Grouse Mountain Accessibility date

Accessibility date – Grouse Mountain

On a crisp winter evening, we, Alexa and Kristin, met up for our long-awaited date. We had both discussed and considered what we might do for our date and wanted to consider possibilities beforehand so that we didn’t face any obstacles which might complicate our first romantic venture. We were both excited and wanted to make it a full day if possible since we already knew we got along. We decided that because we both had adventurous and active personalities that we would think outside the box for our date. We met in Edgemont Village close to both of our respective homes.

We planned to meet at the Starbucks in Edgemont Village to get some warm drinks before heading up to Grouse Mountain by bus. The entrance was easily accessible with a slight incline to the doorway rather than a step. There was an automatic door button at a convenient height and no obstructions leading to the counter. I popped into the washroom while my date waited in line and noted that washroom was accessible as well. When we went to get our drinks, we noticed that the pickup counter was a little high up, which would have been somewhat inconvenient in that it was harder to reach the drink or to tell what it was. After getting our coffee, we took the 232 bus from outside SuperValu at about 2:30, which took us right to the base of the mountain. There were no difficulties entering onto the bus, as it was wheelchair accessible and not overwhelmingly busy. We left with plenty of time for the snow limo we’d reserved, in anticipation any delays or problems we might come across.

When I first inquired about wheelchair accessible activities up at Grouse, the concierge had let me know about both the restaurants at the peak of the mountain and the snow limo service they provided. When I heard about it I had pictured something like a snowmobile or guided tour. I was told that we would be guided around the mountain on snow limos which accommodated one guest each, and was looking forward to what was advertised as an exhilarating alternative to skiing and snowboarding. I was a little taken aback when I looked at the Grouse website and saw that it was more like a single person towing you on foot and the illusion of luxury I’d imagined was shattered a bit. Regardless, after my date and I discussed it, we thought it might still be a fun and interesting way to spend a chilly winter afternoon. It wouldn’t be as intimate as we might have hoped, since we’d be chaperoned separately, but we decided we could certainly find some privacy later if the date went well.

Our reservation for the snow limo was made for 4:00pm, which we’d booked a day in advance as per guest service’s instructions, as we wanted to catch a glimpse of the setting sun and be done close to dinnertime. The pre-planning was necessary and not too difficult to accommodate, but it was clear that spontaneity would be a little more difficult to attain on future dates. We decided to go on one of the shorter tours primarily because of the price being a bit steep for us as students. We decided that our options were to book a 15-minute or 30-minute tour, costing $29 or $59 respectively. Both tours exhibit all of the beautiful sights of the mountain, which may be inaccessible otherwise. Of course, we had to pay double that because we both wanted to go together. The cost of the tours might be seen as an inconvenience, but even though it would be nice to be frugal, we wanted to impress each other with a date that someone in a wheelchair might not see as possible. We thought this would be a fun way to impress a date with an activity, which is both accessible and unique, rather than the typical dinner and a movie date. The difficulties we faced in terms of accessibility were minimal as the snow limo is catered to people with disabilities, featuring a sled in which one can sit being pushed around on the snow. However, the snow did add a level off difficulty to accessing the building after exiting the tram. There was a ramp that was suitable enough, but assistance was required.

After having enjoyed the Snow Limo excursion, we decided to grab a quick drink in the lodge while we killed time before our dinner reservation. Our choices were limited as there was no elevator to access the bottom level. We were however able to find a cozy spot to converse about our adventure. Conversation was great and we made our way to The Observatory for our dinner reservations at 6:00pm. The concierge had previously assured us that the restaurant is comfortably accessible for wheelchair users. The restaurant was quite expensive but was offering the fine dining experience and warm, intimate setting we wanted. It also required us to dress up and give us an excuse to show off our best assets and it was not great for kids, which limited distraction and allowed us to completely focus on each other. While the restaurant might seem to be overpriced the view was worth the money. The ambiance was perfect and we enjoyed a bottle of wine together. When it was time to go to the washroom there was a slight difficulty navigating through the tables, but overall it was fairly accessible, although it was shared with the lodge guests as well. We were fortunate that we had reservations at The Observatory so our Gondola ride ($40) was taken care of, which would have been extremely expensive otherwise.

After having enjoyed a succulent and indulgent romantic meal for two, we took the Skyride back down the mountain. The Skyride departs conveniently every 15 minutes, so we had no difficulty catching the next ride down. The gondola was suitable for a wheelchair and priority boarding was given to us. After arriving at the base of the mountain we took the 232 bus down towards Lonsdale to continue our date in a less formal locale. There is a wide array of places we could go for some privacy and intimate conversation on Lonsdale with a number of varied dessert and coffee shops. We chose to go to “Brazza Gelato” as it was a perfect mix of atmosphere and comfort. The doorframe was suitable for a wheelchair to enter and the level of the counter seems appropriate, although the height of the ice cream bins was not, so seeing all the flavor options was difficult for someone in a wheelchair, but there was lots of room to navigate. However, the tables were all very close together so some rearranging was needed. The date was going extremely well so we decided to share a 5-scoop gelato to get optimum diversity of flavours. We settled into the comfy chairs in front of the fireplaces to get to know each other on a deeper level before deciding how to best end our wonderful evening together.