Snowshoeing around Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, BC
RICK MACDONNELL
 BC Rockies Adventures' guide, Jocelyn MacGregor (left) and Doc Pow head out for some snowshoeing around Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, BC. RICK MACDONNELL/SnowSeekers |
FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS, BC — Some things are inescapably synonymous with one another: peanut butter and jam, Burt and Ernie, Doc Pow and "lovin' life." This season has added another pairing to that list: snowshoes and fondue.
Located in the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort are the offices of BC Rockies Adventures, a company with the goal of bringing people closer to nature. Whether it's hiking, kayaking, driving tours, animal tracking, astronomy, bird watching, geocaching, or snoeshoeing, BC Rockies Adventures is sure to keep you active during your stay in Fairmont, and you'll even learn a few things along the way.
"A lot of the people who come to the Hot Springs are from Edmonton or Calgary, big cities where people barely have the chance to see trees," said Jocelyn MacGregor, one of two naturalists on staff at the Fairmont Hot Springs. "So when they come out here where there are so many amazing opportunities to experience nature, we think it's important to help them do that."
Learning as you walk
Snowshoe tours are a great, relaxed activity that gets a person mobile and provides loads of opportunities to talk with a guide and learn about the area. MacGregor, our guide for the morning, was phenomenal.
 BC Rockies Adventures' guide, Jocelyn MacGregor melts chocolate over a campfire in preparation for a chocolate fondue for her guests. RICK MACDONNELL/SnowSeekers |
We were able to identify and follow some animal tracks, learn about the geology of the Columbia River and the surrounding wetlands, and even learn a bird call or two.
Once the snowshoe tour was finished, we were led into a 8.5 metre (28 feet) tall teepee that housed a blazing campfire. Benches surrounded the pit and were made all the more comfortable with genuine bear and beaver pelts. Within no time, we were treated to some outstanding chocolate fondue, made before our eyes and poured over bowls of fruits and pretzels.
No washing please
"We have a rule on our snowshoe tours that you can't drink anything or wash your mouth after you're done," MacGregor said as she glazed the fruit with creamy, dark chocolate. "It works especially well with kids. We let 'em run around the resort afterwards, and every time they smile it's like free advertising!"
The BC Rockies Adventures crew will certainly cater the tour length to suit its participants, but if you're up for it, you can hike up to six kilometres. In addition to the snowshoe fondue, you can also do some dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, flight tours, heli skiing, sleigh rides, dinner in an igloo, wolf centre tours, and powder ski shuttles.
Fairmont is a living dream for nature lovers. The snowshoe tour made for a great morning, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. A person could easily - easily - spend an entire week here and never do the same thing twice. The only problem with that is that you'd probably want to.
For more stories and detail on Fairmont check out our SnowSeekers' destination page.