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Sasquatch Mountain Ski Resort

Sasquatch Mountain Resort

Located a couple of hours from Vancouver near Harrison Hot Springs, Sasquatch Mountain Resort is a ski hill that used to be known as Hemlock Valley.

Sasquatch is one of five skill hills that serve the Vancouver region. The others are Whistler up the Sea to Sky Highway plus Grouse, Mt. Seymour and Cypress in North Vancouver and West Vancouver.

Sasquatch Mountain opened for the 2024 season on January 12th.

 


This article includes the following topics:

Ski Conditions | Where is Sasquatch Mountain? | Ticket Prices | About Sasquatch | Other Information


 

Sasquatch Ski Hill in the Hemlock Valley

Sasquatch Mountain Resort is the Lower Mainland’s least well-known and most underrated ski hill.

Even before changing its name from Hemlock to Sasquatch in 2017, few Vancouverites have been to the resort or even know it’s a local ski hill. Despite that fact, which is likely a major reason for the rebranding, Sasquatch is a sizeable ski destination that offers, in good years, some of the best snow in the region.

 

Sasquatch Forest and Mountain View
Sasquatch Mountain Ski Hill

 

Current Ski Conditions

Sasquatch Mountain only opened for the 2023/2024 season on January 12th.

As of March 27th, the resort reported 5 centimetres of snowfall in the previous 48 hours. It also reported 203 cm at the alpine base. Temperatures were -2.5 degrees at the top of both the Sasquatch Chair and Yeti Chair.

Important Note: All vehicles are required to carry proper-fitting chains when driving up the mountain during each winter season. The chains don’t have to be on your tires. They do need to be in your vehicle, however, and available for use.

 

Where is Sasquatch Mountain?

Sasquatch Mountain Resort is located at 20955 Hemlock Valley Road outside Agassiz in the Fraser Valley. It’s a couple of hours drive east of Vancouver and, conveniently, not far from the beautiful resort town of Harrison Hot Springs.

Note: Sasquatch Mountain Resort is not to be confused with Sasquatch Provincial Park. North Vancouver’s Mount Seymour skill hill is located in Mt. Seymour Provincial Park, and West Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain is located in Cypress Provincial Park.

The Sasquatch ski resort, meanwhile, is located on the west side of Harrison Lake. The provincial park with the same name is located a one hour drive away on the opposite side of the lake. Both are great places to check out, with one at its peak in the winter and the other in the summer.

 

Directions to Sasquatch Mountain

Sasquatch Mountain Resort is fairly easy to get to if you have a car, and it’s actually closer to places east of Abbotsford and Mission than the Lower Mainland’s other major ski hills.

Driving east along the Trans-Canada Highway from Vancouver, in Abbotsford take the Sumas Exit (#92) for Highway #11 heading north towards Mission.

Sumas Way (a.k.a., Highway 11) takes you past Abbotsford’s Cactus Club restaurant (on the right), through town and then onto the Abbotsford-Mission Highway (which is still Highway 11).

Cross the Mission Bridge over the Fraser River, past the mall with the SilverCity movie theatre, and as you get into Mission look out for signs to Highway #7 East.

At the intersection with the #7 (Lougheed) Highway, turn right and continue along until you reach the Sasquatch Inn at 46001 Lougheed Highway near Harrison Mills.

Just before the Inn, turn left onto Morris Valley Road and continue on up until eventually turning left onto Hemlock Valley Road which leads to the ski resort’s Day Lodge and parking area.

 

View at Sasquatch Mountain Ski Hill
Sasquatch Mountain on a Sunny Day

 

Sasquatch Mountain Ticket Prices

Being a lesser-known ski hill and a bit out of the way, ski passes at Sasquatch Resort are quite reasonable, especially if going on a weekday early in the week.

Below is information about rates for downhill skiing, night skiing, tubing and snowshoeing from the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seasons. Information about the new Sky Trail Explorer Aerial Park is also below.

 

2023/2024 Ski Day Passes

Sasquatch Mountain usually has a variable pricing system. Tickets are limited and are less expensive the earlier you book and on weekdays.

