Just booked for Feb 2019. Looks wonderful and I’m very excited. Any one else going on this one? Any hints and tips from previous travellers? Especially about what to wear as it’s going to be COLD. Looking forward to meeting any fellow travellers.

I did this trip last year and it was amazing. One of the best trips I've ever been on. Hopefully you will get Patrick Twomey as your tour manager, he comes from the area and is so passionate and knowledgeable about the area and full of advice too.

In terms of what to wear I would suggest packing many layers as yes outside it is cold but once you get into buildings you would want to be able to take a few layers off easily.  I would also recommend sunglasses with polorized lenses as when the sun is out and shining on the snow it can get very bright. I also took snow boots and ski pants which came in handy for the very cold days. On average when I was there temperature ranged between minus 30 and plus 5. When doing the sledge ride make sure you have a lot of layers on as you are not moving it makes the cold feel 100 times worse and was only time I felt ridiculously cold.

I wore lined trousers every day with long johns on the colder days.

I have a good quality down jacket which with a long sleeved shirt and sweater I found was enough to keep my top half warm even the morning when it was -35C, it was only the exposed parts of my face that felt the cold that day.

I wore hiking boots with one pair of thick socks and don't remember having cold feet, although they didn't feel particularly warm on the coldest morning.

You will need good gloves - I managed to buy (before going) a pair of mittens where the part covering my fingers could be folded back allowing me to take photos without removing gloves every time.

Our "warmest" day was the last day in Calgary where it was probably about, or just above, freezing. That was quite a raw cold as it felt slightly damp as well; everywhere else it was a dry cold which much nicer.

Enjoy the trip and I hope you don't have the same detour we had to get from Banff to Jasper. They were clearing potential avalanche sites on the direct route and we had to go via the outskirts of Calgary and Edmonton - over 8 hours on the coach.

Peter

Kezzer

There are two reviews from this trip which you might find helpful - Mikew of Jan 2018 and mine of Jan 2017.

Layers and insulation are required for this trip. Your M&S coat will not do!!!

Regards

Sylvia

Just booked for Feb 2019. Looks wonderful and I’m very excited. Any one else going on this one? Any hints and tips from previous travellers? Especially about what to wear as it’s going to be COLD. Looking forward to meeting any fellow travellers.

I did this trip last year and it was amazing. One of the best trips I've ever been on. Hopefully you will get Patrick Twomey as your tour manager, he comes from the area and is so passionate and knowledgeable about the area and full of advice too.

In terms of what to wear I would suggest packing many layers as yes outside it is cold but once you get into buildings you would want to be able to take a few layers off easily.  I would also recommend sunglasses with polorized lenses as when the sun is out and shining on the snow it can get very bright. I also took snow boots and ski pants which came in handy for the very cold days. On average when I was there temperature ranged between minus 30 and plus 5. When doing the sledge ride make sure you have a lot of layers on as you are not moving it makes the cold feel 100 times worse and was only time I felt ridiculously cold.

Just booked for Feb 2019. Looks wonderful and I’m very excited. Any one else going on this one? Any hints and tips from previous travellers? Especially about what to wear as it’s going to be COLD. Looking forward to meeting any fellow travellers.

I did this trip last year and it was amazing. One of the best trips I've ever been on. Hopefully you will get Patrick Twomey as your tour manager, he comes from the area and is so passionate and knowledgeable about the area and full of advice too.

In terms of what to wear I would suggest packing many layers as yes outside it is cold but once you get into buildings you would want to be able to take a few layers off easily.  I would also recommend sunglasses with polorized lenses as when the sun is out and shining on the snow it can get very bright. I also took snow boots and ski pants which came in handy for the very cold days. On average when I was there temperature ranged between minus 30 and plus 5. When doing the sledge ride make sure you have a lot of layers on as you are not moving it makes the cold feel 100 times worse and was only time I felt ridiculously cold.

Thank you for your response and advice. Really looking forward to this trip. 8 hav3 booked both optional trips too - ice walk and snowshoeing.

I did this trip earlier this year. The scenery is fantastic and you get used to the cold; at least the -10C days if its not windy.

I wore lined trousers every day with long johns on the colder days.

