parking. In late 2020, they introduced paid parking in many of their lots. Cypress partially blamed the situation on BC Parks for not introducing day passes for the nearby sites that they managed. In response, BC Parks took down signs and a parking meter on Hollyburn Access Road, arguing they had jurisdiction over that area. Cypress ended up suing the BC government due to that spicy situation.
Image Credits: Cypress Mountain Resort, u/Hqcns
