Updated: Friday 26 August 2022

Also known as Whistler sidecountry, from Vancouver! 😉

You’ll need guidebooks, maps, and plenty of other information, and skills and experience. Here, I am tackling the car-free aspects, as experienced by me. It would have been nice if it were complete; but, really, it is whatever info I could be arsed to write!

Yes, car-free skiing/snowboarding is easy in Europe, where a bus could take you right to the ski-out. But, here, in North America, most people drive to ski resorts, let alone to backcountry areas.

But, what would one do, here in Vancouver, if car-free but wishing to explore backcountry skiing/snowboarding?
While there are possibilities on the North Shore mountains, going further afar can be challenging. Car rental is one option; but, unless if your credit card covers the insurance, the cost can add up. Ditto car share, unless if you don’t go very far.

There _is_ bus service to some nearby locations, but most will necessitate an overnight stay: Simply, going by bus is far slower than driving your own car. Transfers (between your home, metro and the bus) and waiting for the scheduled service (both going and coming) add up. By the time you get there, and ascend to the snowline, you won’t have time to return, _even if_ there is an early-enough bus for the outbound.

So, for proper backcountry (i.e. with camping, not just day-trips), busses will be fine: There are bus services to Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, if not elsewhere. On the other hand, if you’re aiming for only a day-trip, then the local mountains and Whistler are _it_!

So, this article might as well be called Car-Free Whistler. Most people know that there are busses to Whistler; it’s the sidecountry and backcountry that many don’t indulge in.

Disclaimer

From a mountaineer’s perspective, I’m barely above a newb. I’ve had no training. I’ve not even done my AST course, yet!
I’m only this: A very cautious nutcase.

Maps

Indispensable, of course. I do have a GPS receiver; and phone maps can be useful if within range; but, a paper map + compass gives me peace of mind. For the Vancouver area, Trail Ventures has great maps of the North Shore mountains, and John Baldwin has a book and maps (especially for Whistler Backcountry). The topographic maps of the Government of Canada are great for the more skilled and adventurous.

Overnights Versus Day-Trips

When car-free, the distinction between an overnight (or multi-day) trip and a day-trip becomes much more important. No, I’m not talking about car-camping; I’m referring only to a car being available to take you to and from the trailhead. In the least, and even if you leave no spares in the car, it can still serve as an emergency shelter, and emergency exit, if the need arises. That little detail makes a very significant difference: Being car-free, I have to carry more spares than I would have, had I had access to that particular tool. That costs time, water and food.

Bus Services

Epic Rides, Whistler Rides (also known as Squamish Rides, Pemberton Rides), Squamish Connector, SkyLynx, and some others.
As far as I know, Epic Rides is the only one that offers a season pass (as opposed to, say, a multi-pass that gives you a discount on a number of tickets purchased). That makes it very attractive to frequent travellers.

Squamish

Shannon Falls, Gondola Area

The Sea to Sky Gondola provides a ride up, if you don’t want to hike up. The Squamish Connector will drop you off at the gondola; do note their winter schedule, though.
I’ve not done this yet.

Paul Ridge, Diamond Head

I doubt that I’ve skied this yet. If I recall, I think I just did trail-running on snow.
Definitely a popular area, with shallow gradients and pleasant tree-skiing. And it can be a starting point for a traverse to Garibaldi Lake and further north. (Caution: Crevasses, on the way to Garibaldi Lake!)
The ascent is quite an undertaking, however, with at least a 900 meter climb to get near the entrance to the Paul Ridge area. (Nearly everyone drives! It’s a popular hiking area.) Biking is a possibility for the _very fit_: It’s a gravel road that is an undertaking in itself; _then_ begins the skinning on snow. Hiking up is another possibility, though watch for any downhill bikers coming down. There is only one climb trail; everything else is downhill. Most of the trails in this area are for single-track mountain-biking, which have made Diamond Head a world-class destination.

That brings us to The Shred Shuttle. It’s a shuttle service mainly targeting mountain bikers. But, I’d not be surprised if, in early Spring, they’d cater to tourers wanting to go to Paul Ridge. They routinely go up there to drop off bikers.

Whistler

The easiest out-of-bounds experience for newbies to ‘backcountry’ is the Musical Bumps area, neighbouring Whistler resort’s Symphony Bowl. (In fact, the Lesser Flute area of the latter is used by ski tourers to skin up to Flute peak/back-side.)
Beyond that, lie The Apostles, going all the way to Fissile and the rest of the Spearhead Traverse, for a multi-day backcountry tour. Warning: Crevasses, after Fissile!

