Looking for a fun, easy way to stay fit during the winter season without spending tons of cash? Try snowshoeing!
Snowshoeing is very inexpensive compared to alpine skiing. Once you have shoes & poles, it’s practically free, and there are no line-ups! It is easy to learn and requires no special training.
Snowshoeing can burn between 420 and 1,000 calories per hour. That’s more than walking, running or cross country skiing at the same pace.
As for the fitness & health benefits, snowshoeing is great for non-impact strength building. When you snowshoe with poles, you target every single major muscle group in the body. It’s amazing cardio too: did you know snowshoeing can burn between 420 and 1,000 calories per hour? That’s more than walking, running or cross country skiing at the same pace.
Snowshoeing is fun for any age, from kids to grandparents – and it’s the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful outdoors at a time when many people become sedentary!
Last winter Charles and I did a two-day, 26 km guided backcountry snowshoe trip with Lois Tomlinson, owner of Natural Trekking. It was by far one of the most arduous physical challenges I’ve undertaken.
Our reward for the intense muscle burn and heart-pounding endurance was one night at the Journeyman’s Lodge, nestled deep in BC’s beautiful Callaghan Valley, just south of Whistler. It is a truly rustic experience – no heat, flush toilets or electricity for most of the day – but the food and atmosphere are simply superb. As Lois’ website states, “no roads, no signs, no power lines. Just pure high-alpine terrain.”
Of course, you don’t need to go backcountry to enjoy all the benefits of snowshoeing. As long as there’s snow, you’re good to go! 
I wish I didn’t have to drive so far in order to get any decent snowshoeing in.