Canmore, from the top of Ha Ling Peak. Note the suspiciously snow-free mountains. It was really warm and calm until we neared the ridge line too – hardly a patch of snow to be seen on the ground.
There was a bit more snow to the south though.
Tag: winter
This was last weekend, at Bow Lake on the Icefields Parkway. So cold and windy that even the ravens were just sitting tucked against the ground, their beaks towards the wind. Though it didn’t stop them from hanging out in parking spots hoping for handouts from tourists.
There was a lot of snow on the ground, and the road was icy – a long way from the conditions in our valley, where it really hasn’t been snowing much, and is continuing to be suspiciously warm for this time of the year.
I’ll take Places With Snow On Them for 800 thanks Alex.
Approaching: Halloween, moving house, the ski hill opening, ice climbing season, pulling on plastic in the bouldering gym, back country ski trips, frozen lakes, temperatures in the minus 20s, Christmas.
Fast becoming distant memories: Visiting Australia, riding the single trail after work, rock climbing after work, daylight from 5.30am til 11pm, squirrels, calling out so bears wouldn’t eat me, scrambling up mountains, jumping into lakes.
Since the start of December (or some time around then) the snow just hasn’t left the streets. Well, technically it’s left the streets. Unless you count the mushy brown stuff that looks distractingly like creamed butter and brown sugar. But it’s still everywhere else.
These photos were taken at the start of December, just before Banff Avenue re-opened (after months of roadworks). It was a perfect surface for skiing up and down on.
The Christmas lights are coming out all over town now. And suddenly all of those Christmas cards and images and song lyrics make a lot more sense. I’ll have my first white Christmas this year.
And when there’s enough snow on the roads, you can skate (ski skate that is) up the Tunnel Mountain road, and get this view of the Banff Springs Hotel at night, surrounding by snow covered trees.
I’m not sure when the temperatures were last above freezing, but I think it was a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately there isn’t much snow looming in future forecasts, but at least all the cold will be helping the ice climbs get nice and fat.
But I’m beginning to see what all the Canadians in Melbourne were complaining about. Whether it’s the proper heating over here, the really dry air, or the fact the temperatures don’t seem to jump around so much, I’m finding the cold here easier to deal with than in Melbourne. Of course I might change my mind when it hits -30oC, but by then I can probably get away with whinging about the cold.