Below is the range of ticket prices from early December, 2023:

  • Adults (ages 19-74): $69 to $99
  • Seniors (ages 75+): free
  • Youth (ages 13-18): $59 to $89
  • Children (ages 6-12) $49 to $79
  • Ages 5 and Under: Free

 

Night Skiing at Sasquatch

Night skiing usually takes place on both Fridays and Saturdays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. There is no additional charge for skiers paying the full-day rate on the same day.

Around three runs are typically open for night skiing – Bigfoot, Dream and Chaser. The first is a Blue or intermediate run, and the other two are both marked Green for beginners.

Night skiing rates for the 2022/2023 season were fixed. They were $25 for children ages 6 to 12, $30 for ages 13 to 18 and $35 for ages 19 to 74. It was free for those 5 and younger and for those 75 and older. We expect these rates to be comparable when night skiing returns for the 2023/2024 winter season.

Night skiing was supposed to run daily from December 26th, 2022, and January 2nd, 2023, between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Opening day for the night skiing season got postponed, however, due to poor weather conditions. Once it started back up again, night skiing took place on just Fridays and Saturdays until the end of the ski season.

 

Tubing Pass Costs

Due to poor weather conditions, tubing only started up for the season on January 27th in 2023.

Tickets for folks ages 6 and older cost about $25 each last season. Meanwhile, tickets for children ages 5 and under were free. Pricing will likely be similar during the 2023/2024 winter season.

The Tube Park at Sasquatch Mountain is a new facility as of a few years ago. When conditions allow, it operates on Friday nights from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm, on Saturdays from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm, and Sundays from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.

 

Snowshoeing Rates

Sasquatch Mountain Resort has a few great snowshoeing trails. They cost around $12.50 per person. The Village Loop is nice and easy through the trees and fairly level. The Mt. Klaudt Loop, meanwhile, includes an “intense uphill climb.” Other options include the Old Yeller, Mt. Cartmel and Ridge Run.

Guided snowshoeing tours are also available, and cross-country skiing is usually permitted on the Base Loop trail.

 

Sky Trail Explorer Aerial Park

Sasquatch Mountain is home to an impressive new aerial park. It’s a unique outdoor attraction with activities for all ages. The aerial park is full of adventurous elements and obstacles. It spans four stories high and includes more than thirty-five features to try. There are ropes courses, sky rails and other daring activities. There’s also a Sky Tyke section just for children on the bottom of the structure. It’s a smaller obstacle course for learning and playing.

As of early 2024, the aerial park was open daily from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. Tickets cost $35 for adults. The Sky Tyke area for kids was $25 each.

 

Reciprocal Mountains

Sasquatch Mountain usually has a reciprocal pricing arrangement with over 24 other BC ski destinations including Grouse Mountain and Cypress.

Season ticket-holders from Sasquatch Resort typically get about a 25% discount when showing their passes at these two other Lower Mainland ski hills, as well as at Manning Park Resort during specific dates. In return, most years, season’s pass holders from these other resorts get 25% off day ticket prices at Sasquatch.

 

Sasquatch Chair and Ski Run and
Sasquatch Triple Chair and Wide-Open Ski Runs

 

About Sasquatch Mountain

Whereas the North Shore’s Grouse, Seymour and Cypress ski hills serve most of Metro Vancouver, Sasquatch Mountain Resort is the closest snow-sport destination for skiers in the Fraser Valley and places east of Abbotsford.

What’s striking about Sasquatch Mountain for us is the size of its huge open spaces. Much of the mountain is completely wide open.

The hill has a variety of slopes suitable for skiers of all levels. Of the 36 runs at the resort, about seven are marked Green for easy, 12 are marked Blue for intermediate and an impressive 16 (or 45%) are marked as Black Diamonds for advanced skiers.

Sasquatch has a total vertical drop of 363 metres and its longest run is just over two kilometres in length. The elevation at lodge level is 970 metres. At the mountain’s peak it is 1,333 metres (or 4,374 feet).

Sasquatch Resort has some of the region’s oldest ski facilities, which means slower chairs and no quad lifts. It makes up for this, though, with slightly lower prices, fewer crowds, shorter lineups and generally better snow.

