SNOW (!!!)

While it looks absolutely beautiful (I like to think this is because once everything is covered it matches), it’s a pain for those of us that don’t live directly across the street from the places we are obligated to get to. Which, let’s face it, the majority of us don’t. Instead, we have to drive. On summer tires. Or maybe All Seasons, but really, is there such thing as “All Season” tires? I have my doubts.

Three days passed. The snow stuck and horror stories from Seattle flooded up the coast. We woke up early to defrost and scrape the car windows and I wore my 2010 Olympic mittens. But we ‘plowed’ through, because we don’t like folks from the interior or, heaven forbid, those migrants from Toronto, telling us we’re babies. Our maintenance team here at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park shovelled as hard as their backs would let them shovel. In fact, all of our team did. Because the Suspension Bridge in the snow is a sight we think everyone should see.

Over the course of those three days, we came to love our crunchy white house guest, our only complaint being, “Why am I not up the mountain snowboarding right now?!” But as it always does, the moment we started to pull on our snow pants it melted. All of it. Quickly.  Like, in a day.

Darn.

So it’s no surprise to hear that this morning, two out of our three local Groundhogs have announced (via not seeing their shadow – because Groundhogs can’t actually speak… I don’t think) that Spring might just come 6 weeks early. Hooray!  Because as much as we love our time up on the mountain and being able to drift all Fast & the Furious style down the cut… let’s face it; we’ll never be Paul Walker and we prefer the goggle tan that comes from Spring skiing.  It’s just who we are.  So Spring coming early is something we can look forward to, even though it’s still consistently 3 degrees outside and my red Olympic mittens are still on stand-by.

Now, it’s completely your decision as to how much trust you want to put into two furry animals named Shubenacadie Sam and Wiarton Willie.  I myself still plan on jetting to Florida for Spring Break, because I just don’t think that Spring Break here will be worthy of the bikini I’ve been working really hard to fit into.  But hey, maybe you’re tougher than me.  I hear the water at second beach come March is just welcoming.

The good news is, you don’t need a bathing suit to do our new Cliffwalk.   Or Treetops Adventures.  Or even the Suspension Bridge.  In fact, we recommend you leave it at home, though, who are we to judge! And despite the fact it’s not Spring yet, the Park is stunning and just begging for admirers.

I left the office last night around 5:15 to be greeted by a light fog that had settled itself in our trees. I passed a co-worker on the way to my car who had turned around to look back at the park. “It so pretty in the mist” she said. “I know right?” I replied. “Stunning” we both said at the same time.

But hey, what do we know. We just work here.

Photo taken by Nancy Read, winner of our 2011 Canyon Lights Facebook photo contest

What an amazing end to 2011!

The Capilano Suspension Bridge celebrated the holiday season with hundreds of thousands of twinkling Christmas lights and thousands of Lower Mainland visitors enjoying the festive attire on our Cliffwalk, Treetops Adventures and bridge. With the proceeds going to the BC Professional Firefighters Burn Fund, we hope that we made giving a great family experience!

Many younger ones enjoyed playing our “Reindeer Game” – searching for Reindeer in our Rain forest – and we had a winner! Four year old Quinlin counted right with her tally of 10 lit up reindeer and has won a giant stuffed bear. In addition to the hunt, our gingerbread decorating and glass blowing were great successes as well!

We could not have asked for a better turn out and are already looking forward to next year. We will be sharing the amount that was donated to the Burn Fund once the final numbers are in.

Until then, pop by Capilano to pick up your annual BC Resident pass and check out Cliffwalk in the daylight!

Canyon Lights 2011 runs from December 2cnd to January 1st. Adults are $25.00 and Children are $5.00 with proceeds benefiting the Professional Firefighters Burn Fund. See you soon!

Canyon Lights 2011 runs from December 2cnd to January 1st. Adults are $25.00 and Children are $5.00 with proceeds benefiting the Professional Firefighters Burn Fund. See you soon!

At the current Vancouver Tourism Awards Breakfast Gala the Capilano Suspension Bridge was named one of  Vancouver’s top Employers!

Current Opportunity – Canyon Lights Park & Safety Hosts (Seasonal)

As a Canyon Lights Safety Host you will be working all throughout the park ensuring our Guest’s safety and spreading your holiday spirit. You will have the chance to work on both sides of the Suspension Bridge and all throughout the park and parking lots. You will also be responsible for getting Children excited about our Canyon Lights Kid’s activities. If you love working outside, a varied work environment and interacting with the public this might be the perfect position for you!

