Winter Fun Day is coming up on Feb. 11: don't miss it! UPDATED, Feb 9, 2012

Important Winter Fun Day Update! 

Our original mushers had to cancel due to circumstances beyond their control. The good news is that our old friends from Winterdance are coming up with THREE teams of happy huskies. Dog sled rides will available from 10 am till 12:45 pm only. Get here early if you want to mush! Cost is $35 per sled.

Modified original post:

 
Yes, there is snow in the north! Utah the wonder dog is very pleased:

Happy dog on a snowbank this week.

If you still don't believe me, check out this picture of my ski tracks from two days ago. I can't reveal the location of this backcountry powder paradise but trust me, it is in Muskoka:

Learn to telemark and you too can make turns like this in the middle of nowhere.

And because we love snow, Algonquin Outfitters is celebrating, for the 18th year in a row! Winter fun in the great outdoors is the theme of Winter Fun Day, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. As you can see above, we've got lots of snow up here and are looking forward to another great event. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to simply have fun in the snow.

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, learn how to build a snow shelter, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter camping, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games and more! Representatives from Atlas and Tubbs snowshoes will be here to show off ( and let you try out) their newest new winter products. Lunch is always a highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare will be available (sorry, no vegetarian options).

This year, we have several igloo builders attending to demonstrate their skills using the amazing Ice Box igloo tool. With any luck we will have an igloo village at the end of the day! Don't be afraid to grab a shovel and pitch in.

Last year's igloo taking shape.

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).

A scene of the snowshoe demo tents from last year. 

 For more pictures of last year's Winter Fun Day, please click here.

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available. Dog sled rides are booked that day on a first-come first-served basis, so sign up early and avoid disappointment. Sign up first at the dog truck, then pay inside.

Here is a general overview of the event:

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 12:45 pm: dog sled rides - please sign up to make sure you get a ride!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lessons, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.).

Formal XC ski lessons are scheduled for 11 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm. Lessons are geared towards to both new skiers and experienced skiers wishing to improve their technique. Skate and classic techniques will be covered and the lesson will be tailored to the needs of the group. Informal lessons and tips are available in between scheduled lesson times.

12 - 2: BBQ lunch available

1 - 5: afternoon program (ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, more igloo building, snow games).

Sunday, Feb. 12:

10 - noon: 18th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike (show up at Oxtongue Lake store by 9:30 if you need snowshoes).

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Winterdance. For more information on their programs and Iditarod race team, visit their web site.

Ski lessons are provided by Ski for Life. For more information on their programs visit their web site.

Winter Fun Day in pictures

Algonquin Outfitters' Winter Fun Day at Oxtongue Lake was a great success by all accounts. Not only did lots of people show up and have fun but the weather was good, the ice on the lake cooperated, and the fresh snow really helped. Our staff, assorted volunteers and other helpers all contributed 110% to make it a fine weekend in the snow. Thanks everybody!

The Oxtongue Lake store was ready for action first thing in the morning

The demo area on the lake got busy early on

Jeremy and Mike made a giant pile of snow on Friday. By Saturday, Nate was able to hollow it out into a liveable Quinzee. 

Our igloo-smiths, Andrea and Paul, got going on the IceBox igloo

The friendly Chocpaw dogs are always ready to pull

Two men and boy are no problem for six Alaskans

These two are pretty happy campers. Thanks to the Blue Spruce for use of the trails!

The Atlas Snowshoe demo tent was busy all day - thanks to Paul Young of Atlas.

These young fellow took our advice to "have fun in the snow" quite literally.

Dan Mahony of Ski for Life explains the finer points of XC skiing.

Dan demonstrates the "no poles" drill with a beautiful sky behind him.

The group tries to keep up with Dan.

After a private lesson with Joan Mahony, this little girl is a "skier for life."

The igloo grew steadily all day.

On Sunday, the 16th annual Ragged Falls snowshoe hike took place.

Ragged Falls is always spectacular!

We saw some interesting animal tracks. I'm thinking mink.

The woman in green and the bearded man recently moved to Canada and snowshoed for the first time at Winter Fun Day!

