Sherwood Park Outdoor Activities

The plane's metal door slides open to the sound of pounding wind. A skydiving instructor and his student step to the edge. At the signal, they plunge into nothingness, more than 12,500 feet above mountains and rolling country landscape. For one exhilarating minute, the earth approaches at 200 kilometres per hour. Then, the instructor pulls the cord and the two begin floating together toward the ground, enjoying a fantastic view that satellites often take for granted.

It's all part of a day's work for the instructors at Edmonton Skydive Centre. Building on a 25-year legacy, they prep students for first-jump courses or help them through the eight levels of Accelerated Free Fall programs, which cover a blend of CSPA requirements, technical basics, and hand signals for making small talk with eagles. They and their students then gather up the proper TSO-approved gear, board a DHC-6 Super Twin Otter, and hit the skies for hands-on solo training.

DevonRidge Farms spreads out across 110 acres of verdant countryside, where horses reside in outdoor boarding stalls and trainers keep close watch on all goings on. In the broad confines of a 100'x200' outdoor riding ring and a 70'x160' indoor arena, instructors help riders to sharpen their skills atop calm, well-trained lesson horses that never blow red lights or roll through stop signs. The staff also breeds connemara ponies on-site, calling upon more than two decades of horse-rearing experience.

An arboreal mix of towering evergreens and the ever-changing leaves of deciduous trees skirt the spacious fairways of Fort In View Golf Course's 27-hole facility. Pleasant challenges and beautiful backdrops accompany golfers as they roll their golf balls through three nine-hole sides, Buck, Clark, and Simpson—par 36, 35, and 35, respectively. Seven ponds lie throughout the track, harrying tee shots on Buck's second hole, Clark's sixth hole, and Simpson third hole and leading many golfers to attempt to attach water wings to their golf balls.

Course at a Glance:

• Three nine-hole sides
• Max 18-hole length of 6,580 yards from the back tees
• Max 18-hole rating of 69.8 from the back tees
• Max 18-hole slope of 113 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

More than 40 acres of downhill trails, some extending as long as a mile, traverse the tree-dappled slopes at Rabbit Hill Snow Resort. There are three terrain parks here, all filled with enough boxes, rails, tubes, and jumps to keep you shredding and flying through the air all day. To help visitors surmount trails ranging from green circles to double black diamonds, instructors lead one- to three-day private and group lessons and multiday skiing and snowboarding camps.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada's Team In Training (TNT) has led more than 450,000 volunteers in raising more than $1 billion for blood-cancer research, public education, and patient-aid programs. As participants fundraise to qualify for a fall-season race ($3,500–$5,000 minimum based on the event), they also receive a 24-week training program under the tutelage of esteemed coaches who prepare team members to run, walk, or form a chorus kick-line during marathons and half-marathons. Upon reaching fundraising goals, registrants receive entrance to their chosen event, including airfare and a two- to three-night hotel stay.

The imaginative designers behind the Homes for the Holidays Tour join creative forces every year, bedazzling five local residences with eye-grabbing cheer from the inside out. All of the homes have sufficiently prepared for Santa’s arrival, boasting walls strung with holly, trees adorned with twinkling lights, and cabinets stocked with cookies and barrel-aged bourbon. Homeowners invite touring parties to explore their winter wonderlands and garner inspirations for their own holiday decorations. All proceeds from the Homes for Holidays Tour support all of the charitable foundations supported by the Junior League of Edmonton, including the Kids Help Phone.