Job Responsibilities:

* Delivering a positive Guest experience at all times, * Ensuring Guest safety on the Bridge from our Bridge Safety Station, *Ensuring Guest safety on Treetops Adventure. * General safety on the trails, Flashlight patrol, * Clearing Rainforest Trails at night closing,

• Informing Parents & their children about our Canyon Lights kids programs,
• Basic POS and cash handling skills an asset, as working in our cabin or cafe food venues may be required,Job Requirements:

• 1 year of guest services experience, preferred.
  * Available to work 4 -5 shifts a week, 4-8hours each shift.
  * Ability to work a variety of shifts including evenings, weekends and holidays – We are open every day except Christmas and need you to be available.
  * Be willing to work in a variety of weather conditions and in the dark
  * Level 1 0r Level 2 First Aid, an asset.

Please email resume with “Canyon Lights Safety Host” in subject line to jobs@capbridge.com or visit our website www.capbridge.com and apply online~

Did You Know?

Canyon Lights features a display of more than 400,000 lights including more than 11,000 on the Bridge alone! Since 2007, we have donated the proceeds of Canyon Lights to the Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund (more than $107,000 in the last 4 years). Through our Canyon Lights donation we pay for Burn Awareness Week in elementary

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The Outlook Newspaper recently did a feature on companies that are making a difference in the North Vancouver community and Capilano Suspension Bridge was one of them!  Read the exert here or below!

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Capilano Suspension Bridge, a preeminent North Shore attraction, directly employs about 225 staff during its peak summer season, dropping to 140 core employees year round. But, like most tourist destinations, the economic benefits of this North Van attraction literally trickle down the mountain to area businesses, especially to the service industry.

Some of the perks of the job — whether seasonal or full-time — include a chummy workplace culture, employee scholarships and famous seasonal parties.

CSB is also known for giving back to the North Shore by way of the tens of thousands of dollars it raises annually for the B.C. firefighters burn fund and for breast cancer research with Bras Across the Bridge.

From December 1st 2011 to January 1st 2012 our park is open extra late, decorated with hundreds of thousands of lights, and filled with live holiday music and delicious festive treats. We are looking for seasonal Team Members during this time to help us spread some Christmas spirit and ensure this annual charity event is a success!

It’s no secret that the team at Capilano loves what they do.  From our Park Rangers to our Retail Managers we take pride in the place we call “work” and have a great time along the way.  We are lucky to have such volume when it comes to staff as this provides great opportunities for new friendships and for acquiring new skill sets. For some proof, check out our Team member pictures on Flikr and our YouTube page!

Current Opportunity – First Aid Attendant (Seasonal)

We are currently recruiting for a Level 2/Level 3 First aid Attendant to be a part of our First Aid team. Your primary job at Capilano Suspension Bridge would be in one of these preferred areas:

Canyon Lights Park & Safety Host:
As a Canyon Lights Safety Host, you will be working all throughout the park ensuring our Guest’s safety and spreading your holiday spirit. You will have the chance to work on both sides of the Suspension Bridge, all throughout the park and parking lots. You will also be responsible for getting children excited about our Canyon Lights Kid’s activities. If you love working outside, a varied work environment and interacting with the public this might be the perfect position for you!

Facilities and Grounds:
Our Facilities & Grounds team keeps the park running throughout the year. They are responsible for the general upkeep and cleanliness of the park. If you are looking for a position in which you will be continually moving, working outdoors and taking on a variety of tasks throughout the day, then Facilities & Grounds might be for you.

As a member of the First Aid team you would be expected to work with our other attendants to ensure constant first aid coverage in the park while working in your primary role. You would be expected to take part in all First Aid meetings and drills.

Qualifications:
*Must have a valid Level 2 or 3 First Aid certificate
*Must have a calm and cool attitude during emergency situations
*Must be 19 years old or older
*1 year of guest service experience, involving public speaking (Canyon Lights Park & Safety Host)
*Energetic and pleasant personality
*Strong interpersonal skills (Canyon Lights Park & Safety Host)
*Working knowledge of general hand and power tools (Facilities and Grounds)
*Able to work a variety of shifts including evenings, weekends and holidays, to meet the needs of the business
*Enjoy working with children (Canyon Lights Park & Safety Host)

Assets:
*Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Certificate (Facilities and Grounds)
*Second Language

Please apply online to www.capbridge.com or email your resume & cover letter (one document) to jobs@capbridge.com with “First Aid” as the subject line.

