BC's
Other Winter Sports
by
Sue Kernaghan
It’s no secret that British Columbia offers some of the
best outdoor adventures in the world.
A better-kept secret is when to come.
Spring, summer and fall have their charms, but for
many British Columbians, winter is when things get really interesting.
Surfing, for example, is a year round sport in BC,
especially on the west coast of Vancouver Island, where five- to
eight-meter winter waves, triggered by tsunamis off Japan, bring out
the most dedicated surfers.
Although
the big surf is best left to the steel-nerved regulars, local
outfitters offer beginners’ surfing lessons near the shore throughout
the winter. Tofino’s
Inner Rhythm Surf Shop offers two-hour winter lessons for all
levels.
But you don’t have to head into the water to
experience the drama of a West Coast winter storm. Bill McIntyre, a
biologist and former chief naturalist at Pacific Rim National Park
Reserve, runs
Long Beach Nature tours in Ucluelet. One of his more popular
offerings is a Storm Seekers’ Hike, where you bundle up well and watch
nature’s fury play out from safe viewing points along the shoreline.
Inland winters are just as exciting. Skiing,
snowboarding, and snowshoeing abound throughout the mountainous
interior, but there are also plenty of less obvious ways to enjoy the
cooler months.
At
Brackendale Eagles’ Park, about an hour north of Vancouver, for
example, river rafting takes on a seasonal twist. Between November and
February each year, the world’s largest concentration of bald eagles
gather to feed on salmon. Watching the birds from a gently floating
raft on the Cheakamus River is one of the best ways to observe the
eagles without disturbing them. The
Canadian Outback Adventure Company has details.
Looking for a little more adrenaline? Experienced
rock climbers may want to try the winter version of their sport: Ice
climbing. Frozen waterfalls in the deep canyons near the town of
Lillooet are among the most popular ice climbing platforms in the
Coast Mountains.
“The cold weather needed for ice climbing is more
reliable there,” says Brian Jones, director of
Canada West Mountain School (CWMS). The Vancouver-based
school runs scheduled courses for experienced rock climbers; custom
ice climbing courses are also available for beginners.
For
a more down-to-earth way to enjoy the winter wilderness, CWMS also
offers snow camping courses. Held in Vancouver’s North Shore
mountains, near Whistler, and in the Coquihalla area, these
overnighters are "great for anyone," says Jones. "We build igloos or
snow shelters and learn about avalanche safety and how to spend the
night comfortably in the snow."
Just as climbing and camping have broken the bonds
of summer, so has scuba diving.
BC’s sea life is vibrant and plentiful year round,
but local divers agree that winter is best. That’s when the
view-obscuring plankton dies off and visibility can reach to 150 feet,
with water clarity rivaling that of the most popular Caribbean dive
sites.
Readers of Rodale’s Scuba Diving, a leading US dive
magazine, have consistently selected BC’s waters -- known as the
Emerald Sea -- as North America’s best dive destination. The late
Jacques Cousteau is said to have ranked the Emerald Sea among his top
two dive spots -- second only to the Red Sea.
Brent
Mayall, owner of the Vancouver-based
BC Dive and Kayak Adventures, agrees: "Diving is viewed as a
summer sport because the temperatures are more pleasant then, but the
best diving in BC is definitely in the wintertime."
And cold isn’t really an issue, he adds. “BC waters
are listed as cold, but compared to, say, San Diego, our waters are
only a few degrees cooler. Regardless, you will be encased in so much
neoprene insulation that at the worst it will feel like sitting in a
cool swimming pool.”
Most winter divers in BC use a dry suit, which keeps
you dry and allows you to wear layers of clothing underneath. "You do
need special dry suit training, but that only takes one evening in
pool and a few dives. We offer it as part of our course," explains
Mayall.
BC Dive and Kayak Adventures offers day trips from
Vancouver to the flora- and fauna- rich waters of Howe Sound and
Indian Arm.
Excellent diving is also to be found near Nanaimo on
Vancouver Island, thanks to two popular -- and safe-- artificial reefs
and an abundance of marine life.
Other top dive sites include God’s Pocket Provincial
Park, near Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, where the underwater
scenery wowed M. Cousteau, and the Sunshine Coast’s Saltery Bay
Provincial Park, home to the Emerald Princess, Canada's first
underwater statue.
Back on the surface, a more traditional winter
pass-time that’s gaining huge popularity as a sport, as a thrill ride,
and as a low-impact way to get around the backcountry, is dogsledding.
Most BC ski resorts offer short trips for beginners, while several
companies offer longer day and overnight lodge-based journeys.
With
Alaskan Husky Adventures, based in Clearwater near the pristine
wilderness of Wells Gray Park, you can drive your own team of huskies,
or ride along. The Alaskan racing dogs are friendly, the untouched
winter landscape is pure magic and, at the end of the day, you can
park your team at a cozy backcountry lodge.
In fact, this is how most BC winter adventures end.
Whether you’ve spent the day diving, surfing, ice climbing, river
rafting, or dog sledding, you will -- unless you’re curling up in an
igloo of your own design -- finish the day like this: a cozy lodge, a
roaring fire, and a passionate discussion about the next off-beat
sport to try.
