We pack a lot into the pages of every issue of Kayak, but there’s always more great stuff we just can’t fit in. So join Teeka and Beau, our otter mascots, to find out more about the theme of each issue, or just pick up some random bits of Canadian history.

Winter Fun

Hurdle Race on Snowshoes, Montreal 1892

[Photo credit: Musée McCord Museum]

Snowshoeing takes co-ordination at the best of times, so just imagine jumping over hurdles in this race in Montreal in 1892.

Physical Education hockey group, Montreal, 1921

[Photo credit: Musée McCord Museum]

Women have been out on the rink for a long time, enjoying hockey (even in skirts), as this team from McGill University in 1921 demonstrates.

Outdoor curling at The Forks National Historic Site

[Photo credit: Travel Manitoba]

Winnipeggers are a pretty tough bunch, and they know how to have fun in winter, like this group out curling on the river in 2012.

Boys coasting, Montreal, about 1875

[Photo credit: Musée McCord Museum]

Canadian kids have always loved tobogganing, and these boys sledding in Montreal in 1875 are no different.

Figure skating, Banff, about 1935

[Photo credit: Musée McCord Museum]

This woman couldn’t have found a more beautiful spot to skate than in the Rocky Mountains in 1935.

Snowshoeing on Mount Royal, Montreal, 1879

[Photo credit: Musée McCord Museum]

Talk about style! Snowshoeing was obviously a big deal for this group in their matching outfits on Mount Royal in Montreal in 1879.

Woman skiing, 1910

[Photo credit: Ontario Archives]

We definitely have warmer clothing for skiing now, but we probably don’t look as cool as this Toronto woman did in 1910.

Skating on the Rideau Canal, 2010

[Photo credit: Charles Crosbie]

It’s the world’s longest skating rink, with thousands of visitors and Ottawa people enjoying the Rideau Canal every year.

Children on a horse-drawn sled, Nova Scotia, about 1919

[Photo credit: Nova Scotia Archives]

This horse-drawn sled in Nova Scotia probably handled snow drifts back in 1919 as well as a car would now.

Boys playing ice hockey, Dawson, Yukon Territory, 1900

[Photo credit: University of Washington Libraries]

No matter how cold it is, there will always be Canadian kids outside playing hockey, like this group of boys in Dawson, Yukon in 1900.

Festival des Voyageurs

[Photo credit: Travel Manitoba]

All over Canada, carnivals and events like Winnipeg’s Festival des Voyageurs get people out enjoying winter.

Skiing at Lac Manitou, Quebec, 1905

[Photo credit: Notman photographic Archives - McCord Museum]

For some reason, these skiers at Lac Manitou, Quebec, back in 1905 didn’t use poles, but it still looks like they were enjoying themselves.