Snow Shoeing: Channeling my Inner Snow Bunny

Banff Springs, Canada- Stunning

What happens when you send a Southern California native/fitness enthusiast to Canada for a week in minus 17 degree weather? She puts on so many layers of clothing that it takes 20 minutes just to get dressed, then heads outside for a workout.

Brrrr. And I usually grab a sweater when it drops below 70 :-/

As I walked into the town of Banff to rent my show shoes, I noticed the Pedestrian Crossing sign. Doesn't the "walking man" look like he's straining against the elements? He can barely stand up straight! Have a look:

"Must.... Cross.... Street!"

Compare the sign above to one I found from somewhere in Europe:

"Dum de dum, don't want to spill my latte as I mosie along, la la la"

I decided to try my hand (er, foot) at Snow Shoeing. I had heard that it's a mad, crazy calorie-torcher, yet I'd never had the opportunity to try it. I am here to tell you that if you are ambulatory and can layer enough moisture-wicking clothing to tolerate the cold, this has got to be the easiest 'sport' aside from straight-ahead hiking.

Here's the deal. Snowshoeing is like hiking with oblong tennis rackets on your feet. That's it! The "shoe" prevents your foot from sinking into the snow. And it allows for a normal gait. You use normal (waterproof) hiking boots. So really it's just like walking. As the snowshoes are wider than your normal shoes, you do have to walk with your feet a bit further apart, so you do look like you have something stuck up your rear end. Minor inconvenience to be sure. Also, hiking/ski poles help with stability.

You don't want to turn your body too much without bringing your feet in the same direction (as with skis) so that you don't torque your knees. I managed a 2 hour snowshoe hike without incident, only to tweak my knee AS I REMOVED MY SNOW SHOE when I finished- GAHH!!!

Here's a pictorial:

Snowshoes poised for action:

Snow Shoes overlooking The Frozen River

This is a snowshoe:


This is my hiking boot inside the snow shoe. When seated properly it will rest all the way to the front where the cage ends:


It couldn't be easier to attach- just step in and tighten the straps- like seatbelts for your feet:

Strapped in and ready to go

Here is the trail for the first day-the frozen river bed. Without any hills, it was the perfect place to get accustomed to the snow shoes. When I got a bit nervous about walking ON the river (ie where it seemed to be thinner) I jumped off onto the trail adjacent to the river. The 200-pound man driving the 200-pound snowmachine assured me that it was safe, but I got nervous when I saw RUNNING WATER! Eek.

You can see my little (ha ha) tracks on the left. Someone hiking on the right didn't feel the need for showshoes obviously

The snow looks exactly like rainbow glitter when you look at in toward the sun. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything so beautiful! It was like an explosion in aisle 4 of Michael's Craft Stores. I'll never take for granted those cheesy, glittery Holiday cards again.

Snow in Sunlight=Sparkly Rainbow Glitter. Stunning. (This photo was taken with my iPhone- the best camera I have ever owned)

Here is my packed lunch- a PB&J on lavash- what else.




Here is my requisite two-bites-from-the-corner photo:




Hey the lavash looks like a monster. Oh no, he's going to eat the mountain!

Lavash Monster: look closely at the bloody fang- Grrrrrr

Am I the only grown adult who plays with my food?

Yum, Looks like a medium cup at Pinkberry

I couldn't understand why my vision began to get a bit blurry after a while...too much exertion perhaps? Nope.

Look close: Icicles on my Eyelashes=Lashcicles

Next day it was more snowshoeing, but on a cross-country trail at Lake Louise. I took a shuttle to a bus to another shuttle to get to the "Chateau Lake Louise", where I rented my snow shoes. I got a map and headed off.

Winter Wonderland

This was hilly, and wow, what a workout. Everything seems to be tougher in the cold. Once I was wrestling my gloves back on after taking a photo and I noticed my heart rate was 135-HUH!!? Are you kidding me?!

After a couple of hours of exploring, I ended up back at Lake Louise:

I returned my snow shoes and peeled of 64 layers of clothes and read the (free!) newspaper while sipping a very mediocre cappuccino. Honestly, the Bucks has better coffee. Right Susan?

Chateau Lake Louise: Go for the ambiance, not the coffee.

Now, Here's Derek attempting to hike in the snow:

Silly Boy! Where are your snow shoes!!?

Q: Have you ever been snow-shoeing? What is your favorite winter sport?