Trek along the paths less travelled
Experience winter’s meditative magic with a snowshoe journey among snow-covered trees
Freshly fallen powder may once have inspired the impulse to strap on skis and hit the slopes, but this year, it’s also perfect weather for a quieter, more relaxing and more attainable pursuit that’s been winning over elite athletes and leisurely nature lovers alike: snowshoeing.
“It’s really accessible,” says Sasha Gollish, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and an athlete ambassador for Snowshoe Canada, the non-profit association governing the sport of snowshoeing in Canada.
In the past five years or so, Gollish has seen a growing number of people getting into snowshoeing, including parents who gear up in snowshoes after dropping their kids off at ski clubs.
In fact, the activity has become a trending pastime for those who aren’t in the mood to rip down the hills in large part because it doesn’t require an adrenalin junkie’s level of risk tolerance or advanced skills.
Getting the hang of the technique doesn’t demand formal lessons; you can brush up on the basics with YouTube tutorials and the gear required ranges from the traditional tennis-racket-like styles to budget-friendly grippers. And you can make the activity as strenuous or easy as you like.
“It’s everything from a hobby to a sport, from recreational to competitive,” Gollish says.
As a longtime alpine skier and a worldclass runner — her sizable medal haul includes the bronze in the 1,500-metres at the 2015 Pan Am Games — Gollish finds snowshoeing uniquely enjoyable.
“I think it’s even more meditative than walking,” she says. “There’s something really magical that happens in the trees when they’re full of snow.”
Indeed, the slower pace of snowshoeing allows for some delightful surprises, even when you’re trekking through urban green spaces.
During a recent excursion, Gollish went exploring in Sunnybrook Park and encountered a wild trail mate: “I saw the biggest white-tailed doe I’ve ever seen in my life,” she recalls. “It must have been a 500-pound animal, just 10 feet away from me.”
Snowshoeing is readily available at traditional ski resorts, but you can also head to a nature trail near home. Here are a few starting points in and around Toronto:
Sunnybrook Park
An 1800s-era country estate-turnedsprawling green space in Toronto, Sunnybrook Park is well loved by summer picnickers, runners and cyclists. “When you go after it’s just snowed, there’s a very different, deafening silence,” says
Gollish. “It’s a city vacation.”
Don Valley Brick Works Park
For beginner snowshoers, this is one of Gollish’s favourite spaces in Toronto. “It’s this unique spot wedged in the middle of the city,” she says, “and if you don’t know what’s there, you have no idea how vast it is.”
Albion Hills Conservation Area
This outdoor playground in Caledon has 27 kilometres of groomed trails in winter for skiing and snowshoeing. “It feels like the wilderness,” Gollish says, “but it’s really just outside the city.”
To explore more, visit ontarioparks.com, which lists parks throughout the province, with updates on what’s open for snowshoeing.