But… it’s still winter up there Squamish.
While it’s (mostly) sunny and warm down at sea level there’s still a lot of snow in the alpine, so there’s a lot of crossover when it comes to seasonal outdoor activities for now. This time of year allows just about every outdoor activity under the sun.
But don’t get too excited: The combination of cold weather up top, warm weather down below and longer daylight hours also means that those heading out on hikes, long bike rides or treks above the receding snowline had best be prepared—not just with enough water, a light and bear spray—but enough layers to take into account rapidly changing temperatures.
As many may have discovered over the weekend when they camped out to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, the temperatures might be toasty when the sun is above the mountains, but once it drops below them the mercury will attempt to make a bee-line for single digits.
The local Search and Rescue (SAR) team put it best earlier this week, with this masthead being told that outdoor recreators should be so well-prepared they could rescue themselves if they found themselves in trouble in the outdoors, and a call for rescue to be the absolute last resort.
On Saturday, there were skiers, snowshoers, hikers, climbers, bikers—just about every sort of activity you could think of being enjoyed within a relatively tight radius around Squamish and up and down the corridor—so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the local rescue teams found themselves swept off their feet with calls.
Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case so far (touch wood), but anyone and everyone heading out into the great outdoors should be thinking safety first, second and third.
We’re all keen to get out into the sunshine, to take advantage of the last of the snow (or its recent departure), and to work off those winter blues—but let’s all play it safe and try to avoid appearing in any news sources as a cautionary tale.
