While I was up in British Columbia, after wine touring in the Okanagan we headed to Sun Peaks for some winter adventures. My original itinerary included a full day of snowboarding which I was thrilled about. When an opportunity came up to go dog sledding also, I could not say no. My snowboarding time got cut in half but I was okay with that since going dog sledding has been something I have wanted to do for a while. Yay!

Pre-Dog Sledding

I was signed up to go dogsledding with Mountain Man Adventures. Before I went out, I signed a waiver form at Adventure Centre at Sun Peaks Day Lodge where you can sign up for different activities like dog sledding or rent snowshoes.

After I signed my forms, I walked to a free shuttle bus stop to take a bus to where Mountain Man Adventures is based (a few minutes from the Village). When I rode the bus, a couple and their kids from Australia asked if I was dog sledding and they told me they had done it a few days before and loved it. I was so excited!

Besides myself, there were two couples that were also signed up for dog sledding. There were two guides as well as the owner, Chris Schwanke, who was going to be my guide for the day.

I was a bit nervous, as I always am before doing something for the first time. Chris is very experienced and has worked at several dog sledding companies in BC and Alberta before starting his own outfit with his wife Taryn at Sun Peaks. He made me feel very at ease.

At first, he drove the sled while I sat in the sled and was able to film and shoot photos. After a while, he gave me the option to man the sled which I did about 4 times. Having Chris as my guide was amazing because I was able to ask questions about dog sledding, his experience, his dogs, and anything else I was curious about. I can’t recommend Mountain Man Adventures enough.

Chariot awaits!

My dog sled crew

My sled crew!

Lead dogs: Sparkey and Zelda

Point dogs: Spy and Jewels

Team: Nakita

Wheel: Barkley and Norman

Some photos from the tour

Beautiful scenery while dog sledding

I loved the scenery where we went sledding! Check out this beaver lodge!

Of course, I had to GoPro selfie!

When we returned from our excursion, we fed the dogs treats and were able to pet some of them and take photos.

Sparkey is smiling just like I was!

Give me a treat!

Afterward, we were allowed to play with their 10-week old puppies! I love dogs so I was in absolute heaven. Had I not had snowboarding planned for the afternoon, I could have easily stayed and played with them all day.

Puppy kisses!

Look at how cute they are!

I couldn’t help but love the puppies!

Here’s a 2-minute dog sledding video edit that I filmed on my GoPros

Some helpful tips for dog sledding: 

• Wear comfortable shoes for the snow. No ski/snowboard boots! I wore my Nike Sneaker Boots which are waterproof
• Wear warm layers and winter clothing
• Wear gloves or mitts and if your hands get cold easily, bring some hand warmers.
• Don’t forget to bring your camera/smartphone/GoPro

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**Special thanks to the Wine Institute of BC, Destination BC, Sun Peaks Resort, Mountain Man Adventures, and the Winter Okanagan Wine Festival for their support. As always, opinions stated are solely my own.**