Winter adventure in a magic land

In the Kananaskis Country mountains STACEY BODGER swaps skis to race huskies and view some spectacular ice caves.

The Canadian Rockies in winter are an alpine wonderland of snow-sports, ice-blue glaciers and peak after peak of jagged, snow-covered granite.

Even at the end of the Canadian winter the Rockies are magical and by the end of our 12-day ski tour we had seen the towering crags of granite, ice and snow from every possible angle. But the way they stretch and soar relentlessly kept us craning our necks for more.

On the third day of our tour we entered Canada's oldest national park, Banff, from the south, and were given a history of the area's past by our bus driver.

In 1883, workers building Canada's first transcontinental railroad stumbled upon a series of hot springs on what is now called Sulphur Mountain.

After a tense ownership dispute, the springs and surrounding area became the country's first national park in 1885.

Banff was advertised as an international tourism stopover and the railway soon saw the Rockies become popular with the Victorian gentry.

These days five million tourists visit Banff National Park each year, but strict regulations mean the park is almost unchanged.

Most arrive in summer to explore the emerald lakes and hundreds of hiking trails. But the Rockies' reputation for superb skiing has accelerated and winter tourism has grown to about three million visitors who are treated to some of the world's most majestic scenery.

Near Banff we relished the chance to give our bodies a break from skiing and tried a two-hour Unleash the Musher dog sled ride in the stunning Kananaskis Country mountains.

The mountains are 762m above Canmore, south-east of Banff, and as we approached Howling Dog Tours' base, we were met by the deafening sound of 90 dogs hungry to be harnessed and hit the trail.

They weren't the fluffy, ice-blue-eyed Siberian huskies I'd been expecting.

Howling Dog Tours owner, former Canadian dog-sledding champion Rich Bittner, uses retired racing dogs.

He and his wife, Dana, breed Alaskan huskies - a lithe but powerful mix of greyhound, German shepherd, Siberian husky and other breeds.

I was charged with holding the main harness while our guide, Newfoundlander Randy Mercer, attached our six dogs.

Harnessing is a tense time and though these dogs have been retired from racing they haven't lost their competitive streak. I had to grip the rope with all my might as our team pawed at the snow.

We were barely in the sled when our lead dog, Alaska, decided it was time to go, and we were off - flying through a winter wonderland of snow and white-coated pines.

I hung on for dear life as I took a turn at mushing (guiding) my team and nearly took a tumble as we skidded to a halt for hot chocolate at Spray Lake.

Here we witnessed the true isolation of Canada's wilderness and ran like excited children over the yawning, frozen lake, then paused to take in the vastness of the towering, snow-covered mountains.



The four national parks in the Rockies are nearly the size of Switzerland - but with a population of only 15,000.

On the way from Banff to Lake Louise - home to one of Canada's most popular skifields - we travelled through the Bow Valley Parkway, bordered by forests of aspen and pine. It's an ideal place for sighting some of Canada's wildlife and our coach was filled with regular cries of victory as we spotted wolves, coyotes, lynxes, big-horn sheep and mountain goats.



At Lake Louise we reached yet another natural high on the top-of-the-world ski trail. No matter how spectacular the Rockies are from below, at an altitude of 2700m they're almost unbelievable. We braved a bitter wind to marvel at the sight of hundreds of Rockies peaks, stretched to the horizon across the Great Divide.

Even the stately Chateau Lake Louise looks like a Lego house - its opulence dwarfed by nature's grandeur.

After all we'd seen in Banff National Park, I doubted if the drive through the Icefields Parkway to neighbouring Jasper National Park - billed as one of the world's most scenic routes - would live up to its reputation.

But the massive field of ancient ice, home to one of the world's largest glacial masses, is a winner for its captivating geological wonders. The centrepiece, Columbia Icefield, covers 325 sq km and reaches depths of 385m - an incredible 100 storeys thick.

The end of the parkway signalled our arrival at Jasper, a quaint town which serves as the administration base for the Rockies' largest national park.

This World Heritage Site is famous for the brilliant emerald waters of Maligne Lake as well as the icefield. During winter, when the lake is frozen, tourists flock to the Maligne Canyon to stand beneath waterfalls suspended as ice.

We took Jasper Adventure Centre's Maligne Canyon Icewalk. This canyon is Jasper's deepest and is transformed from a raging torrent in summer to clear blue ice and towering limestone in winter.

From the walking track above, the canyon floor is hidden in darkness. But within 10 minutes we found ourselves standing in rubber boots and ice cleats and hiking 2km along the frozen canyon floor. Frozen waterfalls and huge sinkholes kept us fascinated as we were urged to tread with care. In a matter of weeks the bottom layer of the ice we were standing on would have melted.

We walked three at a time into the Cathedral Bowl - a wider section of the canyon which has been scoured by 10,000 years of swirling water.

The acoustics were amazing and the cold incredibly penetrating. I got a fantastic buzz from walking through an ice-cave where floor-to-ceiling clear blue icicles sparkled like jewels.

The next morning we woke to see the sunrise cast bright orange highlights on the snowy peak of Jasper's Marmot Ski Basin.

An Italian taking photographs grinned at me and said, "Bellisimo." I couldn't have agreed more.

Contact: Howling Dog Tours, PO Box 8055, Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Ph (403) 678 9588.

Jasper Adventure Centre, 306 Connaught Dr, Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Ph (780) 852 5595.

Case Notes:

GETTING THERE: Star Alliance partners fly to Vancouver about 17 times a week. Return airfares for Canada's low season (from October) begin at $2299, with packages to Banff from $200 for four days.

ROADS: The four-lane Trans-Canada highway system makes for easy driving between all Rockies towns, most within three hours.

WHEN TO GO: Winter runs from November to March but the Rockies offer superb spring skiing through April, when there are cheap airfares and fantastic snow. For general inquires, ph 0800 CANADA.

WEBSITES: Try Banff Adventures Unlimited's website.

Links:

Howling Dog Tours

Banff Adventures Unlimited

* Stacey Bodger travelled to Canada courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission, Canada's West Ski Consortium and Air New Zealand.