I’ve not yet done the Blackcomb side of things. The Lakeside Bowl area is actually pretty good for practising skinning, and it lies mostly inbounds. To go out of bounds, the main two routes are via the backcountry access-gate at the top of Blackcomb Glacier, or via Disease Ridge, at the end of the Lakeside Bowl area. These take one to Decker, the first peak on the Spearhead Traverse, on the Blackcomb end of thing.
Note: Decker is definitely a steeper way of doing things than Whistler’s Musical Bumps. I’ve not yet tried it, which firmly nails me as a newb!

Ascent

For a day-trip, the only ascent option is via a lift ticket!
For overnights or longer, the Singing Pass Trail will take a few hours to get you to Singing Pass–which is the pass/col/saddle between The Apostles and Cowboy Ridge.

Singing Pass Trail

Most people use this trail to _return_ from the sidecountry/backcountry areas–or if they’ve skied/boarded down an unsanctioned tree-run from the resort. Going uphill is done by many tourers, but it is more of a challenge than its popularity would suggest.
Firstly, ascent takes quite a few hours! And it’s nearly entirely under the canopy, so it is _very_, _very_ prone to icing. And it’s cross-section is slanted, not flat, because it traverses along the side of the mountain(s). The latter means that, for a few hours, one leg is slightly higher than the down-slope leg; and that is very tiring!
Where it is icy, it can be either dangerous or tiring or both.
Where the snow has high moisture content (which is not infrequent, because, after all, touring season is _Spring_), your skins have to be well-waterproofed and well-waxed.
The whole affair necessitates a _lot_ of water. As exercise can dull thirst, one can arrive at Singing Pass very dehydrated–with its ensuing problems and complications.

Descent under ideal conditions is a joy. But that’s rare. The frequent case is to deal with a lot of ice. A few spots are downright treacherous! But, it is a quicker way than skinning up and down the various peaks, back into the resort. As well, being car-free, it takes me a very long time to reach whatever destination I sought; thus, by the time I can return, it will be past the 3 p.m. closure of most lifts, so I rush to catch the downloads.

Day Trip

Most of the times, I take an Epic Rides at 6:20 am, from Burrard Station in Vancouver, to arrive just after 8 am in Whistler Village. This gives me an early start (the earliest possible by bus/coach, though arriving earlier _could_ give me earlier access). But, to reach the Symphony Bowl (which is the last inbounds area before Musical Bumps), the peak lifts (Harmony or Peak Express) have to have opened–and these don’t open till 9:30! There is Pika’s Traverse which, on occasion, is open for uphill skinning; but, most of the times, it’s not.
This means that I don’t reach Symphony till 9:30. From there, I will have to get to the backcountry-access gate, then skin up to the top of Flute, after which start the Bumps.
Now, if I go as far as the Kees and Claire’s Hut, it’d be very, very difficult to make it back to the 4 pm return bus, even if I take the Singing Pass Trail. Even going as far as The Apostles can be a challenge. Staying within Symphony Bowl beyond the 2:30 pm (or so) closure of its chair lift entails hiking/skinning up the Symphony Rescue Road. Then, there is a long ski/ride down to the village, whether or not I take the Village Gondola down from mid-mountain. Then there is the slog through the village, having taken off some of my gear, and presuming I can move fast with whatever footwear I have on.
So, missing the Epic Rides’ return bus is a real possibility, with its consequent penalty. (Note: When you’re cold and shivering, there really is not a place in the village to wait for 3 hours, till the next bus, if you have no appetite to eat!)

Overnight

As far as I know/recall, one can camp anywhere sensible, when out of bounds in this area. The Apostles is a good, nearby area, though it _is_ heavy-traffic, so you’ll have to be mindful in your selection.
After that, there really is no sheltered spot till the Kees & Clair Hut, which requires a reservation. And beyond the hut lies the Spearhead Traverse, which requires far more preparation than this page will ever document.

Pemberton

I’ve not yet done Pemberton. It’s far enough that it’d certainly require an overnight stay, if not more. The problem is not so much _getting to there_, because Pemberton Rides (aka Whistler Rides) should handle that. Rather, the issue is getting from the bus stop to the areas of interest, such as Joffre/Duffey–and, as usual, getting to the snowline. Hitching a ride might be conceivable? A taxi? But then how would you get back? If you have cell coverage (which AFAIK you would), then might you be able to call a taxi? I doubt it, unless if you’ve somehow pre-paid. Taxis tend not to show up when they think that you might luck into hitching a ride while waiting.

