Day 2: Snowmobiling, 10 Winter Days in the Yukon

by Danielle Steller | DanielleSteller.com

After two failed attempts at seeing Aurora Borealis, our Northern adventure was in serious need of a little excitement and adrenalin. We needed to get things moving. So it was time to get skidooing! A skidoo, as Canadians call it, is more commonly referred to as a snowmobile. It is basically a motorbike built specifically for snowy terrain equipped with two skis at the front to spread weight and facilitate steering and a wide rutted track (instead of two narrow wheels) to allow for more grip and speed. It is relatively easy to balance and drive for first-timers. In rented snowmobiles you can generally only get up to speeds of 50-60km an hour while under supervision, but it doesn’t mean you can’t fit in a few cheeky skids and off-road jumps when the instructor isn’t watching!

Dee’s tip: Each skidoo fits two people comfortably. When you book snowmobile tours, make sure that it is a self-guided tour and no one else is driving your skidoo for you. This way, you have a guide on another skidoo that you can follow and that will be there to assist you, instead of driving the thing for you. No one wants that. If you are looking for fun and speed in the snow, you definitely want to have control over your own skidoo.

We drove beyond city limits to frozen-over Fish Lake, where many locals and tourists alike spend their days ice fishing or exploring the surrounding mountain ranges via skidoo, dogsled, cross-country ski’s or snowshoes. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that Whitehorse doesn’t have a ‘stay-indoors’ type of community. Instead, the locals like to get outdoors all year-round. A little Winter chill doesn’t slow them down one bit. With scenery like this, I can see why.

We drove across Fish Lake, then ascended the mountains nearby for views over Whitehorse some 5km away. Whitehorse, as usual, was covered in fog. It’s no wonder we’ve had no luck with the Northern lights!

Engines roaring, we climbed higher in altitude and reached a viewpoint that looked over Fish Lake. The landscape was absolutely stunning. I can only imagine how beautiful it would look in the Springtime with the mountains covered in wildflowers. It was one of those moments where the Yukon was calling out and telling us, “You haven’t seen all I have to offer yet”. No, we certainly haven’t.

We watched the sunset at 4pm. Yep, that’s what I said. 4pm.

Winter in the Yukon, eh!

We returned to our cabin for the night feeling buzzed. The fog set in, so we drove South to find a better vantage point for Aurora visibility. Unfortunately, we couldn’t escape the fog. We gave up at 3.00am and drove back home.

It will happen eventually, we think to ourselves. Until then, we need to do as Northerners do – get out into the Wild and interact with it in every way possible!