Canyon days: a Grotto Canyon hike in -30ºC.

Winter likes to hit us with an icy, teeth-chattering smack in the face in February, right when we think we’ve walked away unscathed and untouched by temperatures below -15ºC. It’s been -30ºC with plenty of snow; a stark contrast to when December & January left us scratching our heads and wondering if we would truly be lucky enough to only see temperatures around 0ºC this season. Alas, how wrong we were.

With avalanche conditions rife and temperatures being less than ideal, it can be difficult to just get up and go. Weather in the mountains changes rapidly, and Mother Nature makes rough work of the ill-prepared. All this being said, our Canadian winters would be a long & dull affair if we never stepped outside, and if you truly want to love life in the mountains, that includes days like these.

This little spot just 20 minutes away from our town is a crowd favourite, and it’s not difficult to see why. Being in the canyon, we would be sheltered from most of the wind and we wouldn’t be crossing any avalanche paths. It was a quick & easy jaunt, despite a few slips and slides on the ice on occasion. We had our fun before turning around and making our way home to beat sundown.