If
you’re in Vancouver
and have a day to kill, try the ultimate triple threat workout. Cross-country ski in the early morning,
paddle in the afternoon and road bike in the evening. Vancouver is
one of the few places in Canada
where you can ski, paddle and cycle in the same day because the ski trails are
at altitude compared to the rest of the city.
Cross Country Ski . . .
There
are three hills in North Vancouver- Cypress, Seymour and Grouse. However, Cypress Mountain
is the only one with cross-country ski trails. Anyone who has skied Cypress
can tell you that it is brutally hilly. You are either skiing up a steep hill, or ripping down one. Cypress
has 19km of trails, 5km of them are lit. Make sure to check out the historic Hollyburn Lodge, a licensed café
with an authentic atmosphere.
Paddle . . .
After
the ski workout, you can drive along the Upper Levels Highway to Deep Cove for
the paddling portion of the day. The
Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak Centre rents out ocean kayaks. You can bring your own boat as well. I recommend trying out a flatwater
kayak. They are extremely tippy at
first, but once you get the hang of it, they are really good for your core
muscles.
Ride . . .
After
you’re done the kayak portion, you’ll be pretty pooped and it may already be
getting dark outside. At this point, a
steady road bike ride would be good for recovery. I recommend riding by the UBC campus because
the roads have big shoulders (good for when it’s dark outside).
It’s
up to you how long you want to make each workout. If you’re really in-shape, you could make it
a 6-hour day by doing 2 hours of each activity. But if you’re going to, it will definitely take up the entire day, so
start early in the morning. Recovery is
important when doing long days. Make
sure you have at least an hour and half of recovery between sessions.
