I hope it’s ok to post this q here - I’m sitting at the west edge of Coal Harbour (by Lift Bar & Grill) and noticed two North Shore mountains I can’t quite place - they’re to the east, past the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. My phone’s compass says they’re about 80deg east of where I’m sitting. Any idea what these are?

This might not be allowed but I thought I'd try.

Is anyone planning on buying equipment at MEC tomorrow for black friday sales (and not planning on getting the e-bike deal for themselves)? Anyone willing to pair up? I'm a new biker looking to bike to work and would like to avoid spending a lot of money on a bike if I end up feeling unsafe on the roads.

Hi. Am thinking of coming up from SoCal next week. I am an experienced hiker but fiance is not. I know the trail beyond the lake (for Garibaldi) is snowed out as of two weeks ago and it’s tough to make it even to Taylor Meadows. But is it still minimal snow to get to the lake? Same question for Garibaldi. Also, are the lake colors even turquoise this time of year? I know nature is beautiful all year round, but that classic turquoise view is on my bucket list so I hate to waste money and precious limited time off (not to mention my sanity from a whining fiancé) if current conditions are suboptimal. Last review on AllTrails and this subreddit seems to be about two weeks ago so they’re not reliable. Thanks in advance to you guys who live out there in heaven on earth!

BC Adventuresmart is hosting a talk by Avalanche Canada about recognizing avalanche terrain on Nov 27th: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCz86vvyvcW/

Quite experienced have snow shoes and spikes maybe 10-20km, I don't have a ton of winter experience but my buddy does, would like a view ,high elevation is ok just nothing you need mountaineering gear for, staying in a 4 season tent in a -20c bag, any suggestions would be sweet thanks!

Also would rather a hike without a terrible road to the trail head, thinking about Webb/macdonald but not sure how good of a winter hike option it is.

Hello! I will be visiting Vancouver in a couple of weeks and am looking for some options for a fun/forested hike that can be accessed via public transit. I'll be staying in Richmond and it looks like most of the hiking is on the north end of the city? I didn't really find what I was looking for in the wiki or other suggestions since a lot of those suggestions assume you have a car. I have found a few websites that have a few lists of what is accessible by transit but some of those options would take several hours on transit to get to and I have only a couple of days. I was hoping to get some local suggestions of some fun trails that might be closer. I live in Colorado USA so I am really looking forward to seeing some old growth trees and greenery. I know the weather will likely be iffy so lower elevation/closer to the metro area will be safer/easier. Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I am not an experienced hiker at all. The most difficult hike I've had so far was at Coquitlam Lake View Trail and Woodland Walk. Other than that, I usually just do, shorter trails around the tri-cities.

I am in that stage in life where I appreciate lonely time and I want to be healthier and thus be in contact with nature. So I am looking for recommendations of not so difficult hikes to do around Vancouver at this time of the year and also what type of gear I should have on those to safely make it in and back :-)

I appreciate any recommendations, suggestions and support.

Thanks!

Like other risks, avalanche incidents are preventable.

By learning more, improving our safety habits, and spreading this knowledge, we can reduce the number of incidents and rescue operations needed; and have more fun winter hiking.

Introduction to avalanches:

• AvySavvy: Great resource, it's free and everyone hiking in the snow should read it. It is Avalanche Canada’s online avalanche tutorial, an in-depth introduction about what avalanches are, where they happen, the terrain, forecast, daily process, and companion rescue.

• Avalanche Skills Training AST1: An AST course is highly recommended if you plan on hiking in the backcountry. In the 2-day AST1 course, you'll learn how to recognize avalanche terrain, understand the avalanche forecast, plan your trips, and perform a companion rescue. The course has a classroom section and a practical section and you learn to use the avy gear equipment (transceiver, probe, shovel). There are snowshoe specific AST1 courses, as well as skiing, splitboard or sledding specific courses. Some other courses are AST1+ (3-day course), AST1 refresher, companion rescue skills, managing avalanche terrain, AST2.

• Video: The 5 Red Flags Unstable Snow and Avalanche Danger: Also called bullseye clues to instability, they include 1) recent avalanche activity on similar slopes 2) whumping noises / shooting cracks / collapsing snow / hollow sounds 3) strong winds / recent wind-loading 4) heavy snowfall 5) rapidly rising temperatures / slushy, melting snow and pinwheels

If you want to avoid hiking in avalanche terrain:

• As Nomics said recently as a general rule avoid being on or under terrain steeper than 22 degrees. Any steeper slope can be considered avalanche terrain where an avalanche can be triggered in some conditions.

• Another rule of thumb: "If it looks 'fun to ski', the slope is steep enough to slide."

