Popular Snow Sports In Ontario

Many Americans think of Canada as the land of ice and snow. Admittedly, most provinces and all the territories receive a substantial amount of the “white stuff” in winter. Ontario is one such province. Although such places as Sudbury, Timmins and Wawa are known for having copious amounts of snow, other more southern cities such as Toronto, Guelph and Hamilton do not escape unscathed.

Sporting in the Snow

The availability of snow creates the opportunity to find things to do with it. While some are more than happy to simply build snow people or snow castles, others go outside and become involved in many of the snow and snow-related sports. Among the most popular ones in Ontario, and throughout Canada, in fact, are found on the following list. It does not include such ice-and-snow high-risk sports such as Luge, Skeleton, and Bobsleighs or even Snow-Kiting. It adheres to the ones available to even the most unskilled Ontarians.

· Sledding: With so many local hills to choose from, it is not a sport that is expensive or hard to do. Grab a sled, a toboggan, or even a piece of cardboard and visit your local hill.

· Snow Tubing: Like sledding, you do not have to be super fit to enjoy. Simply grab a tube or rent one at one of the many places available, including Horseshoe Valley Resort.

· Snowboarding: Like other downhill sports, this one offers different levels. You can learn how to and how to improve your skills at many ski resorts. Snowboarding is located throughout Ontario, including Chicopee near Kitchener and Waterloo, as well as Blue Mountain near Collingwood.

· Downhill skiing: This is also a popular outdoor sport. As is the case with snowboarding, various hills provide options. Learning how to as well as working to improve your skills is common at such resorts as Chicopee near Kitchener and Waterloo, Mount St. Louis, Horseshoe Valley near Moonstone, Barrie and Orillia and Blue Mountain

· Cross Country Skiing: Unlike downhill skiing, the cross country variation does not necessarily require professional trails. Families can get together on a local river trail in the city of Guelph ON or to those at Ignatius. They can also choose to cross country ski at most provincial or national parks and conservation areas. There is Shades Mill Park near Cambridge ON, for example, as well as Guelph Lake 0 check with the Grand River Conservation authority for locations and basic information. For those who are hardcore backcountry skiers, Algonquin Park is the perfect setting for a winter camping/backcountry skiing weekend.

· Snowshoeing: Snowshoeing, like cross country skiing, does not require special conditions or settings. As long as there is snow, it is a “go.” Consider heading with your family to a local trail in Toronto, Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge or Waterloo. Rattlesnake Point near Hamilton provides a designated area for this sport. Look for trails nearby or further afield at Ontario Trails.

· Snowmobiling: Although some may argue that this is not a sport, others vehemently disagree. They enjoy putting on their special clothing and revving their engines as they drive along trails designated for snowmobiles alone. They may even take part in any of the races that are part of many Snow carnivals or festivals in Ontario. Check with the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile clubs for more information on trails and conditions.

Snow Sports in Ontario

Winter is the time to get out and enjoy everything it offers. If nothing else, after a brisk walk, you feel justified in returning home to curl up with a book or a good movie or videogame with a warm drink in hand. While shoveling snow can be high on the list of annoyances, outdoor winter fun is not. The former can be avoided by using a third-party app such as Edenapp via Android, apple, or edenapp.com to locate a suitable snow removal service; the latter needs to be embraced. Find the snow or ice sport you enjoy and incorporate it into your winter life. This is Ontario, after all, and snow happens.