Winter Fun Day is coming up Feb. 12

Winter fun in the great outdoors is the theme of the annual Winter Fun Day, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. We've got lots of snow up here and are looking forward to another great event. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to simply have fun in the snow.

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, learn how to build a snow shelter, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter camping, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games and more! Representatives from Atlas and MSR snowshoes will be here to show off ( and let you try out) their newest new winter products. Lunch is always a highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare will be available.

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).

Igloo building with the Ice Box

Trying out snowshoes on Oxtongue Lake

Sled dogs need a lunch break too

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available. Dog sled rides are booked that day on a first-come first-served basis, so sign up early and avoid disappointment.
Here is a general overview of the day:

Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 4 pm: dog sled rides - please sign up to make sure you get a ride!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lessons, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.)

12 - 2: lunch

1 - 5: afternoon program (ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, snow volleyball.)

Sunday, Feb. 13:

10 - noon: 17th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Chocpaw Expeditions. For more information on their programs visit their web site.

Ski lessons are provided by Ski for Life. For more information on their programs visit their web site.

If you are on Facebook, check out the Winter Fun Day Facebook page. Let us know you are coming, see a slide show of past events and tell us what you think!

A tale of two poles

Anyone who has attended our annual Winter Fun Day will be familiar with the friendly, hardworking dogs and mushers from Winterdance Dogsled Tours.  For the last few years, they have traveled up from Haliburton to provide the dog sledding experience at our event (which, in case you missed the post below, is on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011).

Last winter, Hank DeBruin, who owns and operates Winterdance in partnership with his wife Tanya McCready-DeBruin, undertook what many consider the ultimate challenge in the mushing world, the famous Iditarod race in Alaska. The Iditarod is billed as "the last great race on earth," and Hank and his team spent over a year training and preparing for the adventure. As you can imagine, an project like this requires fundraising, training, planning and specialized equipment. Algonquin Outfitters helped in a small way by providing Hank with a pair of Swix nordic ski poles. Apparently, the poles had an adventure of their own and Tanya graciously offered to write the tale below.

A big thank you to Gord and Algonquin Outfitters for donating a set of ski poles for Hank to use during the Iditarod.  While Hank and the dogs ended up with some amazing tales of their 700 mile Alaskan journey, the ski poles ended up with a tale of their own.

Having missed the dog truck when it pulled out of Haliburton for Alaska, the ski poles flew on a commercial jet with the kids and I,  as we traveled to Anchorage to meet up with Hank and the dogs for the start of the Iditarod, a 1000 mile dogsled race across Alaska.  Upon claiming the ski poles in Anchorage we noticed a note attached to them which read "Nice poles, love the new design, too bad they are a bit short for me!"  The poles already had admirers.

Hank, wearing bib 45, and the team at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod

They were to be forgotten again three days later, on the official starting day, and had to be rushed to Willow (one of the check points) to get to Hank in time.  He was within minutes of his starting time and the dogs were already being hooked up when the poles arrived. He quickly took one pole and slid it along the outside of his sled bag, underneath a cable support.  The power of 16 Siberian Huskies about to start the world class dogsled race called Iditarod is nothing short of breathtaking. As the team was being moved up to the starting line, kept under some control thanks to 10 volunteers, the ski pole slipped out and the end caught in the snow as the sled went around a corner only feet away from the starting gate.  With the force of the dogs, and before Hank could grab it, the pole got bent to a 90 degree angle in the middle and snapped.  With a sharp end sticking out, Hank quickly pulled it out of the sled to prevent the bag, a dog or person getting injured from it.  He tossed it out of the way, towards the fence that kept the spectators and dogs separated.  Before it even hit the ground though, a boy about 10 ducked under the fence and caught the pole midair, waving it around like the best trophy in the world. That pole is likely now in his home as a souvenir, wherever that may be.

Hank and his very motivated-looking dogs shortly after the pole-snapping incident

With no time to run back and grab the second pole, Hank and the team left the starting gate pole-less.  Mushers use ski poles to pole with one hand, often paddling with their opposing leg in a fluid motion.  It helps the dogs along the trail and also works well to keep the musher warm and awake.  Hank found a stick 70 miles down the trail which served as a rudimentary pole.