Seymour Mountain

Aside from the ski/snowboard resort itself, the sidecountry is very, very popular. Snowshoers galore. Many ski tourers, though they seem mostly to explore the gentler terrain near Dog Mountain, if not the route to First Peak/Pump.
Other than for skinning, I’ve not found it a great area for ‘backcountry’ skiing, let alone riding/boarding. It’s a dense cluster of hills. No wide, sweeping alpine meadows or slopes. That does not stop people from skiing and riding there, but you really have to have very good skills to negotiate what is, essentially, snowshoe trails among the aforementioned cluster of hills/peaks. With low, rolling clouds, it can be very easy to get lost; and there are a number of gotchas if you veer off the well-beaten paths.
On the other hand, it is very accessible, so a great place to explore without having to travel for hours. It’s a great place for practising snow-study, skinning, or just to explore and find secluded spots.

Below the Resort

The ski resort is at about 900 meters, IIRC. (1100 m?) From mid-winter to mid-Spring, there can be significant snow below this elevation. It’s all under the canopy, so it stays around for a long time. There is at least one major trail that goes all the way to the resort, with at least one significant fork along the way. Once near the resort, it becomes a maze.
Ascent can be a lot of fun, if you don’t mind crossing creeks which, depending on the time of the year, may be 2 meters beneath the top of the snow! Yup, that’s _very_ tricky! (On a few occasions, I wished for an axe, though it is not _at all_ ‘axe’ territory.)
And, in many places, it can be a very narrow, winding path. But, it does get nice piles accumulated.
The descent is not really worthwhile, methinks. The path is too dense, tight, uneven, winding, with the tree spacing too dense to allow me to veer off-trail. Perhaps someone with better skiing skills could manage it, but not me; and I doubt it’ll be fun!

Below the Snowline

I’ve done hike+ski and hike+board up the mountain. It’s quite a trek, much longer (though less steep) than doing the same on Grouse. Of course, the most fun is when the snowline is low. Then again, when the snowline is low, your ascent will take longer!

Grouse Mountain

Other than within the resort, there really is not much here for skiing or snowboarding. As far as I’ve seen, the side-country is mostly dense, if not steep. There is only one area of gentle tree-skiing that I like.

As with Seymour, Grouse is easy to reach. Public transportation takes you to the foot of it. Once there, you can either hike up (via the Grouse Grind or BCMC trails), or take the gondola up–which can cost quite a bit, unless if you have a pass.
The elevation gain is over 800 meters. At the snowline, changing to boots will be needed. In addition to poles, at least a basic pair of trail-crampons (as opposed to mountaineering crampons) would be very helpful, especially if you’re wearing snowboarding boots. Having said that, the side-country is not really snowboarding terrain; it’s too tight and dense to be of use for other than skiing or snowshoeing.

Snowshoe Grind

This is a steep, narrow trail, atop snow. Poles are requisite!

Dam Mountain

This is the first stop, after the Snowshoe Grind. Too brief and rocky for skiing.

Ridge

This is a great area for some gentle, albeit brief, tree skiing.

Goat Mountain

While the summer route to this is not difficult to find, the winter/Spring route is. And, with the snowpack terrain looking vastly different from the snow-free terrain, the route is very hard to find.

The final climb can be steep in spots. A bootpack is necessary. There is a small plateau at the top.

Crown Pass

The winter route to this is even more difficult than is the case with Goat. It took me quite a few tries. Rolling, low-lying clouds make that even more difficult, and treacherous for the uninitiated. Simply, visibility can be near-nil, at times. If you’re trying to orient yourself, and to identify your destination or direction, … well, I was stuck many times. All of this takes time, and the wisdom to abort.

Once you successfully descend into the pass, there will be a fork. You can either go right, down into Haynes Valley, then start the long trek towards Lynn Valley. Or, you can go straight/left, up Crown Mountain.
The Haynes Valley route will quickly descend below the snowline. So, you’ll be hiking out, unless if there’s been significant snow in the city.
N.B. The back-route to Crown Pass starts from Lynn Valley. Given snow in the city, it may be an interesting, though long, skinning route. I’ve never tried it, as winter days are short. I’d not want to end up in Haynes at sunset!

Crown Mountain

The final stop, for most people. It’s more of a hiking destination than one for touring. It’s too steep, and with fairly dense tree-spacing. I’ve only attempted to axe-and-bootpack my way to the top, in Spring.

