jasper alberta

01
Mar
2019

How To Stay Active While On Vacation

Most of us have been there. We go on vacation, or even an overnight stay in a hotel or campground or whatever the case may be, with every intention of working out. Whether it be hitting the gym, or going for a run, or climbing that mountain, or swimming laps in the pool. Then it hits you. The level of relax hit you that leaves you feeling lazy. So you do none of your plans.
 
I have this happen to me literally every time I go anywhere. I always have so many plans to stay active but I never end up doing them. I either realize how tired I really am or more likely, how lazy.
 
Despite all my great exercise plans falling through I’m still able to stay active.
 
The simplest way to stay active on vacation.
 
Is to walk.
 

Maui 

Maui was the easiest place to stay active. I did so some small hikes while exploring waterfalls and rainforest. But,  mostly by exploring the town of Lahaina. Walking from our condo, down front street. Looking in the little shops. Being tourists. Just by doing this I was able to manage close to 20,000 steps a day.

Mexico

Mexico was the most difficult travelling to date, at least in terms of staying active. But walking around the resort left me on average of 10,000 steps a day. Days where we did excursions my steps count doubled.

Jasper

Jasper is where I often go hiking, so my steps are usually high when spending time in the National Park. But on the days where I don’t hike you can often find my lazy side coming out.  I can curb that by exploring the townsite.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas was where I actually discovered this gem of a trick. Walking up and down the strip and exploring the plethora of stores that are available for people to spend their winnings at.
 
Walking is one of the simplest, yet effective ways to stay active. Just by exploring the towns and doing retail therapy, or even window shopping, you can easily tack on some miles.
 
So next time you’re on vacation and you feel like your more like a lump on a log, instead of your active self, take a walk.

Posted by Jenn in Fitness, 10 comments
30
Nov
2018

How To Spend A day At Marmot Basin As A New Snowboarder

I remember the first time I ever tried snowboarding. I was 16 years old and indestructible. Well more or less. It took me probably an hour just to stand up. The next day I was so sore I could hardly move. Regardless, I loved it. I went a handful of times over the next couple of years, and only once to Marmot Basin. Then, when B and I got together, the babies came and I had little to no free time. Still, do to be completely honest. So I wasn’t able to hit the hill for years. Probably 7 or 8.

When L and Big H were gifted snowboarding lessons from their aunt and uncle last Christmas I was so excited. I was finally going to get back to the hill. But this time, I was going to take lessons myself.

B and I booked lessons at Jaspers Marmot Basin at the same time the boys took theirs. We booked the two-hour group lesson for beginners. Even though I had snowboarded before, it had been so long since I had gone, and B had never even tried it.

Included with the lesson was a Full Day Rental, Lower Mountain Lift Ticket, and of course the 2-hour lesson on the bunny hill. You can upgrade to include the full lift ticket if you want, but realistically it probably isn’t necessary for a beginner.  – The kid’s lessons included their rentals, lift tickets, lessons, lunch, and time in childcare as well. –

The website suggests arriving an hour beforehand to get your rentals. I suggest longer. We were there an hour and a half before and were a few minutes late for our lessons. Weekdays are, most likely, less busy than the weekends.

When the lessons started, we had about 8 more people in our group and our instructor, Christian. Dispute the large group he was able to devote time to each student and help them as needed.

He went through the basic steps of standing up. Toe edge and heel edge, and switching between the two. Practising each thing a few times between adding in the next step. When you reached the bottom of the little hill you took the magic carpet back up to the top and started all over again

By the end of the two hours, my husband was done. Exhausted. Not at all surprising. So, we headed up to have a bite to eat where we met up with my brother and sister-in-law (who had injured herself on the hill). Her and B stayed there for the rest of the day.

Now, I have an irrational fear of chair lifts, which makes for a great time on the chairlift. So my brother fed me some liquid courage before dragging me to Eagle Express Quad Chairlift.

After the panicking inducing departure from the lift, we followed the Sleepy Hollow run down to Old Road back to the chalet. It took me about 2 hours and ALL of my energy.

At that point, we grabbed the kids and headed back to our hotel in Jasper for the night.

I have been to a couple of different ski hills over the years, but Marmot Basin my favourite to date. Next time I return I plan on doing lessons again, to increase my skills and maybe learn something new before heading up that dreaded lift up the mountain.

Do you have a favourite ski hill in your area?

Posted by Jenn in Fitness, 11 comments
03
May
2018

Top 5 Family Friendly Places in Big Beautiful Jasper

Jasper is one of the most uniquely beautiful places I have seen in my life.  I’ve seen mountains all over North America, Maui’s most recently, but the views of the Rockies are unparalleled. So, living only two short hours away from Jasper we try to get there as often as we can. Hunter LOVES the mountains. Like me, they give him a sense of home, and he is much more grounded when we visit them. We still don’t get there nearly as often as we would like, but in the trips, we do manage we have been able to pick some of our favourite places to visit as a family.

Maligne Canyon

Maligne Canyon is easily considered one of the most interesting canyons in the Rockies. They have a walking path set up so you can walk from the top of the canyon and falls, all the way to the bottom. Or vice-versa. There is a total of 6 bridges the crisscross over and each offers a uniquely magnificent view. The walk does consist of thousands of stairs – I’m estimating – so it can be quite physical but you can park at the top or bottom and do as much or as little as you want. There is also a picnic area available at either end. Maligne Canyon is a place we have visited many times over the years.

Annette Lake

This is one of our most recent discoveries, we were initially out to find a short hike to do with the boys that was also stroller friendly-ish, and as you can imagine the stroller part is difficult. Then, by complete accident, we stumbled upon this beauty. Not only is the 2.5km path around the lake fully paved so that is both friendly for strollers and wheelchairs, there are also benches all along the way so people of any fitness level can do it and have plenty of places to rest as well as enjoy all 360° of beautiful views. There is also a gorgeous sandy beach perfect for playing in the water and laying in the sun. We will be visiting this lake many times in the future.

Sunwapita Falls

This is a unique set of falls. There is a viewing area which offers a spectacular view of the main falls. There is also a 1km trail that leads to a viewing point of the lower falls. We have only made this trip once, but I highly recommend doing this short hike to see the second falls. The grade is pretty gradual, but it is there. One of the smother trails we have hiked.

Athabasca Falls

This is one of the only places I remember visiting as a child and one I continue to visit nearly every time we visit the park. Athabasca falls are the most powerful falls in the Rockies. The water roars and thunders as it falls and if you stand in the right place (or wrong) you’ll be soaked with the spray from the falls. It is truly an experience. The rocks are wet and therefore slippery, so do not venture outside of the designated areas.

Whistlers Campground

The one and only time we actually camped in Jasper this is where we stayed. It is an extremely large campground but is laid out wonderfully and you would never know its size without driving through it. The bathrooms are clean and well kept and just a short walk from wherever your campsite is. There is plenty of wildlife in the area and if you’re lucky you will be able to spot some from your campsite.

The sites and activities to do in Jasper National Park are limitless. I honestly don’t think we will ever have time to see and do it all. These are just the tip of the iceberg and the ones that we have all enjoyed as a family, some on more than one occasion.

What is your favourite thing to do in Jasper?

Posted by Jenn in Travel, Travel Alberta, 17 comments