If required gear gets lost/damaged during Iditarod, a team's support crew are allowed to ship replacement items to a check point for the musher to pick up. We quickly took the other pole to the US post office and mailed it to McGrath, 300 miles into the race and the first place it would arrive in time for Hank to receive.  As the postal worker put stickers and tags on it addressed to "Iditarod Checker, for Hank DeBruin, McGrath, Alaska," he commented that he had never sent such a strange parcel before.  The second ski pole was placed on board a bush plane and flown to McGrath.  It was waiting for Hank in the checker's hand when he and the team arrived in McGrath, four days later.

That pole was in Hank's hand much of the next five days, along the Kuskokwim River, through the brutal -40F temperature of Alaska's interior gold region of Cripple, and finally out onto the mighty Yukon River.  And that is likely where that pole still is.  About five miles out of the check point of Galena, a small Eskimo village on the Yukon, the ski pole got jammed in a piece of ice and lurched out of Hank's grip.  One rule with running a huge team of dogs is that you NEVER walk backwards from the team, as there is too great of risk that they can unlodge the anchor and continue on down the trail, leaving you behind.  At dawn, with -40F temperatures, being alone with no supplies is a life threatening danger.  Hank stopped the team and looked back at the ski pole standing up in the ice 10 feet behind him, and decided it wasn't worth the risk.  He and the dogs continued on.  That ski pole may still be in the Yukon River or it may be in a house in Galena.  When Hank pulled into the tiny village he mentioned to the checker that he had lost a nice ski pole about 5 miles back. The checker had raised an eye and said "Really?"  Maybe someday if Hank and the team return to the Yukon River we will learn the fate of the second ski pole.

So if you find a pole something like the one above out in the boonies of Alaska, drop Hank a line, I'm sure he would be happy to have it back!

Not resting on his Iditarod accomplishments, Hank has written a book about his Iditarod experience and he and the team are busy preparing for the 2011 Yukon Quest dogsled race. Good luck to Hank and the Winterdance huskies!

Snowflakes in the forecast! Woo hoo!

The weather forecast for Huntsville  today - look at those snowflakes!

Here at Algonquin Outfitters, we get excited about winter. It's time for skiing, snowshoeing, snowman building, sledding, skating, snowboarding and, yes, those other fun things like shoveling and winter driving.  So, when this morning's weather forecast showed the little snowflake icons for Sunday and Monday, we all gave a hearty cheer. Some people may not share our enthusiasm for snow. It is safe to predict that Sunday's snow won't last long and "real winter" won't start until late November or so.

And while we are discussing winter, here are a few dates to keep in mind:

AO presents Warren Miller's WINTERVENTION
Friday, November 5

Do you have a skiing or snowboarding problem? Do you always take "just one more" run? If you answered “yes” to either of these, it may be time for a Wintervention. Narrated by skiing icon Jonny Moseley, Warren Miller’s Wintervention is the definitive solution for the snow-obsessed. Wintervention takes riders like Chris Davenport, Jonny Moseley and Lindsey Vonn on a global tour of Alaska, Norway, Canada, Antarctica and beyond, delivering a successful Wintervention for all of us in need. Warren Miller films attract a cult-like following and mark the official start of winter for sports enthusiasts everywhere. Warren Miller premieres are an experience, a party and a phenomenon not to be missed.

Join Algonquin Outfitters for a Wintervention on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm, at the Algonquin Theatre. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Tickets are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office at 37 Main St. E., by calling the box office at (705) 789-4975 or 1-888-696-4255, ext. 2352 or on-line at algonquintheatre.ca.

For more info on the movie, visit Warren Miller Entertainment.

For a little pre-season stoke, watch the official trailer for Wintervention below:



Algonquin Outfitters presents the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Tuesday, Jan. 18 & Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011

Algonquin Outfitters is once again bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to the Algonquin Theatre for two nights. Each evening will feature a different selection of films. Get a taste of wild mountain adventures, and more, as the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour rolls into Huntsville.

