My Snowshoeing Favourites, by Andrew Nugara

      I put a pair of snowshoes on my feet for the first time in 2002. At that time, snowshoes for me and my brother, Mark, were just a method of getting to the top of a mountain when it was covered in snow. I had no idea that exploring the mountains with these odd shaped contraptions would eventually lead to writing guidebooks on the subject of snowshoeing.   

My first snowshoeing guidebook, Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, was published in 2011, by RMB (Rocky Mountain Books). This volume was geared towards intermediate to advanced snowshoeing, with reaching mountain summits as the primary focus. I called it a more of a “Snowshoe Mountaineering” guidebook. Given the book’s deficiency in easier, beginner trips, I immediately wrote A Beginner’s Guide to Snowshoeing in theCanadian Rockies, published one year later. This volume contains shorter trips that are not necessarily to the top of a mountain and none that are in avalanche areas. At present I am in the process of updating and adding to both books. The second editions of each volume should be available by late November of 2016.

Revisiting the snowshoeing guidebooks books has given me the opportunity to reflect on some of my favourite snowshoe trips in the Canadian Rockies. By no means a comprehensive list and in no specific order, here are a few:

 A.    From A Beginner’s Guide to Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies  

1.      Beyond Buller Pond and the South End of Spray Lake. In both of these trips you actually lose elevation to reach the destination, but it’s so worth it. The huge lake is surrounded by stunning mountains. The wind can clear snow off the ice surface, revealing massive cracks and bubbles in the ice.

2.      Bow Lake. The lake and awesome views are 2 minutes from your car! Tons of terrain to explore around the lake and towards the Wapta Icefield.    

3.      Chester Lake. The snowshoe route to Chester Lake is the busiest in the Canadian Rockies, and for good reason. Although solitude is unlikely here, great snow and fantastic views are. There are also many options to extend this trip, including the amazing Elephant Rocks.  

4.      Cameron Lake. An easy trip to a huge lake, backdropped by stunning Mount Custer.

5.      Rawson Lake. A good workout to a fantastic view of Mount Sarrail towering above the lake.

 B.     From the upcoming A Beginner’s Guide to Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, 2^nd Edition

6.      Commonwealth Lake. Another lake, back dropped by another stunning mountain. Going a little past the lake gives you an even more rewarding view.

7.      Marble Canyon. Wow! I didn’t expect much from this very short trip around the canyon and thankfully my expectations were not fulfilled! The scenery is super cool and then you can trek down to the Paint Pots, with the wonderful scenery of the Vermilion River en route.

C.     From Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies 
 
8.      Crystal Ridge (also known as Helen Ridge). Not an excessively long or difficult trip but one that is excessively scenic (if there is such a thing!). Once above the treeline, the views towards Bow Lake and the Wapta Icefield are breath-taking. The extension to the south summit has some of the best ridge and cornice scenery I’ve ever seen.

9.      Commonwealth Ridge. The view from the north summit is excellent, especially toward Commonwealth Peak. Call it a day there or embark on an incredible and exhilarating ridgewalk/scramble to the true summit, where you are treated to an even more remarkable view of the British Military Group.

10.  Big Bend Peak. The valley north of Mount Saskatchewan is without a doubt one of my favourite areas in the Rockies: BIG views and BIG scenery everywhere! And what better way to see all than with an ascent of BIG BEND PEAK. This mountain represents the easiest of the ascents is this area but is still a tough grind up steep terrain. The wicked summit view makes every step worthwhile.

11.  Rawson Ridge. Definitely one of the best viewpoints in Kananaskis. A safer and easier route to the summit will be described in the second edition.   

12.  Smutwood Peak. This is a very serious winter objective but the views, especially towards Mount Birdwood are mind-blowing!

D.    From the upcoming Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, 2^nd Edition

13.  Tent Ridge. I’ve recently visited all the summits of Tent Ridge using a variety of different routes. Each trip has been outstanding, boasting some of the best views in Kananaskis.

14.  Piggyburst Col. The col between Mount Burstall and Piggy Plus is a wonderful viewpoint. Getting there is as rewarding as the view.

15.  Ochre Spring Peak. This is an unnamed peak southwest of Mount Whymper. The summit view is stupendous and with the right snow conditions you can glissade almost 1200 vertical metres! 

16.  Jimmy Junior. Anything within eyeshot of Bow Lake and its surroundings is going to be a winner and Jimmy Junior delivers a knock-out blow! And after the fantastic summit view, glissading down the avalanche gully can be a blast!

