Dog Sledding
Need we explain how much fun this was? When we arrived at Snowy Owl’s trails, we were briefed with basic commands and how to steer the sled, then got to meet the dogs that would be pulling our sleds! Each sled had 2 to 3 people on it and about 7 or 8 dogs. Some of us had guides on our sleds and some of us had to drive the sleds totally on our own. Luckily for us, these pups are brilliant and did basically everything without us even having to ask. Halfway through the trails we got to take a quick break/photo-op on a huge frozen lake! Once we arrived back at the beginning of the trail, we got to give our pups lots of love and sit by a campfire with some cider and sweet treats. Snowy Owl was definitely a crowd favorite!
Caving was such an awesome experience! We went on the Explorer tour with Canmore Cave Tours. Our tour guide, Brent, was informative, funny, and most importantly didn’t care that we had to make a lot of stops on the hike up to the cave (hiking up a mountain in the snow is harder than it sounds!). Once we were at the cave opening, we suited up in super fashionable jumpsuits, helmets, gloves, and harnesses -- safety first! We quickly found out that caving is less walking, more climbing, crawling, and sliding on your butt. Luckily none of us were claustrophobic, we had to get through a couple squeezes -- to give you an idea, we all crawled through a space that a size 9 shoe couldn’t fit through vertically. We saw formations that started forming before humans existed and stood beneath the place where two tectonic plates crashed into each other, finally putting that freshman year geology in perspective! After climbing back out of the cave, we actually saw one of the rarest (and cutest) mammals in Canada, the pygmy shrew. Our hike back down the mountain was much more enjoyable and showed us some stunning views. Overall the trip was an overwhelming success!
Ice Climbing
Have you ever stood beneath a 30-foot tall frozen waterfall? If you haven’t, trust me when I say that is in an awe-inspiring experience, to say the least. Now, imagine standing under that waterfall, strapping spikes to your feet and grabbing ice picks, and climbing straight up that frozen waterfall. That is what six of us got to do one day. Our guide, Darren, picked us up in the morning and drove us out to the spot where we’d be climbing that day, which was actually out in Yoho National Park in British Columbia. Once we parked, we hiked a mile through the trees and a small canyon until we reached the climbing site. The hike and the location were absolutely gorgeous, but that first glimpse of the ice was very intimidating.
*Brandie for scale
Soon, though, we were strapped in and Darren let us loose to climb at will. The forearm strength required for ice climbing is incredible! After just a couple of minutes, arms would cramp up like nothing we’d ever felt before. The experienced ice climbers told us of a phenomenon that is apparently rather common in ice climbing called the “screaming barfies,” in which the cold weather combined with the strain on your hands and arms causes such an intense pain that you want to scream and throw up at the same time. Luckily, we had a beautiful day so none of us got the screaming barfies, and we had a fantastic time. This was such an incredible experience, and getting to be around such natural beauty and also witness the gravity-defying moves of the experienced climbers around us is something we will not soon forget.
Skate Skiing
Skate skiing was quite the experience! When we arrived at the Nordic Center, we saw all of the olympic flags then went to get fitted for our skis. Skate skis are longer and thinner than your typical downhill skis, and your boots are only connected at the toe, leaving your heel free to move. Once we were all ready to go, our instructor took us out to a pretty flat surface and we had a 2 hour lesson, and boy was it hard. To skate ski, you really rely on your legs and push yourself forward. It is a TON of work! After we all took our best shot and after a few (several) falls, we had the opportunity to give the hill our best shot. After those 2 hours, we were all exhausted, but loved that we got to experience a new sport!
Ice Skating
Despite some taxi issues, we spent a lovely evening at the stunning Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Before hitting the rink, we spent some time exploring the hotel (like any good Hospitality students!). Instead of a standard skating rink, we were treated to a frozen Lake Louise which was a picture-perfect background. While most of us just tried to stay upright, Jess skated circles around everyone and showed us some awesome tricks. She tried to teach us a few and it went about as well as you can imagine! Located around the rink were beautifully carved ice sculptures, including an ice castle. This was the perfect activity for a fun bonding experience and we all had a great time!