Cypress Mountain

As outlined elsewhere on this site, the problem with Cypress is access. It is a difficult trek just to reach the resort area, let alone to go further beyond. Nearly everyone drives.
The U.S.-owned ski resort that is located there has had to keep a backcountry-access corridor, for people to reach the public park that lies beyond it.

But, car-free, Cypress is hard to access. By the time you reach it, you’ll be exhausted. Black Mountain is the main option; further beyond, to reach the Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT), will take Herculean effort. The closer, Hollyburn area should be doable.
HSCT is doable in Summer; in winter, car-free, it’d be a massive undertaking. See Lions Bay, below.

Lions Bay (HSCT)

It is possible to take public transit from Horseshoe Bay, to Lions Bay. This provides access to the tail end of the Howe Sound Crest Trail (HSCT), the Lions, and Brunswick Mountain. Conceivably, it is possible to use that as a short cut to the HSCT–shorter than the Cypress route. But, in my sole attempt at this, I was unfamiliar with the route on _snow_; reversions cost a huge amount of time, and Spring avalanches added to the impetus to abort.

Note that the trailhead is a long way from the bus stop, which is on the Sea to Sky highway. By bike, it is an _intense_ climb! Nothing that short-n-sharp anywhere in Vancouver, as far as I know. And it ain’t short, on foot! The closest comparison would be Oak at Broadway, but several of them, interspersed!
And, from the trailhead, the route up is less than straight-forward. Even in summer, mistakes are easy, unless when there are the hikers taking the short-cut to The Lions. There are forks to Brunswick Mountain, to the areas further north, and to The Lions. No signage!

And, when you reach the snowline, what faint trail there was can easily disappear. I attempted it in Spring, with no-one else on the mountain. Snow-cups, together with accumulated pine needles and melt run-off, can obscure the semblance of a ‘trail’, and mislead. And mistaking by even a few meters can cost half an hour or _much_ more. One such landed me on one of the many sections which required crampons and axes. Being Spring, and loaded with safety-margin gear/spares, I’d taken only one axe, relying on ski poles for the other hand. More crucially, I’d assumed that ski boots would suffice for the soft Spring snow. Still, for a safety margin, and at the last minute, I tossed my trail crampons into the pack. However, under the canopy, with no shortage of icy, steep sections, proper, mountaineering crampons were called for. Yes, ski boots could be used to kick-step; but, the inefficiency of the trail crampons, and the shortage of one axe, slowed me down so much that, eventually, I had to abort the plan to do Lions Bay to Cypress in one day. With proper crampons and two axes, I could have ascended much faster.

As it turned out, it was better that I didn’t. By the time the HSCT was within reach, the sun was high, and Spring wet-loose avalanches were coming down. Risking some of the ridges close to The Lions was not something I’d have like to do under those conditions. Hence, the abort.
(Then I had to get back to the bottom of the mountain before dark, reach the highway, and hope to hitch a ride to Vancouver.)

Update, Wednesday 24 August 2022: Recently, I saw a video of a group attempting the above. Their most blatant mistake was using ski boots for the ascent! (I used my hiking sandals, then switched to ski boots at the snowline.) And this was when most of the ascent seemed clear of snow. Damage to the boots aside, the discomfort and the slow speed will have added to the misery. By the time they reached the HSCT, it was dusk. The brief video ended with a few shots of their skiing the early section, into the sunset. I don’t know if they had overnight gear to camp at the top with; I expect that the trek/ski/skin to St. Mark would need a few hours, considering the elevation profile, and the rope sections. And then there’d be the hike down to the Cypress resort, with most/all of the snow having melted; and, from there, down to the city. _All_ of that in the dark! If there was a car ready to pick them up at the resort, I’d not be surprised if it were at midnight!
And a trek back down to Lion’s Bay would’ve been in the dark, too, which would’ve been very slow.
Much like everyone else, they had a great story to tell, and a great experience to look back upon; but the reality must’ve been very hard, and it could’ve gone tragically worse!
I mention these in order to highlight the preparation, skills and other exigencies that cannot be skipped!

A Note on Guidebooks

It is expected that guidebooks under-emphasize the difficulty of the ascent, and over-sell the descent (the scenery, the ski/board run down, etc). Ditto the joys of snow camping–a fib collectively engaged-in by everyone craving clicks on the socials, or selling a book.
But, even prepared for such, both in physical fitness and lowered expectations, the reality can be dangerously far from that chosen to be reported! I do not recommend the above to _anyone_! Those who can handle it _won’t_ be reading this anyway.