Winter Activities for Seniors: Staying Active, Safe, and Social Outdoors

Adeline Panamaroff

We can — and should — stay safely active in the chilly outdoors of Alberta’s winter. But how do we find variety in activities to help us stay limber as nature hibernates? There are plenty of options for snow lovers in Alberta. Senior-focused groups, like the Rocky Mountain Senior Ski Club (RMSSC) in Edmonton and Skrastins Outdoor Club (SOC) in Calgary, are some of the clubs for winter outdoor enthusiasts. If fast-paced winter activities — like the potential falls of downhill skiing — don’t excite you, maybe cross-country skiing is more your speed — or even snowshoeing, which is a harder workout than you’d think!

Edmonton Area Winter Activities

RMSSC members enjoy downhill skiing and cross-country skiing and have an unofficial segment of snowshoers. Meeting mainly at the Snow Valley Ski Club in Rainbow Valley Park, this group also takes frequent chartered bus trips throughout the season to ski locations, like Banff, Jasper, Kananaskis, and Silver Star, as soon as the first snowfall. Most cross-country skiing happens within Edmonton, Devon, or Drayton Valley.

Accepting members at 55 and older, the average age of the more than 1,300 RMSSC club members is 71. Most members have had some experience with skiing before becoming members and look to the club as a way to keep up the passion for carving through fresh powder. “Usually, the [people in the] downhill group have been skiing for a long time. It gives you confidence,” says JoAnn Grand, a long-time member of the club.

For an added level of membership safety, skiing lessons are offered at Snow Valley for downhill skiing and at Goldbar (through the Nordic Ski Club) for cross-country skiing — perfect for a refresher on the basics. Plus, on any given meetup day (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings), more than thirty members can be found at Snow Valley. “We try to make sure that nobody skis alone. We have a white button that says we’re part of the Rocky Mountain Ski Club,” Grand says.

Clubs like these offer boosts not just to physical health but also to mental health. “When you meet people who have the same interests as you, it’s so much easier to get out and do things because you’ll have someone to do things with,” Grand says. The club offers several social events for new and seasoned members to connect. “We have a spring dinner, a summer barbecue, and a fall dinner,” said Ron Marcinkoski, president of RMSSC.

There are warm season activities as well, with golf and cycling organized by the RMSSC, a one-hundred-per-cent volunteer-run club.

Calgary Area Winter Activities

The SOC in Calgary accepts members 55 and over and takes excursions by bus into the mountains every Friday, year-round. Currently at 250 members, the group enjoys getting out in all seasons through hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and “icer” hikes (hikes done while wearing ice-cleats).

Each trip welcomes individuals at different levels of ability. “Some folks want to hike a shorter distance and don’t want to snowshoe; they just want to hike in the winter. They’ll just put on their icers and they’ll do maybe eight kilometres or something, whereas someone else in their age group might be doing fourteen or sixteen kilometres, and there may be five hundred metres of elevation gain,” said Karen Hall, president of the SOC.

Another way the SOC ensures safety: new members are entered into the lowest levels of trail difficulty until their fitness levels can be evaluated by a veteran member. Also, each group has trained leaders who carry two radios and emergency satellite beacons. These leaders ensure the group stays together and directs when breaks or changes in the planned route happen.

The social benefits of the SOC are evident. “There’s lots of socializing going on, and when you sit down for lunch somewhere in the back forty, there’s more chances to chat. Then there’s socializing on the bus trip to and from the mountains,” said Gerry Cyre, program director for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing for the SOC.

For winter sports, Cyre recommends wearing many thin, non-cotton layers for warmth and ease of removal. Other than having a basic knowledge of how to cross-country ski or snowshoe, members are required to carry a small fanny pack or light backpack with water, a light lunch, wax for skis, any medications, and emergency contact information. For skiing, having proper ski boots and poles is essential. For snowshoeing, warm boots that are compatible with their snowshoes make the excursion more enjoyable.

Whether you enjoy the rush of adrenaline or a more leisurely pace, there are senior-focused groups throughout Alberta that can help you safely enjoy the crisp winter air of the season.

More Alberta Outdoor Clubs

Adeline Panamaroff is an Edmonton-based writer. When she isnt holing up for the winter, she can be found exploring the Whitemud Creek Ravine. Moose, deer, and the odd coyote have kept her company in the silence that is winter in Alberta’s parkland.