Mother Nature’s Stairmaster is ready to give you a workout.
The Grouse Grind officially opens for the 2017 season at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 17.
After the past winter’s heavy snowfalls, the trail was icy and unsafe in May and crews spent early June on maintenance.
But everything is on track to welcome another 150,000 climbers this year.
The event season starts June 20 with the Multi Grouse Grind Challenge. On the longest day of the year, gates open at 4 a.m. for those who want to test how many times they can climb the Grind in a single day. You can register .
Last year, the men’s record holder climbed it 16 times while the woman with the most endurance summitted 15 times before the gates closed.
The Grind is 2.9 km, with 850 metres of elevation. For those who want to keep on climbing, the mountain is hosting Seek the Peak on June 25. The event starts at Ambleside and continues up past the Grind to the peak. You can do the BC Cancer Foundation fundraising event as an individual or as part of a relay team.
Undoubtedly there will be people trying to break Sebastian Salas’ climb record of 23:48 for men and Stephanie Hamilton’s 30:52 record for women.
For those who aren’t as fast, North Shore Rescue offers this advice: always hike with a headlamp.
“Almost every night there are hikers stranded in the dark on The Grind,” it says on its Facebook page. “Headlamps are so light (pun intended) now - there is no excuse not to have one in your pocket.
We also recommend bringing at the very least - water, insulating jacket, fully charged cell phone, and appropriate hiking shoes/boots.”