The resort is also presently in the planning stages for major expansion. If all goes according to plan, in the not-too-distant future, Sasquatch Mountain will be the largest ski resort in the Lower Mainland, complete with golf courses, a boating marina on Harrison Lake and enough terrain to rival even Whistler.

Note: Sasquatch Mountain is a no-smoking facility. Neither vaping nor smoking of any kind is permitted anywhere at the resort.

 

Sasquatch Lifts

Presently Sasquatch Mountain has five ski lifts including the Whistle Punk Double Chair, Sasquatch Triple Chair and Yeti Cruiser Quad. (The last of these was new for the 2019/2020 season when it replaced the older Skyline Double Chair.) The resort also has a couple of conveyor surface lifts. This is comparable to Mount Seymour which has a high speed quad, two double chairs, a magic carpet lift, and a Tots Area Wonder Carpet.

 

Sasquatch Stats & Snow Conditions

At just over 1,300 metres (or 4,320 feet) in elevation, Sasquatch Mountain gets between nine and 10.5 metres (or 30 to 35 feet) of snowfall in a typical year, which is comparable to that of the North Shore Mountains closer to Vancouver.

Being inland and so away from the milder climate of the coast, however, the snow at Sasquatch is generally drier and of a higher quality for skiing.

The vertical drop at Sasquatch Mountain is 363 metres (or 1,192 feet), which is virtually identical to that of North Vancouver’s Mount Seymour, and only around 10% less than Grouse Mountain.

The summit elevation at Sasquatch is 1,333 metres (or 4,374 feet) and the base area is at 970 metres (or 3,182 feet). The resort covers about 121 hectares (or 300 acres) of terrain with 36 downhill and snowboarding runs. The longest trail at Sasquatch is 2.07 kilometres (or 1.29 miles) and the resort has 13 kilometres of cross-country and snowshoeing trails, eight new lanes of tubing and a hill for sledding.

The resort’s lifts are able to unload as many as 3,000 skiers per hour. There are three chairs with one being a quad, another a triple and the third a double chair.

The facilities at Sasquatch Mountain Resort are small and simple, but adequate. There’s a lodge with a cafeteria and, importantly for some, a pub. There is also a place offering on-site equipment rentals.

 

Past Historical Stats

The resort typically opens for the season shortly before Christmas.

The first day of the 2022/2023 season was December 14th. The final day of the season was April 2nd, 2023. As of the morning after its last day, the resort reported 8 centimetres of snowfall in the previous 12 hours, with 326 centimetres at the alpine base.

The 2021/2022 season began on December 17th, 2021, and ended on April 3rd, 2022. As of that day, the resort reported 13 centimetres of snow in the previous 48 hours and a total snowfall of 750 centimetres for the season. There was also still 283 centimetres of snow at alpine levels.

First day of the 2020/2021 season was December 11th and the last day of the season was April 5th. As of the last day of skiing that spring, cumulative snowfall for the year had been 1,359 centimetres and 467 centimetres remained at alpine levels.

Opening day of the 2019/2020 ski season was Friday, December 20th.

The year before, Sasquatch Mountain opened on December 21st, 2018, and closed in the spring of 2019 on March 31st. The 2018/2019 season finished with 694 centimetres of snowfall for the year and about 80 centimetres remaining at the lodge base. For comparison, total snow accumulation in 2017/2018 was 1,309 centimetres and the hill closed for the season with 414 centimetres still remaining at the alpine base on April 2nd in 2018.

 

Sasquatch Mountain Ski Lodge
Ski Lodge at Sasquatch Mountain

 

Other Information

For further details about the Hemlock Valley ski hill, check out the Sasquatch Mountain Resort website.

For information about other ski hills serving the Metro Vancouver region, click Lower Mainland Ski Hills. Other resorts include Grouse, Cypress, Seymour and Whistler-Blackcomb. Also within a couple of hours drive from the Fraser Valley is Manning Park Resort.

For a list of other things to do in the area and throughout the Lower Mainland at various times of the year, check out any of the following:

If you want to buy used ski equipment, or sell your old stuff, check out our article about Vancouver Ski Swaps.