Stories About BC Canada
Thrills Without Spills at BC Winter Resorts
By Jack Christie
An ancient Japanese greeting expresses the wish that “Like the snow that falls today, let good things pile up more and more.” For winter sports enthusiasts, that poetic sentiment neatly sums up the mood at resorts across BC.
If you're in the mood to do more than ski or snowboard, there’s an abundance of outdoor options to pursue, including perennial Canadian favourites like snowshoeing, skating and dogsledding. For those game to try something off the grid, how about ice climbing or ice fishing? Read on.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing continues to maintain its decade-old reputation as the fastest growing winter sport in North America. Not surprisingly, this form of snow trekking is featured at almost all BC winter resorts, including guided excursions at Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region. Their moonlight outings include marshmallow roasting around a blazing campfire, a sure way to keep the winter cold at bay.
For runners in search of winter cross-training, snowshoe sprint racing has become a fixture at Mount Washington on Vancouver Island and Cougar Mountain in Whistler. Each plays host to the challenging Yeti Mountain Snowshoe Series which offers both a five kilometre (three mile) romp and a more daunting 10 kilometre (six mile) outing.
Whether you sprint or stroll, it’s easy to gauge snowshoeing’s popularity. On snowshoes, the wintry quiet is only broken by the sound of your own breathing, coupled with the soft, swishing of the snow beneath your feet. Almost entirely composed of air, snow seems possessed by a magic that elevates the minds of all who come in contact with it. This is one elixir that can’t be bottled.
Dogsledding
Care to try your hand at dogsledding? As one of Canada’s most traditional sports, you’ll find this unique outing brings the landscape to life in a most invigorating way. And you’ll make some brand new friends - Alaskan huskies waiting to whisk you away on a frozen journey through some hidden backcountry haunts, including the Soo Valley, home of Outdoor Adventures Whistler and Whistler Dogsledding. Head musher Bob Fawcett kennels over 200 of the friendliest dogs one could ever hope to encounter, the largest such pack in Canada.
Alaskan racing huskies are the breed of choice for dog sled racers. Surprisingly sleek and not nearly as substantial as one might imagine, these big-hearted bowsers were originally a husky-greyhound cross. They epitomize how truly friendly and approachable dogs can be. Recently, a cross of purebred English pointer and mishmash husky, nicknamed Eurohounds, has been developed with sprint racing in mind.
Harnessing a well-behaved but undeniably stoked dog team is one of the most enjoyable parts of the experience. Everyone is invited to join in and help prepare the teams for running. If you want to do more than just snuggle into the sled, you can learn how to command the team, and, best of all, ride the runners. The most exhilarating moment occurs when you experience the explosive power of a six-dog team as it rockets off the launch pad. Hang on, Snoopy!
Skating
Is skating more your thing? After all, there’s nothing more romantic, or just plain fun, than twirling around an outdoor rink to the flowing melody of the Skater’s Waltz as snowflakes float lazily from the sky.
Not content to simply offer ice time on hockey rinks, many of the Okanagan resorts - Silver Star Mountain Resort, Big White Ski Resort and Apex Mountain Resort - have created skating environments that harken back to the day when kids would simply shovel off a stretch of pond or river and lace up their blades. Imagine skating on canals in Holland and you’ll get the picture.
Ice Climbing and Ice Fishing
There are places in BC, such as the Columbia Valley in the East Kootenay, where temperatures drop below zero in November and stay there until March when the sun begins to warm the rugged peaks that bookend the valley. Not only do flat, watery surfaces freeze as solid as granite, so too do waterfalls that cascade off the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Selkirk and Purcell ranges to the west.
Waterfall ice routes are like snowflakes. Each one is unique. They change shape from one year to the next. Or even from one month to the next, depending on the rise and fall of the thermometer. If you want to know how it feels to storm a fortress by stealth, try waterfall ice climbing. All that's required is a delicate blend of utmost subtlety and brute force. And a talent for staying warm.
With curved ice axes like Ninja-tools strapped around each wrist, and crampons as spiny as sea urchins laced onto your boots, guides arranged through Kicking Horse Mountain Resort's Golden Guides Program will demonstrate how these tools become extensions of a climber's hands and feet. Securing a route with ice screws on a frozen waterfall for the safety ropes, your guide will then clip the rope to your harness and hold you on belay, a technique that insures you won’t fall if you lose your footing.
As you begin to ascend, tentatively at first, then gaining confidence with each step, you quickly get the feel for this new experience. By driving the tips of your crampons securely into the ice, your rigid boots become stable platforms that hold you as you swing first one axe and then the other deep into the ice above. A pull on the tips of the axes will confirm when they are securely embedded. Releasing one boot, raising it a step, then slamming the crampon points into the ice to gain another secure foothold, you gradually make your way up the frozen waterfall like a snow flea on an icicle.
If all of this sounds a tad extreme, perhaps a less vertically-challenging ice fishing outing with Kootenay Troutfitters at Panorama Mountain Village would be more to your liking. In winter, trout go about their watery business while you sit patiently jigging a line on the crystallized surface above. Hot chocolate helps maintain the cozy ambience in a fishing hut. And when you’ve caught your limit, hook up with a snowmobile for a journey along the flat-bottomed valley to round out your day.
Ziptrekking, good grooming, and sinful cinnamon buns
Ziptrek Eco-Tours arrived in Whistler in 2002 and has taken the town by storm. Not nearly as intimidating as bungee jumping, a harnessed ride from tree to tree or walk through the snow-draped old-growth forest between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains offers an entirely new perspective on winter.
So, too, will riding shotgun with a trail groomer at Sun Peaks Resort. If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it feels like to navigate a steep run without actually strapping on skis or a board, hop into the warm cab of an aptly-named Piston Bully and meet your new best friend, a well-groomed driver of course.
Finally, one winter pastime everyone can relate to is sampling freshly-baked cinnamon buns to see which resort boasts the ooiest, gooiest kind. You’ll find that competition among mountainside bakeries is fierce, which only serves to confirm the wisdom that food does indeed taste better outdoors.
Whatever it takes to fulfill a desire to enjoy winter, do it now. You’re sure to discover that, as author Tom Robbins says, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood."
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