Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain is a well-known ski destination, but it has plenty to offer in summer too. Each year when the weather warms up, the management opens a natural staircase called The Grouse Grind, or simply the GG Grind.
This GG Grind features 2,830 steps, spans 2.9 kilometres in length, and climbs 853 metres in elevation, ending at the gondola station situated at an altitude of 1,127 metres. If that doesn’t give you a sense of scale, it’s roughly an extended version of hiking from Wong Lung Hang to Tai Tung Shan (about 2.3 km with a 600-metre climb). This steep hiking trail attracts over 15,000 challengers every year, and the authorities have wisely installed a timing system. Visitors can purchase a Grind Timer
timing card (around HK$120), then tap in at the entrance and out at the finish. Your name and time will be displayed on the screen at the end, along with the top 10 times for the day, the month, and the overall record holders.
With its challenging trail and well-developed timing setup, the GG Grind has become a beloved training spot for locals. But I think the coolest part is yet another move by the government.
Because the staircase is so steep, authorities only allow hikers to go up — descending requires paying CAD 5 (around HK$30) to take the gondola. What’s more, this GG Grind is actually the only path connecting the mountain’s base to its summit. Penny-pinching me skipped the timing card, but still had no choice but to cough up the fare.
It reminds me of the panic I felt when a lawmaker once said “caught the deer but don’t know how to skin it” after MacLehose Trail was ranked among the world’s top 20 hiking trails, and of that hiking race where you pay HK$120 to enter a lottery, HK$1,400 to register, and then are required to contribute a mandatory HK$7,200. Then I look back at this well-managed GG Grind that gets so many locals to willingly suffer here every day. Forget it, I’ll say no more.
BTW, my unofficial record is 1 hour and 4 minutes — feel free to challenge me if you’re passing by.
Original post:
30 bucks to challenge Vancouver’s GG Grind
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