What to Do When It is -30c

**UPDATE!! This post should read "What to do when it is -42c" because that is what the temperature was this morning. UGG! That's -43.6 F. This little bear is going to go hibernate for a few days. I think that has got to be some kind of record for Banff!***

O.K - now back to the post.....What to Do When It is -30c.......

1. Grin and bear it!!

2. Run Really Fast.

3. Go for a hot tub in your back yard.

The answer is of course, "All of the Above" but I am getting ahead of my story:

On Thursday the weather was really lovely and hovering around -2c all day, with a clear sky and a full moon in the forecast. Holly was driving up for the night, so we thought we would go do something special for the full moon! We opted for the full moon snowshoe. Holly, Robin, Anna, Ben and Lindsay joined Keith and I for a couple of hours of howling at the moon. O.K, I was the only one howling, it's very therapeutic! It was so bright, we didn't need our head lamps and could also see our shadows by the moonlight!

Ladies of the Night: Robin, Holly and Leslie

The always lovely, Anna Collins

Go Speed Racer!

The next day, the forecast was for a cold front to move in to our area and the temperatures to drop to -30c. I thought it would be good to get out for one last run before the arrival of the cold! I ran out along the Spray river, where the river was starting to freeze up.


We got some fresh snow on Friday, so we thought we would would bundle up and head out for some resort turns on Saturday morning. The temperature was about -22c, so we thought that it would be O.K. Well. With a little windchill, it was rrrrreally cold and we didn't last long. Keith, froze his toes on the first descent and the rest of us lasted for 3 runs before we had to come in for a warm-up. I managed 6 runs and called it a day. Still, it was a fun day. I got to make some turns with some friends that I hadn't seen in a long time and there was NOBODY at the hill. By the time we got home, the temps had in fact dropped to -30c which is perfect hot tub weather (see photo exhibit #3....). I psyched myself up and headed out the door to the gym, for my first treadmill workout of the year! It was actually enjoyable to hammer on the treadmill and do some speed work.

By Sunday, it was official. The cold temperatures had arrived and it was -32c. We decided the one activity we could safely and enjoyably, was do a walk/run up Sulphur Mountain and take the gondola down. We just wanted to get out of the house for awhile and get some exercise. Keith and I recruited, Anna, Heather and Miles to join us for our little adventure into the cold. It turns out it was too cold for the gondola to operate safely, so we did the up and down return trip. It was a cold but beautiful day! We were all sporting the "frosty frozen face look" and had to keep checking each other for frostbite. Fun!

Slippery When Stooopid

So the answer to the question "What to do when it is -30c?" is to grin and bear it, run really fast and go for a hot tub in your back yard. The answer to the question "What to do when it is -42c?" is hibernate, relax and go for a hot tub in your back yard. Mmmm. I think I feel a nap coming on.....