Cypress Mountain has unveiled a sweeping 60-year development plan that could eventually bring major chairlift replacements, expanded snowmaking, a redesigned beginner area and significant upgrades to the Nordic side of the British Columbia ski resort.
The proposal does not expand Cypress Mountain beyond its existing boundary inside Cypress Provincial Park. Instead, the resort’s 60-Year Ski Resort Development Plan focuses on replacing aging infrastructure and making more intensive use of the terrain it already operates.
Among the biggest proposed changes are an eight-passenger Lions Express, six-passenger Eagle Express and detachable quad replacing the current Raven Ridge lift. Cypress also wants to replace the aging Midway double with a new Lower Bowen Quad and remove the Easy Rider chair as part of an overhaul of its beginner terrain.
The plan is now under review by BC Parks, which is accepting public feedback on the proposal through Nov. 16. Cypress is holding its second public open house Saturday, Sept. 26, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Lions Gate Community Recreation Centre.
Approval of the broader plan would not automatically authorize all of the projects. Each individual development would still require additional review by BC Parks, including environmental assessments, archaeological work and First Nations consultation before construction could begin.
Nearly Every Major Lift Could Eventually Change
Cypress currently operates six chairlifts across its two mountains, with 61 runs and a vertical drop of just over 2,000 feet.
The proposed lift changes would reshape much of that network.
Lions Express would eventually become an eight-passenger detachable chair, while Eagle Express would be upgraded from its existing quad configuration to a six-passenger detachable lift. Raven Ridge would also be replaced by a detachable quad on its existing alignment.
Lower on the mountain, the Midway double would be replaced by the new Lower Bowen Quad. The Easy Rider chair would disappear entirely, with a series of surface carpets taking its place as part of a purpose-built learning zone.
Cypress describes the beginner-area overhaul as one of the central pieces of the plan. In addition to the carpets, the resort is proposing a new children’s center and snow school building intended to separate beginning skiers and snowboarders from more experienced traffic.
The overall number of ski trails would increase only modestly, from 61 to 66. Cypress says the goal is not to substantially increase the number of skiers on the mountain, but to improve circulation and address deficiencies in the existing infrastructure.
Snowmaking Would Expand Across More of the Mountain
Cypress is also proposing a significant expansion of its snowmaking system.
Under the plan, additional snowmaking would reach Rainbow, Lower Bowen, Lower Fork, Cascade and Raven Ridge. The resort says the added coverage is intended to improve reliability from November into early April.
That investment could be particularly important at a coastal ski area where temperatures and snow levels can fluctuate significantly during winter storms.
Snowmaking expansion would begin relatively early in the proposed rollout. Cypress places additional snowmaking alongside the beginner-area project, Lower Bowen Quad and Eagle Express replacement within the first phase of development, which the resort describes as occurring within roughly the first five years if the overall plan and individual projects receive approval.
Later phases would extend snowmaking into the Raven Ridge area before additional work around Lions Express.
Major Changes Are Also Proposed for Nordic Skiing
The downhill mountain is only one part of the proposal.
Cypress operates an extensive Nordic network on Hollyburn Ridge, roughly 1.5 miles from the alpine base. The plan calls for a new Nordic lodge that would consolidate restaurant, rental, retail and guest services now spread between multiple facilities.
Nine beginner and intermediate Nordic trails previously approved under an older development plan would finally be built, adding roughly 1.8 miles of trails. Cypress also proposes expanding lighting across the Nordic and snowshoe network for additional night use.
The tubing park would be relocated and substantially enlarged. According to the resort, the redesigned facility could increase capacity from about 250 to roughly 800 tubers per day and would receive its own lift.
Additional parking and a dedicated passenger drop-off area are also included in the Nordic redevelopment.
Cypress Is Becoming a Four-Season Mountain
The 60-year proposal extends well beyond skiing and snowboarding.
Cypress plans to expand hiking, sightseeing and other warm-weather activities, while potential future projects include a zipline, aerial adventure course, climbing wall and other attractions. Those concepts remain preliminary and would require individual approval before being built.
One summer project is considerably further along. Cypress is already preparing to bring lift-served mountain biking back to the resort in summer 2027, more than two decades after its previous bike park closed.
The new bike park is being developed with Gravity Logic, the Whistler-based company behind trail networks at major mountain-bike destinations around the world. Unlike most of the projects in the new 60-year plan, the initial bike park development is moving forward under an earlier approval.
Cypress also proposes relocating its mountain coaster and eventually adding more hiking trails, viewpoints and other summer infrastructure.
The Ski Area Would Stay Inside Its Existing Boundary
Despite the scope of the proposal, Cypress is not asking to expand farther into Cypress Provincial Park.
The Controlled Recreation Area would remain approximately 724 acres, and the resort says new development would be concentrated primarily in already disturbed areas. Only a small amount of additional skiable terrain is proposed over the full buildout.
Backcountry access would also remain in place. Existing corridors used to reach areas including the Howe Sound Crest Trail, Black Mountain Plateau and Hollyburn Peak are expected to remain available, with Cypress continuing its current backcountry-access system.
The British Columbia government’s public-engagement process will help BC Parks determine whether to approve the broader development plan. Cypress says environmental reviews will then take place again at the project level, meaning approval of the 60-year vision would not guarantee that every lift, building or recreational facility shown in the plan will ultimately be constructed.
Why Cypress Is Planning 60 Years Ahead
The unusually long timeline is tied partly to the resort’s operating agreement with the province.
Cypress’s existing Park Use Permit runs through 2034. The resort says a longer-term agreement would provide the certainty required to make major capital investments in infrastructure such as lifts, lodges and snowmaking systems that can remain in service for decades.
The plans currently governing Cypress are themselves decades old. Work on the new Ski Resort Development Plan began in 2019 as the resort looked beyond its current permit and toward future demand in the Vancouver region.
Development would be divided into five broad phases and paced according to demand, visitation and economic conditions rather than a fixed 60-year construction schedule.
The first phase could include the redesigned beginner area, Lower Bowen Quad, Eagle Express replacement, additional snowmaking and expanded summer activities. Later phases would bring the Raven Ridge and Lions Express projects, Nordic redevelopment, lodge expansions and additional parking improvements.
For now, none of those winter projects has a firm construction date. The mountain bike park, scheduled for summer 2027, is the only major project identified by Cypress with a confirmed opening target.
