With snow staying on the ground and temperatures consistently below zero, it officially feels like winter here in Calgary. That’s got us reflecting on what the next few months will look like and what we want to accomplish before spring hits. (Yes, trust us, before we know it, winter will be over and shoulder season will be here.)

Read on for three things we’re excited to try this winter, and please join our new, free Go Outside Subscriber Chat to share your ideas and hear about what other outdoor enthusiasts are excited to try.

Substack recently launched a chat feature that’s now available for Android users (in addition to iOS) and Annalise has spent a couple weeks creeping on this feature. To be honest, she was skeptical (who needs yet another app in their life!?) but has learned a lot after observing how other creators are making use of subscriber chats. Given the nature of what we write about, we see big potential in terms of having Go Outside readers use our chat to share conditions, ideas and questions in real time. We’ve put instructions on how to join our chat at the end of this post, so read on and join. But first, here’s what we’re excited to try this winter:

Go Somewhere We’ve Never Been Before

Cailynn is looking forward to trying the cross-country ski trails at Sandy McNabb, a 37-km network of groomed, tracked trails about an hour from Calgary. (Note there are also all-season hiking, biking and snowshoe trails in the area.) Annalise has been here before (hence these photos) and says conditions are quite temperamental, so it’s a great option when snow conditions are good. It’s a lot less busy than most of the other cross-country trails near Calgary.

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Annalise is looking forward to checking out Leighton Art Centre with Cailynn, a year-round museum, art gallery and shop in AC and Barbara Leightons’ historic home that sits on 80 acres of land in the foothills. Visitors are encouraged to take in the stunning views and pack snowshoes to enjoy the centre’s walking trails (including a 3.5-km Bird Box Art Walk).

Improve an Existing Winter Skill

Annalise has signed up for four mornings of weekly adult ski lessons at Lake Louise in February, and is excited to kick her downhill skiing up a notch after a couple of winters of less skiing than desired (thanks to a difficult pregnancy and then a brand new baby!) You’re never too old to learn new skills or improve on existing ones, and weekly ski lessons (offered for all levels) come highly recommended from several of our friends.

One of the big pieces of advice we always give to people who want to get into a new sport or get more comfortable with an existing hobby is to go with an experienced friend who can teach you, or, better yet, pay an expert. It’s so worth it to learn from people who know what they’re doing and how to share their skills with you. Now, to find someone who can teach Annalise how to get comfortable winter biking!

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Make the Most of Winter in the City

From free skating rinks to ski and bike trails, Calgary is full of outdoor opportunities you can walk or take transit to. Annalise recently stopped by the opening of the University District’s new temperature-controlled outdoor skating rink (complete with fire pits) and was pleasantly surprised to see so many people outside on a grey Sunday. You need not get in a car and drive for an hour or two to enjoy the outdoors this winter.

Daorcey Le Bray @Daorcey

This afternoon, my family biked to Olympic Plaza for skating, and followed that up with a fireside patio dinner on Stephen Avenue. I dig this winter city.

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Do join our free Go Outside Subscriber Chat to share what you’re excited to try this winter, and hear about what other outdoor enthusiasts are looking forward to.

How to get started on the Go Outside Subscriber Chat

Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.

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Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

That’s it! Jump into the Go Outside thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

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⛰️🥾️ Go Outside is written by Annalise & Cailynn — writers, outdoor enthusiasts and sisters who’ve been hiking, biking and skiing near Calgary since childhood and continue to be happiest outside.

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Three Things We're Excited To Try This Winter…