During a long, cold and dark winter there isn't much to do up in the great white north. Snowbirds head down south for the winter as we did a couple of times but the vast majority of the past four months were spent in Alberta. To avoid depression and severe weight gain, we took up a new sport, cross-country skiing.
No, I did not take up black and white photography but it would have been the perfect time as no filters were required. Those are green trees and I'm not going colour-blind! Nothing beats x-country skiing during a light snowfall, it's magical.
Brag Creek has hundreds of ski trails and even more snowshoe paths, fat bike trails and general hiking areas. It's free so long as you have an Alberta Parks Pass and the association generously grooms a range of trails from very simple flat circuits to you've gotta be crazy to attempt them in cross-country skis.
Whether your skilled and out for a 40 km ski or just going around in a 40 m circle there is beauty to enjoy in all directions. Bragg Creek is about a 40 minute drive west of Calgary and is in the last little bit of foothills before the rocky mountains start.
This is a regular trail map for all seasons, they have signs on the trails at key junctions and you can go here for more info
https://braggcreektrails.org/xc-ski-bragg/
The visitors centre during the summer months doesn't seem open. It was open whenever we went there on weekends in the winter, they sold gear and raised funds to maintain the paths. There are numerous events going on and some of the major companies offer gear to test out upon occasion.
A little further from Calgary, we have the Canmore Nordic Centre, it is the real deal! This is where they hosted the 1988 X-Country for the winter Olympics and it's were you find the serious skiers. They even store snow in sawdust all summer to bring out early in the season to extend it for a few weeks.
We only went skiing here once at the start of the season. They charge a fee during the day and it's a further drive. They have lit paths which are free after a certain time but you have to be a serious skier to partake. https://www.albertaparks.ca/albertaparksca/visit-our-parks/activities/cross-country-skiing/ski-centres/canmore-nordic-centre/
Just some deer casually grazing next to the path. Another obstacle to dodge on the track. They weren't afraid of the skiers.
They aren't even afraid of the sharp shooters on the biathlon range. The ground is littered in rounds. It would be a unique sport to take up perhaps another year.
The last ski trip of the year we went to Kananaskis, it's a little further up in the mountains from Brag and is one of my favourite places in Alberta. Now that most of the snow in the valleys has melted, it's hiking season. The skis are in the garage until December.
All photos taken with a Galaxy S22 phone.
Salomon Escape skis for touring, Rossignol boots and poles the set was less that $400 and is comparable to a winter gym membership.