“Winter is when mountain ecosystems rest and recharge. Snow is next summer’s habitat for fish and waterfowl, and January's deep freezes limit colonies of insect pests hiding under the bark of pine trees.”

— Environmental scientist Erin Sexton, Hungry Horse, MT

“Winter surprises the human senses with sometimes deceptive sights and sounds. The roar of a low-flying jet turns out to be the sound of an avalanche plowing its way through dense, cold air. What looks like an approaching swarm of bugs resolves into a synchronized swirl of vividly marked bohemian waxwings, eyes masked in black, tails fringed in yellow, and wings tipped as though dipped in bright red sealing wax.”

— David Thomas, Fernie, BC

The climate of the Crown does not divide neatly into seasons. Winter weather can strike the mountain peaks any month of the year, while summer-like days in January can wake golfers and anglers from hibernation.

The snows of September and June take the greatest toll on the deciduous trees of the Crown of the Continent. Unlike the pines, cedars, and other conifers whose needles are design to shed snow, the cottonwoods and aspens drop their leaves in autumn to avoid becoming snow catchers. Caught by an off-season blizzard, these soft-sinewed members of the poplar family bend into permanent arcs, or snap in the process.

Conversely, a mid-winter freeze can suddenly break under the warmth of Pacific Ocean air pushing warm through the mountain passes. Such Chinook winds brings shorts and bikes back to the main streets, but they also strip the ski hills of their precious powder, to the disgust of visitors from England or Australia.

Nevertheless, the snow-padded hush of winter can be a bonanza for recreationists. After a November cold snap, ponds and small lakes freeze sufficiently to allow for ice skating and pond hockey. (A minimum of two inches of ice in cold weather is usually sufficient, as long as there's no open water.) Later in the winter, larger lakes freeze most years, although the freezing dates are slipping later and later into the winter, an apparent indicator of climate change. Inveterate lake skaters watch conditions closely for that narrow window between a frozen lake and the next snowstorm.

The region is awash in excellent places to enjoy cross-country skiing. Try Allison Creek in the Crowsnest Pass area, the Fernie trail system in BC's Elk Valley, Seeley Lake in Montana's Clearwater Valley, the Stillwater/Beaver Lake ski trails northwest of Whitefish, Autumn Creek Trail in Glacier National Park, or the Kimberley Nature Park. With snowshoes in deep snow, you become your own personal non-motorized, all-terrain vehicle.

Non-human species adapt to winter in sometimes surprising ways. Grizzly bears move to high elevations--ski hills are a favorite--where they scoop out dens, curl up, and wait for the thick, enduring snows that will keep them warm and hidden until spring. Rather than joining autumn's avian migrations, the dipper (water ouzel in Europe) shelters under bridges and submerges in icy streams to harvest the aquatic larvae of May, caddis, and stone flies. Earth-brown weasels transform into snow white ermine. Moose, deer, and bighorn sheep grow extra hair and simply wait out the winter, absorbing accumulated fat and scuffing the snow cover in search of freeze-dried grass. Many do not survive and become convenient frozen food for the hungry bears who emerge skinny from their dens in early spring.