Dog Sledding, Kananaskis County

The other week Kirsten and I were blessed with the opportunity to go Dog Sledding with Marshal's guide company: Snowy Owl Tours.

It was another beautiful winters day, with a fresh dusting of snow from the night before. Kirsten and I were lucky enough to have our own sled with a 6 team of dogs, so we took turns driving while the other sat in the sled and enjoyed the view. It was an experience like no other, such an amazing way to travel, and can these dogs move! I managed to get the sled airborne at one stage, which was a hoot!  : )

Anyways, I will let the images say the rest:

    Kirsten's Favourite of the 175 dogs at the kennels: Bear:

I have created a video of our sled tour but haven't been able to get it onto the internet, so keep a look out on here for it. Bryan

Bass Pro Store

A while ago Kirsten and I discovered this gem of a mall, with its main attraction being their Bass Pro Shop. This place is HUGE! I have never seen such amazing taxidermy and displays before, it’s a sight to behold. Apart from the blatant consumerism this shop represents, shopping here is more than just shopping, it’s an experience. Three times we have ventured into it and I still find it hard to get my head around the quantity of gear being sold.

Below is a series of photos of the store, and its various animal displays. Boys, enjoy…

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Wesley Competing in Nordic Combined

Kirsten, Jax and I all went back to COP to watch Wesley compete in the Calgary Nordic Combined event. It was a blistering cold day, with some very very cold winds. But we were not going to let that stop us from watching Wes fly off that very large ramp for the jumping event. This is by far one of the most impressive things I have seen, that boy can actually fly!

Wesley Jumping

 

The crazy thing is, Wesley says that this is a small jump! That man deserves a DB!

After the jumping event, Wesley competed in a Cross-Country Race around the park, it was quite suprising the speed he can maintain with a pair of skis,. It was over in a short time and he won, of course. ;)

 

 

Trist Lake (Kananaskis) Snowshoeing

Last week saw the return of Wesley from Europe, and as soon as he got here he wanted to get back out to the hills...(he is like the energizer bunny!). Wes, Travis, Marshall & Marta took their telemark ski gear, while Kirsten and I tagged along with snowshoes. Oh and the new member to the family: Maple came along!

We saw ourselves back in Kananaskis Country, and back into a LOT of snow. I was feeling a bit under the weather but after cooking up a feed in the snow half way up the hill we made it to the top basin where the rest were plowing down the hillside in there skis. It was very impressive to watch the guys ski down such steep slopes, through trees and around boulders with some serous speed...very cool.

 

  

  

  

Maple:

 

Canadian Olympic Park & Olympic Flame

The Winter Olympic Flame was in town, so we all braved the cold and headed down to C.O.P (canadian Olympic Park) to see the it. The place was packed with supporters, with a lot of them wearing their gear from the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics...very retro! We were lucky to be in a spot where the runner past right next to us even slapping Kirsten's hand on the way! We definately felt like a part of history. Good luck to all the athletes competing this month. 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

Canadian Olympic Park:

Nordic Ski Jumps (Wesley does the big one!!)

Skiing/Boarding at Nakiska

Well Jax Kirsten and I decided to hit the slopes for a day. It was a beautiful clear day with now wind and warm temperatures (-1 degrees). It was interesting for me to get back on a snowboard but by the end of the day i was on the intermediate slopes keeping up with the girls. Although the next day had me feeling like I had been in a car accident with all the aches and bruises. The girls had a blast , even though they both had some trouble on the magic carpet at the start of the day...LOL.

 

  

  

 

Chester Lake, Snoeshoeing

Leigh & Kyle asked us to join them on another showshoeing adventure, this time in Kananaskis Country...

The temperature dipped below -25 degrees but the sky was crystal clear with a full day of sunshine. The walk was like a winter wonderland, with snow covered trees. The highlights were blizzard training, eating giant icecreams, and bombing the track coming down the mountain.

Blizzard Training:

Giant Snowcone:

Whisky Jack: