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Add Yellowknife Aurora viewinG onto your Canadian Ski Holiday

AN ULTIMATE ADD ON TO ANY CANADA SKI TRIP

Seeing the northern lights is at the top of everyone’s bucket list, and it’s easier than you think to tack it onto your ski trip in Canada this winter.

BY NATALIA JASTRZAB

Choose your own lights adventure: Spend a few nights at Aurora Village, a well-known viewing location in Yellowknife, owned and operated by First Nations people of the area. Relax by the fire in one of the teepees while you wait for the aurora, sipping a hot drink and grabbing dinner from the licensed dining hall. Or book a heated, 360-degree revolving swivel chair for a luxe experience. For those who want to get well off the beaten track, it’s also worth booking a stay at Blachford Lake Lodge, just a 25-minute bush plane ride from Yellowknife. A premium experience with an onsite chef and incredible activities, you can enjoy the northern lights from the hot tub or the huge Aurora-watching windows in the main lodge.

What else is there to do: Check out the thriving township of Yellowknife, with many shops, restaurants and local pubs. Or book tours such as dog sledding, snowshoeing, ice fishing and dream catcher lessons. Local tips: The aurora is at its best from 11pm to 1am, so be prepared to lose some sleep for a good cause. Also, your regular ski gear won’t cut it for the cold here - you’ll need to rent extra-warm jackets, pants, boots and gloves while visiting. You can book your flights to Yellowknife when you sort your international airfares from Australia - via Air Canada, or Qantas with Canadian domestic partner WestJet. Book your add on adventure through MySnow Holidays or Skimax Holidays. BONUS FLIGHT BOOKING HACK

BY PLANNING CAREFULLY, YOU CAN MAXIMISE YOUR CHANCES of seeing the natural phenomenon to beat them all - and get the pics to prove it. Here’s our guide to Aurora Viewing, with all the information you need to get planning. Where to go: Head to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. A mix of perfect conditions ensures the town’s status as the Aurora Capital of the World. How to get there: Yellowknife is just a 2-hour direct flight from Vancouver, Edmonton or Calgary - so easy access from your skiing adventures throughout British Columbia or Alberta. When to go: Anytime from late December through to March, which times perfectly with the ski seasons. Plan to stay a minimum of four nights.

Tuktoyaktuk

Inuvik

Combine Banff with a Yellowknife add-on, photo by Grant Gunderson

Yukon Territories

Nunavut

Northwest Territories

Yellowknife

BOOKINGS

The Canadian ski season from December to March times perfectly with winter Aurora viewing in Yellowknife’s Northwest Territories, renowned to be the Aurora Capital of the World. Ask your preferred travel agent about Aurora Village or Blachford Lake Lodge as aurora viewing options to add onto your Canadian ski holiday. Manitoba Quebec

Newfoundland and Labrador

British Columbia

Alberta

Call your travel agent or ski specialist Ski Max 02 9267 1655 My Snow Holidays 1300 697 669 NS PEI

Edmonton

Jasper

Saskatchewan

Sun Peaks

Kicking Horse

Whistler Blackcomb

Lake Louise

Revelstoke

Banff

NB

Ontario Learn more: www.spectacularnwt.com/aurora

Mt. Norquay

Vancouver Victoria

Calgary

Silverstar Big White

Banff Sunshine

Montreal

OTTAWA

Only a 2 hour direct flight from Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton

36 I

Toronto

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