Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain is a ski area just outside Vancouver. In the summer you take their gondola up to the top of the mountain to participate in their activities. We started with the lumberjack show. This show is designed around a lumberjack competition (tree climbing and log rolling) but it's funny too. The highlight was a “tourist" climbing to the top of their 60 foot long pole and then balancing on the top  in a head stand. 

The best exhibit was the two 17 year old grizzly bears. They both had been orphaned as cubs, but have been raised here as naturally as possible. For example, they have to hunt for their hidden food and hibernate for the winter in a man made cave. They are locked in their cave, and the fences are removed, allowing the skiers full access to the mountain. We enjoyed watching the bears graze in the grasses and play in the stream.

Then we watched a bird of prey show with a bald eagle, Harrison Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Gyr Falcon, and Great Horned Owl. The birds flew right over our heads while their trainers explained each bird's traits. For an extra charge you can use the rope course,  bike the paths, or dangle from the zip lines.  We had lunch on top before ending our day. A pricey, but fun day.