Jasper to host the first-ever Canadian Rockies Snow Battle
Jasper, Alberta - Jasper will be hosting the first-ever Yukigassen tournament (that's Japanese for 'Snow Battle') in the Canadian Rockies on January 27 & 28, 2012.
The first Yukigassen tournament was held in Japan in the late 80s. By 2004 the sport grew to 190 registered teams, and events drew 28,000 spectators. Yukigassen tournaments are now held in Japan, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Australia, USA, and Canada.
Here's how it's played: Two teams of seven play on a 40-meter long snow court and attempt to capture the opposing team’s flag or eliminate their team members by hitting them with snowballs. The catch? Each team has only nine minutes split into three matches to accomplish their goal. 180 snowballs fly through the air, per period.
The Canadian Rockies Snow Battle will be part of Jasper's winter festival, which runs Jan 13-29. An Exhibition Battle will be held on the afternoon of January 27, and the Main Event on January 28.
This event does require teams, volunteers and referees.
Jasper residents and those interested in To register a team visit: CanadianRockiesSnowBattle.ca. To sign up as a referee email: [email protected]. To be a volunteer, contact: [email protected]. You can followYukigassen Canada on Twitter at @YukiCanada, and for more information on visiting Jasper, visit www.Jasper.travel |
Marmot Basin, Jasper |
Photos courtesy Tourism Jasper
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to [email protected]
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