Wanted to update this with some highly important information regarding places to sleep in YVR.

There is a bobsled on display in a corner somewhere between the gates and the baggage pick up area - a nifty spot to snooze for a single traveller. Too bad it was taken by the time I found it.

One thing that pissed me off a bit was that my luggage did not get checked through from the flight that arrived in Vancouver late at night to the one that was departing in the morning. Is this normal? I was not comfortable just leaving my stuff at the baggage claim area overnight and to get to it you have to exit the "secure" area of the airport, aka the departure waiting area. The problem is that all the soft cushy seats are located by the gates, and the security check points are not operating 24/7! So once you leave that area you cannot return until they open again, nominally at 4:30 but in practice it was about 5 am. And I had to wait for counters to open to be able to check that luggage back in. How annoying!

I'm pretty glad I did not spring for the Fairmont because the inbound flight was delayed by almost an hour, and with checked luggage in tow I would not be able to just stroll in 20 minutes before take off. Would not be enough time to properly rest either way you slice it.

Somehow I still managed to go snowboarding at Silver Star that same day and lasted from 10 am to 4 pm. The fresh mountain air does wonders to the tired body and mind.