Did You Know?
Canyon Lights features a display of more than 400,000 lights including more than 11,000 on the Bridge alone! Since 2007, we have donated the proceeds of Canyon Lights to the Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund (more than $107,000 in the last 4 years). Through our Canyon Lights donation we pay for Burn Awareness Week in elementary

—————————————————————————————————————————-

The Outlook Newspaper recently did a feature on companies that are making a difference in the North Vancouver community and Capilano Suspension Bridge was one of them!  Read the exert here or below!

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Capilano Suspension Bridge, a preeminent North Shore attraction, directly employs about 225 staff during its peak summer season, dropping to 140 core employees year round. But, like most tourist destinations, the economic benefits of this North Van attraction literally trickle down the mountain to area businesses, especially to the service industry.

Some of the perks of the job — whether seasonal or full-time — include a chummy workplace culture, employee scholarships and famous seasonal parties.

CSB is also known for giving back to the North Shore by way of the tens of thousands of dollars it raises annually for the B.C. firefighters burn fund and for breast cancer research with Bras Across the Bridge.

This Friday, October 21st, join CHANGE lingerie and Virgin Radio at the Capilano Suspension Bridge for our 3rd annual Bras Across the Bridge event.   Thousands of donated bras from women across the lower mainland are going to be strung across the bridge and for every bridge span we make Virgin radio & the CSB will be donating $1000 up to a total of $10,000 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation!  The bras themselves will be cleaned and donated to a local women’s shelter.

Through this event, CHANGE, Virgin & CSB hope to raise awareness for breast cancer, show our support for those fighting the disease, remember those who lost their battle and celebrate the lives of brave survivors.

Virgin Radio flight crew… swimming in bras! (photo courtesy of Virgin Radio’s FB page)

For an extra bonus, head to a local CHANGE lingerie location with one of your discarded bras and enjoy a buy one get one 50% off deal!  Bras can be dropped off until Friday at any of the five CHANGE locations, Ricky’s All Day Grills, Virgin Radio or Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Come by and check out the live broadcast  this Friday between 12pm and 5pm!

Well folks, the pumpkins are out in the park, our breath is starting to show when we arrive early in the morning, the leaves are crunching, the hot chocolate is brewing and the salmon are spawning.  Fall is in full swing at the Capilano Suspension Bridge and with it comes the chance to sit back and reflect on a great summer season, and a beautiful September.

This week we have been preparing the park for a busy Thanksgiving weekend and, in addition, have been asking our wonderful staff members what they’re thankful for when it comes to the Capilano Suspension bridge.

Briefly, some of the things our staff are thankful for this season are: the high-energy summer we just finished and the beautiful Indian summer that followed, the incredibly successful launch of our newest attraction CLIFFWALK, the positive experiences that continue to be reflected through the responses of our guests and the media, the ability to work with nature so closely, the return of the salmon (and with them, the return of visiting bald eagles), the Logger’s Grill Poutine which keeps us coming back for more, the mist over the bridge and trees in the morning, the multiple personalities of the west coast rainforest, our awesome team and the ability to interact with and hear the stories of our incredible guests.

We hope that your Thanksgiving is filled with delight and we thank you for giving us a chance to show off just how amazing nature can be!

The leaves in the Capilano Suspension Bridge park are finally beginning to turn after a lovely Indian Summer and this means that Autumn is officially here!  Along with the Corn Mazes, pumpkin patches and apple pies that make this season so festive, here on the North shore we have something else to look forward to when this time of year rolls around: spawning season.

The Salmon Hatchery, located at the bottom of the Cleveland Dam and neighboring the Capilano Suspension bridge is pivotal in the spawning of three major salmon species; the Coho, Chinook and Steelhead.  After the completion of the Cleveland Dam in 1954 the environment of the Capilano River changed dramatically and spawning in the Capilano River had to be encouraged by new environmental construction projects and the hatchery itself.

These days we are lucky enough to be able to spot the beautiful fish in their active season (October-December) from the top of the Capilano Suspension Bridge.  The river is dotted with salmon on their annual journey and witnessing this is something everyone should put on their Vancouver ‘to see’ list!

For more information on the salmon hatchery please visit the Metro Vancouver website.

At Capilano Suspension Bridge we provide the perfect venue for your Christmas and year-end events. The seasonally decorated Canyon House Banquet Room and Bridge House Restaurant can accommodate  25 – 110 guests.

From December 2, 2011 – January 1, 2012 event bookings include complimentary park entrance on the day of your event to the Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park, where hundreds of thousands of lights illuminate the park. We offer menus for every taste and budget, courteous black-tie service, and outstanding attention to detail to ensure your event’s success.

Please contact us at events@capbridge.com or 604.985.7474 for more information.