Has anyone here done the 'Grouse Grind' in Vancouver BC?

Options
Vevvie
Vevvie Posts: 12 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I will be in Vancouver at the end of July, and am planning on doing this hike. It's nearly 2 miles up, with an elevation gain of about 2800 feet. There are 2830 natural and man-made stairs, and it's sometimes called 'Nature's Stairmaster.' I've read some articles that call it a real butt-kicker, although it's usually very crowded and touristy. I still want to do it (for bragging rights - ha!), and have been doing some very steep hikes, regularly, for the last 6 months or so. The last month or so, I rejoined the gym and have added strength training (and squats and the stairclimber machine) to my fitness routine. Just wondered if anyone had done this, and if you have any advice. :)

Replies

  • BhangraPrince
    BhangraPrince Posts: 123 Member
    Options
    It's as hard as people say it is. Straight up not many spots to rest ,lots of people do it , go early am
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,978 Member
    Options
    Interesting.

    Been to Vancouver many times but never heard of this b4. Think I could do it in an hour or so based on my StairMaster training but not my idea of "fun" while on vacation.

    OP: More power 2u if you do it but personally I'd just take the tram up, have a beer or 2 on top while enjoying the view and then walk down to burn off the 200-300 beer cals.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,890 Member
    Options
    Vevvie wrote: »
    I will be in Vancouver at the end of July, and am planning on doing this hike. It's nearly 2 miles up, with an elevation gain of about 2800 feet. There are 2830 natural and man-made stairs, and it's sometimes called 'Nature's Stairmaster.' I've read some articles that call it a real butt-kicker, although it's usually very crowded and touristy. I still want to do it (for bragging rights - ha!), and have been doing some very steep hikes, regularly, for the last 6 months or so. The last month or so, I rejoined the gym and have added strength training (and squats and the stairclimber machine) to my fitness routine. Just wondered if anyone had done this, and if you have any advice. :)

    Heard of it, but haven't done it.

    When we were on holiday there in 2015, we did the Mt Cheam climb on Canada Day with my cousin, and that was decently steep for the last half.

    Unlike the poster above ... that sort of thing is my idea of "fun" while on vacation. :D We did 2 hikes in the Canadian Rockies and 2 long distance bicycle rides in BC (Vancouver Island and lower mainland BC) on our recent holiday to Canada. :)

    My only suggestion would be to try to include stair climbing on a regular basis ... real stairs. I work in a 10-storey building and aim for about 25 flights a day 4-5 days a week (although I have only done that a few times since I returned from Canada ... lately it's only been about 20 flights a day). Going up seems to build some decent quad strength ... but going down is important too. Because I cycle lots, I have no trouble going up and don't experience DOMS when I get back into it again after not doing it for a while. But going down gets my calves and if I suddenly do 20 flights after a couple weeks off, the next day I can barely walk because my calves are so sore. So I would suggest including real stairs in your workouts where you go up and down ... especially if you intend to come down after the climb. :)


    And now that I've typed all that, I realise that you've probably done it. So ... how did it go? :grin:
  • dc8066
    dc8066 Posts: 1,439 Member
    Options
    Mmmmm, Vancover, I am so jealous - love that city. Take frequent rest stops on your way up, drink plenty of water
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    Options
    Been to Vancouver but not done the grind because my friend (who lives there and has done for years!) said its actually not a very nice walk, and by the time you get to the top you're just hot and fed up so don't enjoy the mountain! So we took the cable car which was lovely, and did our walking at the top - there's still plenty of "height" to scale if you are worried it will be too flat, walking boots or strong trainers are definitely needed as the terrain is quite rough. It is absolutely glorious up there, the air is so sweet and fresh. And there are plenty of good walks in Vancouver which are enjoyable as well as challenging, round the park, beside the ocean etc.
  • jennifer_runs
    jennifer_runs Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Yes, it's great. Very popular in the summer. A very tough climb, but more of a workout than a hike. People keep track of their time, compete with themselves and others, and there are races up it a few times per year! I love doing it, but this year I haven't been able to much because of an ankle injury. Boo.
    I try to do it without any rest stops and it takes me a about an hour, less when I'm in good shape! :)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Options
    OP how was it?
  • Vevvie
    Vevvie Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all the replies! I did 'The Grind' and I really loved it! I went early morning on a Tuesday, so there weren't mobs of people. I took it slow and steady, and made it up in about 1 hour & 15 mins. It actually wasn't as intimidating as I thought, and I went into it knowing it wasn't a nature hike, but a workout. I could feel all those steps in my glutes, and found a patch of snow at the top, and just sat down in it :D Glad I did a lot of squats in preparation. Another bonus was seeing the grizzly bears at the top. Now I kinda want to go back and do it again!
  • SandraNancy
    SandraNancy Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    I've done Grouse Grind-- what a work out! Great job on getting up there, OP. Saw a poor tourist attempting the Grind while wearing high-heeled boots and jeans: seemed like utter hell.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,890 Member
    Options
    Vevvie wrote: »
    Thanks for all the replies! I did 'The Grind' and I really loved it! I went early morning on a Tuesday, so there weren't mobs of people. I took it slow and steady, and made it up in about 1 hour & 15 mins. It actually wasn't as intimidating as I thought, and I went into it knowing it wasn't a nature hike, but a workout. I could feel all those steps in my glutes, and found a patch of snow at the top, and just sat down in it :D Glad I did a lot of squats in preparation. Another bonus was seeing the grizzly bears at the top. Now I kinda want to go back and do it again!

    Excellent!! :)
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    Options

    SandraNancy wrote: »
    I've done Grouse Grind-- what a work out! Great job on getting up there, OP. Saw a poor tourist attempting the Grind while wearing high-heeled boots and jeans: seemed like utter hell.

    Hubby and I LOVE spotting people in stupid footwear - especially in theme parks, agricultural shows (you get the picture!).

    Mind you, we looked like those daft tourists the day we went to Botanical beach on Vancouver Island - all in shorts, hubby didn't even have a sweatshirt, we had NO idea it was going to be cold (its hot on the Pacific Ocean of course!! NOT) and as we were picking our way down the trail all these people in hiking gear with poles and bobble hats were coming back up. I bet we gave them a BIG laugh!!

Categories