Friends of Cypress Provincial Park Society P.O. Box 91053, West , B.C. V7V 3N3 www.cypresspark.ca

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER ______

SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO SKI AREA CONGESTION As reported in our July 2013 newsletter, serious parking congestion on peak winter days has been a problem at Cypress and Seymour for several years. The ever-increasing popularity of snowshoeing has exacerbated the problem. Over this last year, several meetings have taken place with BC Parks, the ski operators, and representatives from the Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC), the Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC (FMCBC), and FCPP to discuss these concerns. But progress in finding solutions has been slow. On November 19, BC Parks called a meeting with the Cypress and Seymour ski operators, and representatives from ORC, FMCBC, and FCPP to review a draft BC Parks “Discussion Paper on Public Access and Parking Capacity at Cypress and Parks.” While no long-term solutions were found, the meeting resulted in better understanding of the issues and concerns, including the impact of the increasing Lower Mainland population on the carrying capacity of the ski areas. Attendees were asked to submit comments and potential solutions to issues raised in the draft paper to BC Parks by January 13, 2014. The Discussion Paper will form the basis for further consideration by BC Parks as this agency works toward developing solutions to winter parking congestion and associated concerns, including ski area viability and public access to winter recreation. It has not yet been made clear how other user groups will be able to participate in these discussions or comment on proposals.

Meanwhile, Cypress plans to alleviate some of the pressure on the Alpine ski area facilities by providing a Brown Bag Room in Black Mountain Lodge. Snowshoers and other backcountry users will obtain a self-serve “Release of Liability/Assumption of Risk” tag in the Brown Bag Room, enabling them to pass more quickly through the Cypress Creek Lodge area to the Backcountry Access Corridor beyond. We can all help reduce parking congestion by carpooling as much as possible and trying to avoid scheduling Cypress trips on holidays and peak winter weekends. Questions or comments? Please contact us.

CYPRESS HIKING MAP PUBLICATION – 2013 HIGHLIGHT! On Saturday August 10 the long-awaited Cypress Park hiking map was launched – literally – from the Cypress Creek Lodge rafters into the crowd below. It was a joyous and memorable event. Attendees were welcomed to the Lodge by Maureen Collins, Cypress Mountain. Mike Castle and Katharine Steig reported on map production history. New Senior Park Ranger Andrew Simpson arrived wearing his Parks Stetson hat (as hoped) for this special occasion. The cake was decorated with a digitally reproduced rice-paper map, looking so much like our paper map that we hesitated to cut it.

The map has been very well received and is proving useful not just to hikers on the trail, but also as a handy reference for others, including BC Parks and staff. 10,000 maps were printed with FCPP, Cypress Mountain and BC Parks contributing $5000 each. Maps were placed in brochure holders in park kiosks and were also available at both Black Mountain and Cypress Creek Lodges. By the end of October more than 6,600 maps had been picked up. We are planning a reprint for next year. We will also be creating an electronic

1 version for posting on the BC Parks website. We expect to have this in place by the start of the 2014 hiking season.

We could not have taken on the map project without the generosity of FCPP members, especially Louise Irwin. Of course map production depended on Mike Castle’s countless hours of volunteer work, supported by Jeff Clark (Clark Geomatics). Hans Breuer (West Vancouver Engineering) and WV Parks staff provided additional help along with Kevi