Dog Sledding in Banff Canada

For Christmas this year we decided to go somewhere we'd never been before, Banff in Canada!

For years I had seen photos of the Fairmont at Banff Springs, and dreamed of spending 'Christmas at the Castle', so it was time to make that dream a reality! 

If you've been following along on Instagram you'll know that I'm participating in the LifeProof Winter Bucket List Contest. My list is made up entirely of things I've never done before:

 - Go snow shoeing
 - Dog Sledding
 - Ice-skate on a frozen pond
 - Stay in an isolated cabin in the woods
 - Spend Christmas at Banff Springs in Canada
 - Go snow hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

I'm excited to tell you that today I got to check Dog Sledding off my list! It was such an amazing experience, and they took us through such a beautiful area (Banff National Park). Our puppies were adorable, and so well behaved.

Check out the short video of our dog sledding adventure. And don't worry about all the barking, they were really anxious to get going, and they had so much fun along the way!

If you're in the area and you'd like to try dog sledding for yourself, I would recommend Snowy Owl Tours, they are the only ones allowed to sled through Banff National Park. 

They picked us up from the hotel and drove us through Canmore to the starting point in Banff National Park. They taught us about the dogs, and how to drive the sleds ourselves (that's right, we mushed ourselves!), and at the end there was hot apple cider and brownies around the campfire, overlooking mountains and frozen lakes. Perfect.

What to take with you:

 - Thermals (it's all about layering up)
 - Good, waterproof snow boots
   (if you're mushing, you will be running alongside in the snow when you go up hills - so be prepared)
 - Warm winter coat
 - Heavy-duty waterproof, windproof gloves
   (our North Face gloves didn't cut it for those temperatures and the wind, so our hands went
    completely numb and are only just thawing out as I type this)
 - Scarf or neck cowl you can pull up over your mouth and nose (Mine is from the Minty Antler on Etsy)
 - Warm hat
 - LifeProof (water and snow proof) case for your phone
   (I saw two separate people drop their phones and get snow inside their headphone and charg port holes!)

I'd love to hear about your winter adventures. What are you planning for Christmas and the New Year?