Snowshoeing: My (only) winter sport

Having grown up in Utah, people have certain expectations of me--one of them being that I "naturally" love to ski or snowboard. Not so, my friends.

There was a time when I loved downhill skiing, and my dad would always take us on the KSL free ski nights. I loved it--the crisp air, the bright lights on the slopes, the freezing ride up to the top of the run, the sound of the skis in the snow... all that jazz.

But free ski nights only happened every so often, and eventually they either stopped happening or we just stopped going. Several years later I tried downhill skiing again with my Knight cousins, and I ended up losing control, heading straight down a slope--my eyes watering because I was going so fast (and goggle-less)-- and colliding with some poor girl who was just learning to snowboard.

So last year a friend e-mailed me an online ad for some snowshoes, and the rest is history. The great thing about snowshoeing is that you can do it anywhere (no season pass required), anyone who is reasonably un-klutsy can do it, and it's a great workout without consciously having to think about exercise (yesterday, according to my heart rate monitor, I burned 1350 calories in 2.5 hours). In fact, another great thing about snowshoeing is that you are working hard enough tramping through the snow that coats are more of a formality (just in case the wind should pick up). So for those of you who are anti-cold, this is a winter sport that might help you get out and enjoy the beauty of nature in all of its pure white loveliness.