For the last thirteen years, Algonquin Outfitters has hosted this spectacular showing of mountain films in Huntsville. Films in world tour bring the spirit of adventure to life on the screen. A wide variety of stories - from mountain sports, mountain culture and the environment - will entice and inspire viewers.

The tour features a collection of the most inspiring and thought-provoking action, environmental, and adventure mountain films. Traveling from remote landscapes and cultures to up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is produced by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, and features award-winning films and audience favorites from approximately 300 films entered in the annual festival in Banff, Alberta. The world tour spans the globe, making its way to North and South America, Europe, South Africa, India, Poland and Iceland.

Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Folks buying tickets for both shows can exchange their two ticket stubs for a coupon offering a 15% discount on their next purchase at Algonquin Outfitters.

Tickets  are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office at 37 Main St. E., on-line at http://www.algonquintheatre.ca, or by calling the theatre box office at (705) 789-4975, or 1-888-696-4255, ext. 2352.

For more information on the Banff Mountain Film Festival, visit the World Tour web site.

Algonquin Outfitters presents the 17th Annual Winter Fun Day
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011

Self-propelled fun in the great outdoors is once again the theme on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, kick-sledding, winter camping, ice-climbing and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to have fun in the snow. Free cross-country ski lessons are available, thanks to our friends at Ski For Life.

Stay tuned to this blog for more info!

Ice out frenzy has begun!

Someone called me the other day and commented on how that open water at the Opeongo Store sure looked inviting...

Ha Ha! They were looking at the Google Street View image in the previous post (see below), which of course is a frozen (pardon the pun) moment in time, of an unfrozen lake. This is not the case right now. Despite all the warm weather, sun and rain, lakes in Algonquin Park (and outside) remain securely frozen solid. Folks were cross-country skiing yesterday and came back with mixed reviews but the trails are still open. Many south-facing slopes are 90% snow-free though there is still knee-deep mushy snow in the woods.

 Due to its shady location the Quinzee built Feb. 19 is 

still hanging in there on March 14

 

The Igloo, built on Winter Fun Day, has 
suffered from exposure to sun, wind and rain

 The same Igloo a few weeks ago

So, you ask, any predictions yet? Given the current state of snow and ice, you might think we are headed for an early spring. Then there is the fact that, only a week ago, my ice-out guru informed me that the snow pack was "very resistant" and that Algonquin Park lake ice is solid, high-quality ice. Gazing into the ice-crystal ball, I see that it is still mid-March, so anything can happen (including a major snow storm like the one we had on March 25, 2008), night-time temps are going to be below zero all this week and the current 14-day forecast is calling for a return to seasonal (as in coolish) temps later in the month. Hmmmm.

  Gord's annual photo of the Oxtongue Lake bridge spanning a very frozen lake

My prediction is that it still too early to call and that you will visit our booth (# 4120) at the Toronto Sportsmens Show, March 17 -21, to chat about your canoe trip plans for this season. If you are a regular Sportsmens Show visitor, don't forget that the show has moved to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre!

Still life with dock, boots and solid white ice

The unusual sight of leaves blowing across a frozen lake

Get in on the spring action! 
Enter the Canoe Lake Ice-Out contest.

Winter Fun Day is coming up!

Winter fun in the great outdoors is always the theme of the annual Winter Fun Day, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Click here for Google Maps directions.

Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to simply have fun in the snow.

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, learn how to build a snow shelter, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter camping, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games and more! Representatives from MSR snowshoes will be here to talk about their latest models and let you try out a range of snowshoes and demonstrate new winter products. Lunch is always a highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare, like hotdogs and sausages, will be available.

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call the Oxtongue Lake store, 1-800-4694948 (705-635-2243).

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available.

Here is a general overview of the day:

Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 4 pm: dog sled rides - please sign up  at the dog truck to make sure you get a ride!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lesson, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, quinzee building, dog sled rides, etc.)

12 - 2: lunch

1 - 5: afternoon program (skate ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, winter camping demo, etc.)

Sunday, Feb. 21:

10 - noon: 16th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike. This is a three-hour guided exploration of the Ragged Falls area. About half the trek is on packed trails and the rest is on unmarked, unpacked trails.

