Snowshoeing offers solitude and unique connection to Rockie's winter landscape
by Rob Alexander
The Canadian Rockies can be a busy place - where getting away from the winter crowds in town centres and on busy ski hills can seem practically impossible. Yet only a short distance away, unsurpassed solitude is waiting, where your only company is the wind, a chattering red squirrel, or the tiny gray, black and white chickadees that flit from branch to branch as they fill the air with their distinctive namesake call. And maybe, if you're lucky, you'll catch a fleeing glimpse of a mule deer, elk or moose.
Welcome to the simple pleasures of snowshoeing.
Snowshoes are an old design, in fact one of the oldest modes of transportation in Canada's wilds. People from Canada's First Nations used snowshoes to travel and hunt during winter - something many Native hunters continue to do. The fur traders and explorers discovered the benefit of these tennis-racket-shaped tools and many traveled extensively by snowshoe. One of Alberta's first missionaries, John McDougall, often trekked 240 kilometres by snowshoe in the 1870s just to visit friends.
Today the snowshoe has changed very little. The materials are different - aluminum, neoprene and plastic - instead of birch and babiche (sinew) webbing, but the general shape and the concept have not changed. The broad, flat shape of a snowshoe evenly distributes a person's weight over the surface of the snow, allowing the snowshoer to float on the surface of the snow rather than sink to the knee, hip or waist.
As a design, the same idea can be found in such species as the snowshoe hare or lynx, animals that have broad feet that allow them to glide over the snow without sinking. Unlike downhill or even cross-country skiing and snowboarding, snowshoeing is immediately accessible and easy to learn: all it takes is a bit of snow and some reasonably flat terrain. Within the first 10 minutes you'll be moving across snow - maybe not with grace or certainty, but that comes with practice. Hills are more challenging, but not impossible. Today's snowshoes come equipped with a claw-like hook on front of the binding that digs into the snow with each step.
Snowshoeing is akin to marching: lift your knee high and your foot and snowshoe will follow. But don't shuffle. That's an easy way to catch the tip of a snowshoe in the snow and fall over. If the snow is deep, getting back up from a tumble can be a feat. A pair of ski poles makes a useful addition, as they are great for balance and support when you're trying to get back onto your feet after a tumble in the fresh snow.
Like any sport that takes you away from the roads and designated trails, certain risks come into play - such as getting hurt, lost or even caught in an avalanche. Staying safe and sound is easy, but requires some common sense. Look for flat areas to snowshoe in the valley bottoms. Avoid frozen lakes and rivers and stay away from steep, open slopes where the risk of avalanches increases. As for staying found, if no snow is in the forecast, follow your tracks out. But always keep an eye on where you've come from. Travel in one direction up or down the valley so that you know what side the road is on.
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Snowshoeing is an easy winter sport embraced by those who enjoy a walk in the snowy wilderness, far from the ski hill crowds.
And before you grab a pair and snowshoes and head off into the forest, get some advice on where to go from the information centres or rental shops. In some years the snow can last into April, and in most years, the Rockies get more snow in March and April than in January and February, so even though the end of winter is approaching, the snowshoeing shouldn't be over any time soon.
Good, safe snowshoeing terrain can be found along the highways or on the immediate outskirts of Canmore and Banff, along Vermillion Lakes, the Bow River or even on the golf courses. So get out there, find a good patch of snow, strap on the snowshoes and have some wintry outdoor fun!
Snowshoe Tips
Useful Books
Ian Sheldon's Animal Tracks of the Rockies is an exceptional book for discovering what moves about the Canadian Rockies in winter. Published by Lone Pine Publishing, this little book fits easily into a pocket or pack. It retails for $7.95.
Rentals
Gear-Up Sports. 1302 Bow Valley Trail, Canmore. 403-678-1636. Snowshoe rental for $15 a day.
Guided Tours
White Mountain Adventures offers half-day, three-quarter day and evening snowshoe treks starting at $55 for adults, including transportation. 1-800-408-0005.
Canadian Backcountry Adventures offers full-day snowshoe trips for $65. 403-208-2813.
Accessible Places to Snowshoe
- Spray Valley above Canmore along the Smith Dorien Highway
- Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park
- Highway 40, Kananaskis Country
- Valley bottoms around the towns of Canmore and Banff
Rob Alexander is a Canmore-based freelance writer. He is currently involved in research and writing for a historical book project with the Exshaw Historical Society.
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