Last week we went on a snowshoeing and fondue tour at Cypress Mountain. We were supposed to join in on this adventure last year with the crew of ambassadors from the Healthy Family Expo. Unfortunately, that was when Jason’s cancer journey took a turn and we had to cancel. We were so thankful and excited to get to go this year! Snowshoeing and food. Count us in!
We had been warned that you can get quite warm while snowshoeing by others who had gone before. I opted for my fleece lines jeans and winter coat, Jason had water repellent pants, warm puffer coat, and a raincoat on top. Both choices were perfect for us. The tour guide before we began recommended that if we got too warm to take our toque off as that is where the majority of your body heat escapes. You’ll notice in the photos my toque disappears.
Cypress Mountain got all us in the group outfitted with snowshoes and headlamps. Some people did bring their own snowshoes. Jason had the ones he bought a year ago in hopes of snowshoeing then with him. He finally got to go snowshoeing! We are so thankful that he is cancer free and feeling so much better to be able to go out and take part in activities like this.
The toughest part was not the fact that it was raining. Thankfully we had a canopy of trees covering us for the majority of the time. Its a hill right at the start of the trail that you have to go up. Once you get past that you are good to go. Our tour lasted around 4 hours and was led by a knowledgeable and hilarious guide.
We were on a mission to get to the Hollyburn Lodge. Our guide took us through the forest, showed us how to go over the cross-country skier tracks properly, and where to avoid falling into ice cold water. No one wanted to be doing a Polar Bear Swim that night. To get to the lodge we had the option of walking down the hill that led to it or sliding down on a plastic bag. It’s amazing how fast you can go on a plastic bag!
The fondue was what everyone was looking forward to. I don’t know if it was all the snowshoeing, the fact that we were outside, or that we all love cheese, but this was the best fondue I have ever had! The cheese fondue comes with meatballs, potatoes, roast veggies, and bread. All of it was amazing dipped in the hot cheese placed in the middle of each table.
To drink we were all offered water, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider. The cider was perfection for warming up in the lodge. There is also wine and beer available for an additional cost.
The chocolate fondue did not disappoint either. There was fresh fruit, marshmallows, pretzels, and graham crackers. You put a candle in front of a bunch of adults who are truly kids at heart, you better believe we started roasting marshmallows over the flame and making s’mores. I was also treated to a cookie during the chocolate fondue because earlier in the evening our guide had us play a game called “Huckle Buckle” its basically the snowshoe version of Simon Says and my partner and I won.
After enjoying all of the amazing food and drink, we did have to put our snowshoes back on. This time it was just pouring rain. Our guide did decide to take a short cut so that we could get back to the parking lot faster. If it wasn’t for the rain, I think its safe to say we all would have loved to continue snowshoeing a little longer.
Jason and I had so much fun on this snowshoe and fondue tour. We would actually love to go again and think this is a fantastic date night idea or even a fun outing for a team building activity. There are options to do self-guided tours at Cypress, but the guided tour may have won me over entirely.
If you are looking for a different winter activity to try, give snowshoeing a chance. Plus, be sure to get your tickets for the Healthy Family Expo tickets that is happening on March 24th, 2019 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. There are all sorts of booths from food, clothing, and many different activities that are great for the whole family. It’s an event I have been attending every year since it started and I always look forward to it.
Disclosure: I was invited by the Healthy Family Expo to take part in this tour as I am an Ambassador for the expo.
All opinions are my own.