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Winterdance Dog Sled Tours.

Ski lessons are provided by Ski for Life.

Winter Fun Day coming up on February 21

Winter fun in the great outdoors is always the theme of Winter Fun Day, (formerly known as the Winter Assembly), hosted by Algonquin Outfitters in Oxtongue Lake. This year is the 15th annual Winter Fun Day, so plan to join us on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009. We changed the name of the Winter Assembly to Winter Fun Day, because, well, that's what it is - a fun day of winter activity!

Snow volleyball, sponsored by NorthOnSixty, is always popular

This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake store, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, sledding, winter camping and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to have fun in the snow.

Chillin' and grillin' at Winter Fun Day!

This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You could drive a dog team, help build an igloo, try skate skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter shelters, enter a snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games (don't miss snow volleyball!)and more! Snowshoe demos are being sponsored by the Atlas Snowshoe Company and Jason Wilcox of Atlas will be on hand to explain the latest and greatest snowshoes. You can also try some really nice skis and chat with Craig Podborski (yes, he is Steve's brother), who will be on hand with a demo fleet of Alpina cross-country skis and boots.

Dan and Joan Mahony of Ski for Life are returning Saturday and Sunday, offering two scheduled lessons (basic skate and classic) and a guided ski tour. Dan is a super-enthusiastic skier, creative instructor and his lessons will be oriented towards the novice skier and the "average" skier wishing to improve their technique and confidence.

Dan Mahony (2nd from right) really "gets down" in a ski lesson...

Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away throughout the event.

For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).

Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family rate is available.

Winterdance dogs are friendly and always ready to pull!

The final schedule for the Winter Fun Day is not completely cast in stone, but in the meantime, here is a general overview of the day:

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009:

9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens

10 - 4 pm: dog sled rides. Please sign up to make sure you get a turn!

10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lesson, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, snow games, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.)

12 - 2: lunch break (light snacks and hot drinks available at Algonquin Outfitters)

1 - 5: afternoon program (skate ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, snowshoe race, ski tour, etc.)

Sunday, Feb. 22:

9:30 - noon: 15th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike

1 - 2:30: New! First annual guided ski tour of the Blue Spruce trail system, with Dan and Joan Mahony.

Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).

Dog sled rides are provided by Winterdance Dog Sled Tours.

A fun day at AO's Winter Fun Day

Cars were parked right down the road and on the other side of Hwy 60

By all accounts, the 14th Annual Algonquin Outfitters Winter Fun Day was a great success. We estimate that about 200 people visited Algonquin Outfitters in Oxtongue Lake on Saturday. The weather and snow cooperated and we were lucky that the freezing rain did not start until Sunday afternoon, just as the Ragged Falls snowshoe hike was ending.

Thanks to Jason Wilcox, lots of folks got to test drive Atlas snowshoes

All of the demos, lessons and displays were well attended. Door prize draws were a huge hit, as usual, and the excellent selection of prizes was much appreciated. Everyone seemed to have fun! We were were especially pleased with the participation level in the demos and activities. There was an excellent turnout of 21 hearty snowshoers for the Ragged Falls snowshoe hike on Sunday morning. Most of these folks were new to snowshoeing and all had a great time.

The BBQ lunch and campfire are always popular!

Summit College students and interns showing how ice climbing works

Winterdance dogs at full tilt on the Blue Spruce trails

Barb and Scott from Toronto try Inuit leg wrestling

"The blind musher and the lazy dog" was a very entertaining event!

Steve from NorthOnSixty working hard to stay ahead of his kids

Dan Mahoney from Ski for Life and a future x-c skier

Ben and Robin from the Wolf Den working on the igloo,
with some help from Heather and John

We've posted over 60 pictures of the event on the Winter Fun Day page on Facebook. You need to sign up for Facebook to see these (it's easy, free and you don't have to get addicted to to it).

You can also see a Winter Fun Day slide show on our retail blog:
http://ao-sales.blogspot.com/

Randy Mitson, our staff photo guru, has posted over 200 images of the day on his gallery on Photobucket. If you want to see all the pictures, this is the place.