Snowshoeing
We spent a lovely evening snowshoeing at Lake Louise. This was a really cool learning experience, and the first thing that we learned was that snowshoes no longer look like tennis rackets that you tie to your feet, but instead are much more modern looking contraptions made of plastic. Our guide, Kai, was so knowledgeable about the nature around us, and he taught us so much. He showed us different animal tracks, took us through woods and down ski trails. He also took us to a very small igloo, where we all crammed in and he taught us about the Northern Lights until the claustrophobia became too much and we had to get out.
It was just the coolest experience to be out on a ski slope after dark with no one else around. The peace and quiet is simply astounding
Snowmobiling
The longest bus ride, but what an experience! Toby Creek Adventures’ snowmobile tours are a must try. Not only do you get the chance to drive a snowmobile, but you get to experience some of the most breathtaking views. We started our trek up the mountain, stopping every once in awhile to get tips and to learn a few things. Once we got to the top, we had a grill out with hamburgers, hot dogs, and hot chocolate in an old shack that use to home miners! After lunch, we drove to the free play area where we got the chance to run the snowmobiles wide open and play around on them, surviving with no wrecks and just a few flips. Once free play was over it was back down the mountain with a quick stop at a frozen waterfall. Toby Creek Adventures was such a fun company to tour with, and without a doubt will be on our list for next year!
Logistics Lessons Learned and Suggestions for Future
Traveling becomes very difficult if one does not figure out the logistics of it. Our logistics team tried hard to make sure that we were able to make the most out of our trip by finding the best excursion opportunities and making sure that everything ran smoothly. However, as with most things in life, mistakes are made and lessons are learned. Here is a list of those lessons learned and suggestions for future students who are going to be lucky enough to experience this beautiful wilderness.
- Focus more on transportation. For the most part, getting to and from excursions was not an issue when there was an official bus taking us somewhere. However, we learned the hard way how expensive cabs can be, so I think in the future it would be beneficial to compare the costs of taking a cab to the cost of getting a private shuttle from the organization that we want to go to. We could then include the expense of the shuttle or cab in the budget so there are no surprise expenses. This should be done thoroughly for every excursion.
- There were some issues with reimbursing people for meals during our week. Perhaps in the future, each student can be assigned a visa card with a specific amount of money on it that would cover all allotted grocery expenses and independent meals. The amount on the card would come from the money that is put aside in the budget for this purpose. This would relieve some pressure from the person who has to get cash to reimburse students.
- I believe the public transportation within Banff worked very well. The buses were extremely punctual...even to the point where you had to awkwardly wait inside the bus at a random, empty stop because the bus is ahead of schedule. I think communicating the necessary buses to catch to make certain appointments also helped keep everyone on schedule and spared people the expense of taking a cab.
- In the future, if there is a day where the group is split up for the entire day doing different excursions in different locations, it might be beneficial to have each individual group be on their own for dinner that night. If groups are that spread out, it would be easier to pre-plan an individual meal so that if one particular excursion runs behind schedule, there is no dilemma.
- In the future, it may be beneficial to hold briefings during the trip with each respective team to review the upcoming logistical/food/multimedia challenges facing the trip in the next 24 or 48 hours. This would ensure that the entire team has thoughtfully and thoroughly made appropriate arrangements to ensure the entire trip is on budget and aware of the plan.
- In the future, it may benefit morale of the group during ski days if the entire group does not have to eat together/is not waiting on dining plans the morning of. For the individuals who want to maximize their time skiing, offering a cash disbursement so they can eat when/where they want would ensure each student has the opportunity to enjoy the activities as much as possible, and spend less time eating.
- I was impressed how punctual everyone was on this trip. No one got left behind on the slopes, even though I know we had some people who would stay all day long if possible. We all understood what time we had to be back at our hotel for the next activity or dinner. But then again, who would dare risk missing out on dinner and all the delicious meals that we got to enjoy? I think that the freedom of, “Okay, here is the bus schedule back to town, make sure you get back in time for…” really worked out.
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