I have a good quality down jacket which with a long sleeved shirt and sweater I found was enough to keep my top half warm even the morning when it was -35C, it was only the exposed parts of my face that felt the cold that day.

I wore hiking boots with one pair of thick socks and don't remember having cold feet, although they didn't feel particularly warm on the coldest morning.

You will need good gloves - I managed to buy (before going) a pair of mittens where the part covering my fingers could be folded back allowing me to take photos without removing gloves every time.

Our "warmest" day was the last day in Calgary where it was probably about, or just above, freezing. That was quite a raw cold as it felt slightly damp as well; everywhere else it was a dry cold which much nicer.

Enjoy the trip and I hope you don't have the same detour we had to get from Banff to Jasper. They were clearing potential avalanche sites on the direct route and we had to go via the outskirts of Calgary and Edmonton - over 8 hours on the coach.

Peter

Thank you for your advise Peter. Did you do the optional trips?

As SylviaJ has said, I left a review of this holiday, including some tips, from January of this year. But on reading the advice given by others on this thread I can only concur with their recommendations.

Thermal underwear - top and long johns - are a MUST. I bought mine from the George range at Asda so they were relatively inexpensive but did keep out the cold. A thick jacket is of course essential (with a fur lined hood if possible) - I bought mine from Next for about £80 and it was absolutely brilliant. A woollen hat (balaclava) is also recommended together with mittens as PeterG has described. A good pair of walking boots are also essential.

As has already been mentioned, it’s a dry cold in the Rockies which doesn’t permeate through layers (unlike the damp cold we get in the UK), so providing that you wrap up warm -35C doesn’t feel as bad as it sounds!

Now, after telling you about the clothing required to keep you warm, you’re going to think my last suggestion is crazy! Take a swimming costume to enjoy the Banff Hot Springs. There’s something quite exhilarating about lounging about in an outdoor hot spring with the air temperature at -35C!

By the way, if you’ve booked the Malign Canyon icewalk, special boots, ice grips and protective headgear will be supplied at the time.

I hope you have a great time. The scenery is magnificent, majestic and truly humbling in its scale. If you get Patrick

Twomey as your TM, say hi for me - he was my TM in Chile last November as well as leading my group in the Rockies in January. He’s a local guy so knows the area well and will look after you expertly. I’m so glad that I booked this tour, it’s one of the best I’ve done and would love to return one day.

Hope this helps.

Mike

I am doing this trip in January, so it was great to get some tips on what to bring/wear.  Thank you very much for sharing.

Kezzer

Have a good trip in January. You will have to let me know how it goes.

I did this trip earlier this year. The scenery is fantastic and you get used to the cold; at least the -10C days if its not windy.

I wore lined trousers every day with long johns on the colder days.

I have a good quality down jacket which with a long sleeved shirt and sweater I found was enough to keep my top half warm even the morning when it was -35C, it was only the exposed parts of my face that felt the cold that day.

I wore hiking boots with one pair of thick socks and don't remember having cold feet, although they didn't feel particularly warm on the coldest morning.

You will need good gloves - I managed to buy (before going) a pair of mittens where the part covering my fingers could be folded back allowing me to take photos without removing gloves every time.

Our "warmest" day was the last day in Calgary where it was probably about, or just above, freezing. That was quite a raw cold as it felt slightly damp as well; everywhere else it was a dry cold which much nicer.

Enjoy the trip and I hope you don't have the same detour we had to get from Banff to Jasper. They were clearing potential avalanche sites on the direct route and we had to go via the outskirts of Calgary and Edmonton - over 8 hours on the coach.

Peter

Thank you for your advise Peter. Did you do the optional trips?

Yes, I did both the optional trips. The Maligne Gorge is a "must do" as there are spectacular ice formations in the gorge. When you get into the gorge it's pretty cold but worth it for the frozen waterfalls etc and looking up to see the sun shining on the snowladen trees.

The snowshoe walk we did was through the woods not far from the hotel, not on the lake. It's quite hard work , but the pace is slow with frequent stops for photos and the trees covered with thick snow are beautiful, although every now and then you might get covered in powdery snow falling off the branches above you.

Wearing waterproof top and trousers is essential. I was also the "fall guy" who stood under a tree so our guide could shake it and cover me with snow for a photo opportunity for the rest of the party.