 Get out there and enjoy the snow, the scenery, the experience.

Snowshoeing – My Second Love, by Andrew Nugara

      My first love in the mountains was the activity we now call Scrambling – getting to the top of a mountain without the use of climbing equipment, such as ropes. However, as much as I love summer and fall scrambling, I yearn for the snow to arrive, as the cold months approach, and snowshoeing takes the place of scrambling. There is something so magical and invigorating about the mountains and the land when snows covers everything. T.S. Elliot had it right when he wrote,

“Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, ...”
 (The Waste Land, 1922)

       My brother, Mark and I started snowshoeing in 2002, simply because we didn’t want our trips to the mountains to end when the snow fell. Snowshoeing seemed to be a logical mode of winter travel. We immediately took to the activity. In winter, the Canadian Rockies offer endless kilometres of exquisite, pristine, snow-covered terrain and innumerable mountains that are possible to ascend. Snowshoes gave us the freedom to explore the mountains year-round. And the scenery and views truly are breath-taking in winter. Ascending a mountain on snowshoes was a completely different experience to the same trip in the summer. Snowshoeing really opened up a whole new world to us.

 

Later we would also try ski mountaineering but Mark is legally blind and therefore the fast moving, downhill aspect of that activity was infinitely more challenging and often unnerving for him. We were more than happy is stick with the slower moving pastime of snowshoeing. It certainly gives you more time to enjoy the scenery!

 

I found the physical, emotional, social, and even spiritual benefits of snowshoeing to be undeniable. The stresses of city life, of work and of other pressures are completely absent when you are in the mountains. There is nowhere I’d rather be on a cold, crisp, clear January day than snowshoeing amid the grandeur and majestic peaks of the Rockies; and there is nothing that keeps me as grounded, humble and appreciative of life as being out there. The mountains are perfect therapy!

Snowshoeing is also inexpensive and you can master basic techniques within minutes of trying it. Perhaps it has been said too often, but it is true: “If you can walk, you can snowshoe!”    

By 2008, Mark and I had completed quite a number of interesting snowshoe routes. When he suggested I write a snowshoe guidebook I really couldn’t say no. Here’s a guy who holds a full time job, has raised three children, paints, takes great photographs, travels the world, and has climbed hundreds of mountains, all with about 10% of his vision remaining. Given I have 100% of my vision, I didn’t have any excuse not to write a simple guidebook. Plus, I never argue with Big Brother!

My first snowshoeing guidebook, Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, was published in 2011, by RMB (Rocky Mountain Books). It may not have been what most people were expecting, full of somewhat extreme trips – long routes, up steep terrain, and sometimes in avalanche areas. Mark and I have always been “summit driven” and so the focus of the book was getting to the top of a mountain using snowshoes and other climbing techniques and less so on summit-less routes. I called it a more of a “Snowshoe Mountaineering” guidebook. To fill in the gaps, I immediately wrote A Beginner’sGuide to Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, published one year later; shorter trips that are not necessarily to the top of a mountain and none that are in avalanche areas. At present I am in the process of updating and adding to both books. They should be available by late November of 2016.

       Snowshoeing has enabled me to see and experience the world in a completely different way. Like all worthwhile activities, I would say that snowshoeing “feeds my soul”. But don’t take my word for it – get a pair of snowshoes and try it for yourself – you have everything to gain!   

 

Snowshoe Canada's Interview on AM640 Torotonto

McARTHUR | The Hottest Sport in Snow

Toronto, ON, Canada / Talk Radio AM640

Fiona Odlum

Posted: February 18, 2016 03:02 pm

It’s a lot like running, but it’s nothing like it at all
Snowshoe racing can be a good way to test conditioning and race fitness during the winter and is the fastest growing winter sport in North America.

While snowshoe racing can be a cold-weather thrill for endorphin junkies seeking a mid-winter fix, it’s not easy. Similar to racing on undulating dirt trails , snowshoe racers typically experience high heart rate spikes at slower speeds, which means a higher cardiovascular benefit with less muscular fatigue and breakdown. Even if you avoid starting out too fast, you’ll still find yourself teetering toward the red line.

Running on snowshoes requires a higher leg lift and a wider gait stance than typical running, which, combined with soft, sometimes unstable surfaces, engages more stabilizing muscle groups around the hips and core than road running.

Dave Robinson, volunteer with Snowshoe Canada and avid snowshoe racer joins me now.