Break time
Toss away that overcoat — we have some outdoor Spring Break getaways to help banish winter
Spring Break is fast approaching in mid-March and for some of us an escape to the sunshine can’t come soon enough, but for anyone planning a staycation, it’s a chance to bundle up that bikini body and enjoy the great outdoors. Snowmageddon is over and it’s time to embrace the end of winter with these heartwarming activities to keep fit through the freezing months.
Outdoor bound: Vancouver Island
Head to the Island for some serious snow-based cardio at Mount Washington Alpine Resort — try snowshoeing and Nordic skiing to get the most burn for your buck. Nearby Comox Valley is the ideal place to fill up with food apres ski or stretch it out with yoga at Starfish Studio. Fitness fans who are sick of snow can drive across the island to Tofino, where the sea is a balmy 15 C year-round. Brave the waves with winter surfing in an extra thick wetsuit; try a lesson with Surf Sisters. Then snuggle up for a spa weekend at The Wickaninnish with an Active Health package for two that includes accommodation for three nights, a hot stone massage each, six yoga classes and two sessions with a personal trainer (from $1,952).
Go luxe: Whistler
Non-skiers can still get the heart racing in Whistler with snowshoeing, Nordic skiing or Fat Biking at Whistler Olympic Park (with electric assist if you need help to get the bike across the snow). Wellness addicts that have money to burn, along with calories, can go luxe at Nita Lake Lodge with a seven night winter wellness retreat that includes accommodation, a freshpressed juice each day from Fix Café, plus a five-class pass to Nita’s on-site yoga studio, Loka Yoga and three spa treatments at The Spa at Nita Lake Lodge.
Hippie holiday: Sunshine Coast
Cheaper than a trip to the Island, the Sunshine Coast has winter wellness covered when it comes to giving your soul a good workout. Get Zen at the Self Realization Meditation Healing Centre in Halfmoon Bay or take a Forest Therapy Walk with guide Haida Bolton. Try a heart-hammering snowshoe along Dakota Ridge with Alpha Adventures and get rewarded with sweeping views of Mount Washington and Bowen Island on a clear day. Soak tired muscles at Float Sechelt or check into Beyond Bliss Spa Suites for a calming Spring Break in Powell River (from $135/night).
Refuel: Wine Country
March sees the reopening of winery restaurants such as Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, so it’s a good time to burn off the wine-induced calories with a warming Sunset Snowshoe Tour with Hoodoo Adventures from Penticton. The two-hour trek at Apex Mountain Resort includes a hot chocolate or fresh pressed coffee to refuel as the sun sets. Pump it up a notch and ski off the wine — the reopening of Mount Baldy in the South Okanagan brings another option for winter wellness. Osoyoos’ Watermark Beach Resort’s ski and stay package (from $199) includes Mount Baldy lift tickets and access to Breathe Studio for yoga, spinning and Pilates to warm up apres-ski — health and wellness co-ordinator Kelsi Bissonnette is on-site to help out with fitness plans.
Closer to home: Coquitlam Crunch
Grouse Grind might be officially closed but head to Coquitlam for the ‘Crunch’ — the urban version of the Grind that includes 437 stairs and an uphill trail that gains 250 metres in 2.2 kilometres. It’s free but it hurts like hell, so crunchers will be feeling the burn in no time. Park off Lansdowne Drive or take the new Evergreen SkyTrain line to Coquitlam Central. www.coquitlam.ca/trails