Alberta Destinations

Plenty of options for Alberta winter vacation

By Debra Cummings

For many of us Alberta’s winters are synonymous with powder snow, all-star ski resorts, and relentlessly sunny skies. This, of course, translates to Mecca for skiers and boarders but what about the rest of us – the folks who love the outdoors but want something else from a winter holiday.

Here are some of the off-the-beaten track winter experiences you might want to take in. The Winter Festival of Speed features drag racing on frozen Lac La Biche. This is the place to bet to watch snowmobiles and souped-up cars race on two different tracks that will be cleared on the lake. Dubbed “snow rockets” some 100 snowmobiles usually turn out to rev up their engines to neck-snapping speeds of 180 km/hr for the Saturday event. Nearby is the oldest race in this festival—a souped-up car race where speeds can nudge upwards of 140 km/hr, and have since the races began in 1984. So as not to neglect the small fry, on Sunday there is an old-fashioned, pond hockey tournie. Spread out over eight rinks, it features some 450 players under the age of 13!

What, exactly, is Ling Fest? Can’t make it to the early Winter Festival of Speed? Well, consider attending Ling Fest, later in March. Lingcod is elevated to a hallowed state in this two-day derby that takes place in the same region, at Cold Lake. “It’s the equivalent of lobster if you boil it up and dunk it in garlic butter,” the fans say about ling. Here’s the deal: the fishing derby is actually a massive tailgate party. The city plows clear a path on the icy lake so you can drive right up to the marina, drill a hole in the ice, drop in a line or two, scoot back to your warm vehicle and watch those little bobbers do their thing. Once it starts dipping, hop out and haul out a ling – the average fish weighs in at eight to 10 lbs.

On the Saturday afternoon there’s a taste-test, a shinny game, a 1 km-long ice path for the speed skaters in the group, jam pail curling, an ice sculpture demo and dog sledding for kids. For details, or to register, call 1-800-840-6140.

What's best behind those yips and yelps
Remember the TV commercial for Wal-Mart that starred sled dogs yelping across a frozen meadow in the Rockies? The dogs hailed from Canmore-based Howling Dog Tours, which offers a variety of sled dog tours. But also check out Snowy Owl Dog Tours – one of the key organizers of the annual Alberta International Sled Dog Sprint Race. Yes, after a hiatus the championship is back, slated to run in February, as a wrap to Canmore’s Winter Carnival.

Held at Canmore’s Nordic Centre, the races usually feature four, six, eight, and 10 dog sprint teams comprised of dogs that are a cross between huskies and greyhounds. And the size of the purse—$35,000, should attract some of the top teams on the continent. Other carnival highlights are the ice carving competition and the Kids and Mutt races (little ones as young as six get hauled behind their mutt while clinging on to Crazy Carpets).

Stand under a tarp of Dancing Lights
The pops and flashes of ochre, pink and green of the Aurora Borealis flicker across Alberta's skies at many places around the province but the Alberta’s Northern Lights hotspot is Fort McMurray. The solar wind that whips across the sky sparking this annual dance of colours lures people from around the planet to marvel at this extraordinary natural phenomenon.

However, those who wish to book an Aurora Borealis vacation will find most of the options are headquartered in Fort McMurray. Several operators such as Alta-Can's Aurora tours and Majic Country Wilderness Adventures employ learned guides and astronomers to take visitors out to vantage points as well as provide all sorts of daytrip ventures that range from dog-sledding and cross country skiing to snowmobiling, downhill skiing at a regional hill, skating and horse-drawn sleigh rides. These day options are terrific opportunities for visitors who want to learn more than just about Alberta's northern lights.

Whether it’s northern communities, Aboriginal people or survival techniques of the north, many options are available. All guests on an Aurora Borealis vacation have the opportunity to also visit the Oil Sands Discovery Centre where they'll learn more about the staggering Oil Sands that lie beneath the soil, the largest oil deposit in the world. An Aurora Borealis vacation may begin with a lecture and slide show, illustrated with professional Aurora Borealis pictures, which help define what you'll see under the nippy tarp of colours at night. Daytime activities include wilderness experiences, Aboriginal sessions and outdoor adventures.

