For those who don’t fancy tearing down a mountain, feet strapped to two narrow strips of fibreglass, but still like the idea of a winter holiday – take a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Alberta and British Columbia are home to Canada’s highest and most beautiful mountains and both places offer tons of activities for the non-skier.
Winter Vacation in Canada – Canmore, Alberta
A good place to start is Canmore, a pretty little town thirteen miles east of Banff with good facilities. There are some beautiful old houses offering B&B in surroundings as gracious as you’d find anywhere in the world. And a gentle introduction to this snowy world would be to start with a dog sled ride. Your sled is pulled by a team of huskies, warm blankets over your knees, and off you go across an enormous frozen lake – a great smooth, blue-white shining plain
Kananaskus Country – Alberta
Kananaskus Country is a 1600 square mile wilderness and recreation reserve which borders Canmore to the south. The surrounding mountains are pretty spectacular but because they are not as high as those around Banff the weather is much more reliable, with plenty of sunny days which are perfect for snow-shoeing.
Snow-shoeing is a great way to experience the stillness of the mountains. Walking across deep virgin snow, following the tracks of animals to where they have their homes hidden deep away under rocks or in burrows under the snow. There’s lots of life around, especially when if you hire a guide to explore with you.
Ice-walking is another fun activity. In the mountains, wherever you have spring water coming out of the ground or the rock face, in winter it freezes into giant waterfalls. They are spectacular – great sheets of water frozen into intricate lacy patterns.
Skidooing, skating and ice fishing. These are just a few of the non-ski activities on offer at Kananaskus.
Winter Vacation in Canada – British Columbia
B.C is home to one of the world’s top ski resorts, Whistler, but don’t let that stop you from exploring the non-ski treats available there. It is Mecca for downhill skiers, but you won’t be disappointed. There’s plenty here for you too.
British Columbia – Whistler Mountain Resort
A good introduction is an early morning trip on the Gondola for a full buffet breakfast in the Roundhouse Lodge at the top of Whistler Mountain.You can hardly get anything less like skiing than this! The views from the Gondola are fantastic and once you are at the top, with the rising sun colouring the snow- covered mountain tops, it’s like being on top of the world. The sheer size and range of these west coast mountains is breathtaking. They seem to stretch forever. Heli skiing is big at Whistler but there’s no reason why non-skiers can’t take a ride over these wonderful mountains. It’s absolutely the best way to grasp the sheer size of the place.
good introduction is an early morning trip on the Gondola for a full buffet breakfast in the Roundhouse Lodge at the top of Whistler Mountain.You can hardly get anything less like skiing than this! The views from the Gondola are fantastic and once you are at the top, with the rising sun colouring the snow- covered mountain tops, it’s like being on top of the world. The sheer size and range of these west coast mountains is breathtaking. They seem to stretch forever. Heli skiing is big at Whistler but there’s no reason why non-skiers can’t take a ride over these wonderful mountains. It’s absolutely the best way to grasp the sheer size of the place.
Take an evening trip in a snowmobile (covered and heated) 6,000 feet up to the top of Blackcomb Mountain to a rustic inn where a delicious fondue awaits you and the stars are big and bright in the night sky.
Another evening you can go on a horse drawn sleigh ride, travelling along forest trails under a big moon. Very romantic, riding along the snow covered trails, wrapped in blankets, no sound except the muffled hooves of the horse.
If you want to have a lazy day spent shopping- Whistler has some great shops and they are not all
Full of ski gear – lots of high fashion and casual chic to
