Recreational snowmobiling is prohibited in the Canadian Rockies’ national parks but, once outside the protected boundaries, snowmobiling is a pastime thousands of Albertans enjoy from November to May every year. If you have your own snowmobile, ZeeLINX will help locate the best areas to explore, from the Rockies to Revelstoke, British Columbia. We will also help connect you to vital avalanche information, such as where to rent or buy avalanche transceivers, shovels and probes and where to sign up for courses to learn how to stay away from avalanche terrain in the first place. If you’re new to snowmobiling, ZeeLINX will sign you up with one of several tour operators in the region who’ll gladly take you out for a spin in the snow.

Some operators provide transportation from Banff or Canmore to places such as British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains. Once there, professional snowmobile guides will instruct you how to handle one of their 205-kilogram (450-pound), $6,000 machines. They will also help you suit up, fit you with a helmet and demonstrate how to operate the dashboard’s critical knobs and switches. Then, you’re off. Your first movements might be a little jerky as you sort through the throttle range. But after a few practice laps on flat ground you’ll be ready to play ‘Follow the Leader’ up a snow-covered fire road. Tight corners, uphill sprints, bouncy straights, banked curves – snowmobiling might be more exercise than you’d expect as you work your upper body throwing yourself from one side of the machine to the other. Your legs can get a workout too, as you work to keep your feet from slipping off the running boards. It’s bumpy and noisy and smells of gasoline but, hey man, snowmobiling is fun. Bring your camera along. Many tours include high lookout points from which to gaze across endless snow-covered peaks. Guided snowmobile tours cost from $179 per person for a half-day to $239 for a full, six-hour day, including a trailside lunch. Many outfitters will include the requisite snowmobile suits, mitts, boots and helmets to protect you from cold and injury. The terrain you explore might range from valley bottom trails to untracked snowfields as high as 2,750 metres (9,000 feet).

For a complete winter getaway, some outfitters include trips into remote backcountry cabins where, after a full day’s riding in the snow, you can indulge in a barbecue steak dinner, then settle in by a cozy fireplace and sip a warm drink. Tours are often graded for beginners, families and advanced riders.

Experience the thrill of riding hills so steep in the Canadian Rockies that, if it weren’t for your seatbelt, you’d be performing a Superman stunt out the front windshield. Be wowed by the off-road vehicles’ handling capabilities on banked corners and tilted roads. Splash through mud puddles that toss waves high over your head. Although Canmore and Banff are immediately surrounded by protected National and Provincial parklands, a one or two-hour drive to the east or west will take you to undeveloped areas where off-roading is permitted. While they’re having fun, respected tour operators share a keen interest in their wild and natural mountain surroundings. Explore the Beaverfoot River’s rugged terrain west of Yoho National Park or the Toby Creek area near Invermere, B.C. with experienced guides who’ll hand out binoculars and tips for spotting wildlife including deer, eagles and bears. Marvel at marshlands, rushing glacier-fed creeks and rivers, cascading waterfalls, wildflowers, fragrant spruce forests and panoramic views of untouched Rockies peaks that stretch for miles. Better yet, climb to a mountaintop reaching 2,745 metres (9,000 feet) above sea level and discover silver mine ruins along the way.

Tour options range from $39 per person for a one-hour trip to $209 for a full-day outing that includes dinner at a rustic mountain lodge. Most tours include lunch, snacks and beverages as well as binoculars, weatherproof outerwear, helmets and experienced, enthusiastic guides. Most can also accommodate pick-ups and drop-offs in Banff or Canmore. While predominately a summer activity, some tours are available year-round. Many tour companies will plan a custom tour based on your interests and schedule. Indulge in the luxury of a Hummer or bounce along on rugged dirt trails as you pilot your own ATV. Either way the vast and wild surroundings of Western Canada’s mountains will intoxicate.