Become an ice climber
You’ve likely spied those little blips on curtains of blue ice, hacking and picking their route to the summit, and wondered why on Earth would someone do that?

Discover why this winter by hiring a guide, or joining a group, for an ice climbing lesson with Yamnuska Inc. (an outdoor recreational school). From instruction for walk-ins who show up at their Canmore office with warm clothes and nothing more, to their new five-day Ice Evolution course for those with previous experience, this outdoor school offers an extensive roster of programs. Most of the beginner climbs take place close to Canmore, typically in Grotto Canyon or at the nearby Junkyards. Prices vary from $100 to $400 for a five-hour private lesson (depends on whether there are four of you or you’re solo) to $250 per person for a two-day group program. Ratchet up your pulse by trawling through Yamnuska’s winter program, which also includes women-only climbing courses.

Go for a bigfoot stomp
You can go for a bigfoot stomp (on snowshoes) anywhere. From a city park to a boreal forest, this tranquil winter activity requires little skill and just a regular level of fitness. However, if you want to combine it with a backcountry lodge stay, consider the latest winter offering from Discover Banff Tours. It is based at Sundance Lodge, which is operated by the 45 year-old Banff-based company Holiday on Horseback.

Guests can now snowshoe into this lovely log structure along Sundance Range. It’s about a three-hour trek from Banff down an old fire road that has served horseback riders, hikers, cross country skiers (and now snowshoers), for years. Besides warm ski wear, the only thing guests need to schlep into the lodge is a change of clothes – everything else is provided. For more details call (403) 760-5467.

Canyon crawls
Whether it’s Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park or Johnston Canyon in Banff, the ability to walk through the belly of a frozen canyon that rages with impenetrable Class V rapids in the summer is remarkable. Mother Nature laid down two winning hands when she designed these stunners. Dripping with frozen curtains and icy chimneys (you’re bound to see a few ice climbers at both spots), this tranquil world is silent except for the pops and crackles you’ll hear in the ice.

Numerous outfitters offer guided interpretive tours of both canyons and they usually include cozy, ultra-warm boots, ice cleats and a hot chocolate stop along the way. Guides in Banff include White Mountain Adventures and Discover Banff Tours. In Jasper, visit Overlander Trekking and Tours, Beyond the Beaten Path . The cost ranges from $50 to $70 per adult for a half-day tour.

Watch the pros and then leap on a luge
Canada Olympic Park, on the skirts of Calgary, has hosted luge and skeleton competitions since the tracks were built for the ’88 Olympics. They also offer courses and rides to the public. These will see you reaching speeds of 60 km/hr.

But if you’d rather be a spectator and take a look at a luge course that harkens back to its European roots, head to Grande Prairie. Locals will tell you the sport came to this Alberta town with a native of Austria in the early ‘70s. Grande Prairie has been the site of the “Natural Luge World Cup.” This has been held on the Smoky River Luge track, the only FIL sanctioned track in Canada. It is a natural luge track some 1,200 metres long, with wooden barricades lining the turns, and is iced from top to bottom. Athletes from around the world reach 100 km an hour on the straightaways and finish the course in about two minutes.

Rev up those engines
There are trails and clubs run all over this snowy province but one of the prime spots for snowmobiling is in the Crowsnest Pass, an area that encompasses six small communities and loads of backcountry possibilities. In fact the Alberta Snowmobile Association chose this area to be home to their 2004 Jamboree. Some 600 riders covered distances of about 300 kms, over two days. A dance and dinner was also part of the deal.

Ski and snowshoe duathlon
Swept up in old-fashioned do-good spirit? Then retrace the steps of a former local Metís mailrunner named Billy Loutit, who ran from Athabasca to Edmonton in 1904, bearing a vital message of the town's flood. Legend has it that Billy made the trip over flooded roads and undeveloped terrain in 16 hours, an hour quicker than the next messenger on horseback. In February there is a race in which competitors will ski and snowshoe along the same 45 kilometre stretch through Alberta's boreal forests that Loutit did, on a route that includes the Athabasca River, Muskeg Creek Park and historic Athabasca Landing.For more details on the February race, call Bud at (780) 675-4964.