#FitFluential Family Fun at Mt. Baldy

Andrew is a skier.

Whenever people ask me what brought us to BC my answer is always the same: “Andrew came for the skiing, and I followed him because I didn’t have any other plans after I graduated from University.”

I have tried skiing but it’s just not my thing. I love BC though and just because I don’t ski doesn’t mean there are not other opportunities to get out and enjoy the snow and the BC mountains.

I started snowshoeing back in Nova Scotia when I was attending Acadia University. Every Sunday the local outdoors shop had a ladies-only snowshoe outing that my roommate and I started to attend. We were by far the youngest attendees but it was a lot of fun and a great workout, not to mention a great way to beat the stress that comes with being a university student.

My love for snowshoeing grew when we moved to BC and it is definitely one of the highlights of winter for me. While I was working at the local ski area, Mt. Baldy, I was fortunate enough to be the organizer and guide for the ladies day snowshoe program at the hill. It was my favourite part my of job and I loved hanging out with all the ladies (I was still one of the youngest) and exploring the area.

I no longer work at Mt. Baldy but I still snowshoe there every opportunity I get. Now that Lincoln has started skiing with Andrew we will be spending a lot more time at the hill and we had our first trip up there the other day.

Andrew dropped off me, Teagan, and Glenn at the top of the village and we set out for our first snowshoe of the season (Teagan’s first ever).

I always snowshoe with poles. Not only does it help with balance but it also lets you get in a good arm workout. I always recommend poles to anyone just starting out or if you want to get the most workout bang for your buck.

There is a great network of trails at Mt. Baldy and even though there is a record amount of snow already this season the trails are nice and packed down.

I have a couple of pairs of snowshoes that I alternate. If I know I am going to be breaking trail then I opt to use my larger more traditional snowshoes. If I’m staying on packed trails, or if I’m by myself and want to really push myself, I strap on my GV Cat Trail running snowshoes.

I had a 14-pound baby strapped to my chest on this outing so there was no actual running involved but I do like the feel of these snowshoes on my feet. The one thing I did not like on my feet were my winter hikers. My feet have grown a size since having my children but I still chose to wear my too-small hikers because I didn’t have another option. Everything was fine while I was on the trail but later that night both of my big toes were throbbing. There is too much snow to wear my running shoes so I am going to test out a few other potential options before investing in anything new (although it would be a good excuse to get a pair of trail running shoes).

I also have a backpack for Teagan once she gets a little older. It will be a lot easier with her on my back; however, given the amount of snow and number of trees we had to duck under it was a good thing she was on my chest because I could protect her from the snow-covered branches instead of running the risk of them smacking her in the face.

We were out for over an hour and I felt great. I was a little concerned I would be out of breath given the change in elevation but I think all the running I’ve been doing really helped me out on the trail.

While we snowshoed, the boys went skiing.

Andrew borrowed a harness from the rental shop and Lincoln caught on to things quickly.

He really liked hitting the obstacles on the beginner hill.

It wasn’t long though before they headed to the big hill and Lincoln had his first ride on the chairlift.

No fear going up, and no fear coming down.

It was a perfect #fitfluential family fun day.

Happy New Year everyone!