Example stories:

• Rescue at Cherry Bowl: An interactive story of a companion rescue "In March of 2013, four friends from Whitehorse, Yukon, made the 1200 km road trip south to Shames Mountain, BC. Four days in, on a bluebird day in Cherry Bowl, their trip came to an abrupt end."

• Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek: An interactive New York Times articles on an avalanche incident in the Washington Cascades in February 2012.

Daily trip planning resources:

• What are the current danger ratings? Daily Forecast Bulletin: It's a region-by-region 3-day forecast updated every day at 4pm, sometimes with additional morning updates at 6-8am in stormy conditions. Each bulletin contains Terrain and Travel Advice, current avalanche problems, a summary of recent avalanche reports, a description of the current snowpack, weather summary, and how confident the forecast is.

• What are the terrain risks for my hike? [AvCan Trip Planner map](https://avalanche.ca/planning/trip-planner}: For several regions, the Avalanche Canada experts have analyzed the terrain according to the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES). The backcountry terrain is separated into three categories: Simple (low angle or primarily forested terrain), Challenging (well-defined avalanche paths, starting zones or terrain traps), and Complex (multiple overlapping avalanche paths or large expanses of steep, open terrain).

• Which recent avalanches have been observed? Mountain Information Network 'MIN' reports: Those user-generated reports are either snow conditions, snowpack, observed avalanches, or incidents. The reports are classified by regions and often contains photos and snow stability tests. AvCan encourages people to submit reports: "A photo and a description of the conditions helps so much more than you might think."

• What is the coming weather? Mountain Weather Forecast: Detailed explanation of the current weather: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3-4, Day 5-7. Try to avoid going out during a snow storm as the snow is unstable; avoid going immediately after a storm, the snowpack may need 1-2 days to bond and stabilize; be careful if going out just before a storm, getting back to the trailhead and driving home can be more difficult, and a rescue operation is more complex and delayed in storm conditions. For a more precise weather forecast, use SpotWx and Windy. Have a look at the video how to use SpotWx by North Shore Rescue.

• What is the steepness of the terrain? You can use some tools like CalTopo, GaiaGPS, OutMap, SkiMoMap to look up the slope angle of the terrain where you are going. Most avalanches happen on slope angles between 30 degrees and 45 degrees. It's even more precise if you upload the GPX track of your hike directly to those tools. The 'satellite view' allows you to see when the trail is inside the forest, at the treeline, or in the open alpine. Some apps/tools offer to shade the map by 'aspect' (North, South, East, West) and visualize the route in 3D. See this GaiaGPS primer How to Use Maps to Help Avoid Avalanches.

• What is the current snowpack (where are the weak layers, snowpack structure, ...)? There are weekly reports by North Shore Rescue for the North Shore Mountains. For the Whistler and Sea-to-Sky region, there are excellent snow conditions reports by Zenith Guides. There is a weekly condition video from MSAA. Also check the AvCan forecasters' blog.

• What is the current snow coverage and snow depth? 1) Look at daily snow reports from ski resorts. This often includes amount of fresh snow in last 48 hours. 2) Trip reports. Look up recent trip reports to know the current elevation of the snowline and the snowpack conditions. You can find trip reports on hiking websites like Alltrails and social media (for example, Facebook groups: hiking, peak bagging, and backcountry skiing groups). 3) Live webcams, for example Cypress, Grouse, Seymour, Sea-to-Sky Gondola, Whistler-Blackcomb. You can use Windy to find more. 4) Satellite imagery. Try to find a recent and clear satellite image (no clouds) by using the Sentinel Hub or Copernicus Browser. The Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8-9 data is the most useful. The 'Scene classification' visualization can help distinguish snow and clouds. 5) Automated Snow Weather Stations provide a lot of data including daily graphs of snow depth for various locations in the backcountry (see interactive map).

• Combining all the information and making a hiking strategy. Discuss with your group. You can use the Avaluator Trip Plan card, and the Avaluator Slope Evaluation card to make an initial decision. The Dangerator tool is used when there is no forecast. Some typical questions are: What are the 'decision points' during your hike? Which snowpack tests will you do? Which snowpack features and possible signs will you expect? ...

Learn more:

• Book, Snow Sense: A Guide to Evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard: This book is often available for 10$-15$ used, it's an excellent introduction. An alternative introduction book is Avalanche Essentials: A Step-by-Step System for Safety and Survival.

• Book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain: This great book by Bruce Tremper goes a bit deeper into analyzing the snowpack and understanding the effect of the weather on the snow, which snow/weather/risk patterns to expect during the season.

• Avalanche Canada Glossary: Good to read it to consolidate your knowledge.

• Avalanche Canada video library: Great 'how-to' videos, webinars, case studies, sport-specific training (sledding, skiing & snowboarding, ...), and snow conditions.

• Backcountry Skiing Canada tips and tricks videos

Other winter risks:

Avalanches are only one of the risks involved during the winter seasons and the fall and spring shoulder seasons.

• See "How to start winter hiking" for a detailed introduction (also has a great section on avalanche safety) and the Visitor's Guide to Hiking Vancouver.

• Excellent safety advice in this thread: Avoiding fatal accidents while hiking in the North Shore during winter

• Vancouver Hiking Resources Page, for a more complete list of hiking resources (summer and winter)

Weather-related risks depend on the elevation (altitude), time of day, aspect of the climb (North, South, East, West), and type of terrain (forest, treeline, alpine).

Common winter risks associated with steep terrains include: avalanches, slip-and-fall, cornices, tree wells, terrain traps, trail covered in snow, false trails, fog and white-outs, strong gusts especially near the summits, ice/snow falling from trees, difficult creek crossings.

In the "shoulder seasons" between autumn-winter, and winter-spring sometimes well into the summer, the risks of both winter and summer are present on a hike, as well as additional autumn and spring season risks because of weather transitions (snow melting, flooding, icy conditions).

A first aid course or wilderness first aid course is a great asset for backcountry hiking.

Feel free to share more resources that would be useful!

The trail network dubbed the Hope Community Forest has been under construction for the last year or so. The network is located at Mount Hope Forest Service Road, which is at the junction of Hwy 3 and Hwy 5.

The signature trail of the area is the new First Blood multi-use trail, dubbed their signature gnarly hand-built shuttle trail, which is primarily designated for mountain bikes (cost to build $416,450). The trail also has an spur trail that goes to Fourmile Falls, a waterfall that was primarily visited by the ice climbing community.

The entire project was primarily spearheaded by the Fraser Valley Mountain Bikers Association, which has been responsible for a number of trail building and maintaining (both hiking and biking) projects in the Fraser Valley.

News stories:

• SingleTracks - A gnarly hand-built shuttle trail is set to open in a small British Columbia town in spring 2025
• Hope Standard - New mountain bike trail in Hope 95 per cent complete, says First Journey Trails CEO
• Hope Standard - Construction on Hope Mountain Trail Network will get underway this year
• West Coast Traveler - Hope, B.C.’s unique new mountain bike trail to welcome riders in 2025

Socials:

• Riding footage of First Blood
• Hope Mountain Centre - Fourmile Falls
• First Journey Trails - Fourmile Falls

Maps:

• Image of First Blood trail, waterfall spur trail, and Columbia trail
• TrailForks (shows Columbia (multi-use, mtb primary) and the access trails but not First Blood or the waterfall spur trail)
• OpenStreetMap (shows all of the trails)

Hey all,

Local runner and filmmaker Jeff Pelletier is premiering his new film at the VIFF Centre on November 27th. He'll be doing a Q&A after the film! If you're interested, check out the link. https://viff.org/whats-on/jeff-pelletier-softrock/

Wondering what everyone would tout as good options for high avg days. Hoping to get out this weekend but anticipate the avy conditions to be unfavourable.

I’m not known for my ability to pick appropriate objectives and, rather, often go with the flow. I want to improve but am a bit stuck.

Ideally: Anything within 3 hours’ drive from Vancouver Substantial objective aka 5hours or more with elevation gain of 800m or more.

Thoughts?

We have a huyndai Elantra with winter tires and chains. It’s a sedan so I’m a little worried about the snow. Could we drive up to the Elfin trailhead this winter? Thinking of going snowshoeing there in 2 weeks, whenever we get a clear day.

Hi! Does anyone know any moderate or “hard” hikes that have nice views with only a limited amount of snow right now? I want to just wear my hiking shoes and while I do have poles my friend doesn’t.

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I’m heading to Vancouver in a few days and would love some recommendations for hiking trails. I’ll be exploring solo but have a car to get around!

I will be in Vancouver this Tuesday and want to do a beautiful hike. Intermediate would be good for us and I wouldn’t mind seeing a waterfall. Which location and trail would you suggest if we only have time for one or two? We do have a car.

Hi All,

Beyond the typically recommended book, anyone have any suggested hikes that satisfy the intermediate hiker without tiring out a younger kiddo?

We recently went to Admiralty Point— that was a wonderful payoff for both the kiddo and myself!

Any other ideas? 🌄🙏🏻

I don’t have a car. Previously, I could take a taxi from Squamish to this parking lot, but it seems that’s no longer possible. If anyone is heading to this parking lot, could you give me a ride during a suitable hiking season? I can also contribute to the gas expenses.

Hello! I'm considering hiking Panorama Ridge the week of US Thanksgiving (last week of November). How are the conditions typically then? Do you all know if it's safe to go?