Skiing – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Ski-in and Ski-out at Sunshine Mountain Lodge

For some reason this year, I just don’t have the gusto to venture out into the cold. It’s not that I have the blues, or feel affected by the winter season and dark days as I have in the past. In fact, I’m attacking the year with trip planning, fitness endeavors, online courses, and work-related statistical modeling. But for reasons unknown to me, skiing and snowshoeing have been non-existent. It might have something to do with my muscle/back spasm that put me out of commission in November, but at this point, I think I’m using that as an excuse. Or maybe my Caribbean blood is itching for warm weather. Another excuse? Shrug shrug.

Continue reading “Ski-in and Ski-out at Sunshine Mountain Lodge”

A Ski Weekend Getaway in Montana

I’ll be the first to admit that the winter season is not quite my thing. Don’t get me wrong: I do enjoy winter activities like skiing, both downhill and cross-country, snowshoeing, and winter hiking. But I just don’t enjoy the cold. There’s something about -20 degree weather that forces me indoors and cozy under a blanket. I know I’m not alone in this.

With that said, 2014 is a year of travel and adventures, irrespective of the season, and this past weekend was the first of several getaways planned for the year. Last fall, Robbie and I were at the Calgary Ski Swap in search of gear. Lo’ and behold, we found nothing, but we did manage to come across an awesome winter ski getaway package to Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls, Montana! Continue reading “A Ski Weekend Getaway in Montana”

Snowboarding at Sunshine Village

So I finally went snowboarding this season. On Saturday, Robbie and I headed out to Sunshine Village to hit the slopes. I decided earlier this year that I would make a committed effort to snowboard instead of ski (which is a much more comfortable activity for me). With XC skiing in the schedule, snowboarding would be a welcomed change. I also own snowboarding equipment, so I figured I should really give it a go.

Thankfully the runs weren’t too busy, and I had lots of time to practice. Of course, there were many falls, and turning continues to be the biggest issue for me, but overall I felt quite comfortable on the snowboard. For having only gone twice last year, this was quite a surprise! Luckily there will be many more visits to the mountains, and my hope by the end of the season is to descend a green run while manoeuvring from heel to toe without falling. I think it’s doable.

Sunshine: I’m a Green Graduate!

Yesterday was another great day in the mountains. I’d say it’s turning out to be quite a lively winter season! The weather wasn’t too cold and the sun was shining the entire day. It was a big group of us too, which made for an awesome outing even though everyone did their own thing, either snowboarding down the greens or carving snow on the blues.

I’m happy to report that it was the first time I’ve done blue runs in the Rockies! The difficulty and change in steepness were noticeable, but the fun-factor increased 10 fold 🙂 Of course, I attempted the blue runs on skis, since my snowboarding skills are nowhere up to par…. yet. The next time I go to Sunshine, I’ll be working on my heel and toe edge techniques and before I know it, I’ll be graduating to the blues on my board as well!

Kicking Off Ski Season

I’ve been here almost 4 years. In that time, I’ve managed to endure 8 month winters without immersing myself into winter activities. Well, that’s slowly starting to change. It may not be the end of November as yet, but here in Calgary and the surrounding areas, we’ve had lots of snow. And so far this year, I’ve managed to go snowshoeing, snowboarding, and this past Sunday, downhill skiing at Sunshine Village.

Similar to last year’s experience, Sunshine was quite sunny and the snow was fluffy. This made for an awesome skiing experience. Being a beginner, I did fall once, but overall I think I did pretty well. And the views while riding the gondolas and chair lifts are pretty spectacular, especially when the sun rays are beaming down on the snow and everything glistens. Overall, an incredible day with about eleven runs followed by the ski-out. I can’t wait to go again :).