Doing Stuff Outdoors

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We’re going to take you paragliding on this edition of DSO. I know I said I was finished with snow for a while but I couldn’t resist running this feature. When I was skiing at Panorama Mountain in British Columbia back in March I came across a group of paragliders. They were holding their annual Easter Paragliding Festival. I hung around and watched for a while and got talking to the organizer Max Fanderl. He was born in Germany and came to Canada in 1992. This guy lives for flying and he flies everything… airplanes, gliders, ultra-lights, hang gliders and of course paragliders. They’re those things that look like a cross between a parachute and a kite. In the winter they take off on skis and in the summer they just run and jump off mountains. I had an interesting conversation with Max at the launch site on the mountain, about the sport, the appeal and the risks involved. We also talked to Max about his upcoming participation in the X-Alps, said to be one of the toughest Adventure Races in the world. (Look for this paragliding feature as an HD Video segment of Doing Stuff Outdoors in the fall)

We’ll also have more of your comments about the program and about outdoor things. Roman from the Lighthiker’s World blog sends along a nice note and Anthony Jones of Anthony’s Audio Journal sends us an audio comment. We’ve thrown in a great cut of podsafe music from Blake Morgan. I’ve also started a Twitter account. It’s called ‘doingstuff’. I couldn’t fit the word ‘Outdoors’ into the title. Anyway… don’t know much about all this social networking stuff but I though Twitter might be a good way to keep in touch with listeners and a way for you to let me know what you’re up to in the outdoors. So follow me and I’d like to follow you on Twitter.

You can also call your comments in to the comments line at 206.600.4557. Email me at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca or leave a comment on the webpage at doingstuffoutdoors.com. Next time on the show we’ll tell you about a new program designed to protect and preserve wilderness areas called ‘The Big Wild’.

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In this edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors we’re going sailing….or at least we’ll talk to a man who lives and breathes the sea. It took him three years but he built his own day-sailor out of wood following traditional boat building plans.  We’ll talk about the joy you get from sailing in a wooden boat that you built yourself.

And we all have visions of the mighty Nile River.  Thanks to our friends at the Outdoors Station we’ll hear about a tour operator who organizes amazing kayaking expeditions along the Nile.

Also today… more of your comments including a look at a new product that allows you to create your own 3D trail maps of routes in the Canadian Rockies.  And we’ll talk a little about getting outdoors with kids.  Plus more podsafe music from Great Big Sea.

Call in your comments, suggestions and outdoor adventures to the comments line at 206-600-4557. Email Gary at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca and subscribe to DSO in iTunes.
Next week we’ll take you paragliding in the mountains…..

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We take one last look at skiing and snow on this episode. Gary and a group of his regular gang of backcountry skiers sneak away for a late season weekend of skiing in the Chic Choc Mountains of the Gaspe Peninsula in the province of Quebec. This area and these mountains are a hidden gem. They’re a continuation of the Appalachian Range with the highest peak a little over 4,000 feet in elevation. But these hills have a big mountain feel to them. Much of the terrain is above tree line and the area is known for it’s abundant snow and fabulous backcounty skiing and hiking. But the secret is getting out, especially the popular hut to hut ski treks. Gary ran into a group of mainly first time Chic Choc skiers from New England. They talk about their adventures in the area and late season skiing, not just in Gaspe but also the legendary Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington in New Hampshire.

Lone Blagdon has more Trail Magic for us. He picks up his Appalachian Trail adventure at the Nantahala Outdoor Centre in North Carolina where he meets a thru hiker who has to quit the trail and passes on some goodies to Lorne and his daughter. Also in this account… revenge of the chili dogs, dry beans for breakfast, the luxury of a hot shower and beware of falling trees.

We’ll also feature some of your feedback including another ‘Where To Get Stuff’ suggestion… Campmor. Podsafe music from the popular Atlantic Canadian band Great Big Sea.

If you’d like to recommend your favorite place to get outdoor gear or your favorite trail or place to hike contact us by email at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca or call our comments line at 206.600.4557.

Doing_Stuff_Outdoors-45.mp3

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In April 2008, Kimber Sider and her horse Kat are embarking on an incredible adventure. They’ll ride west from Nova Scotia with a goal of the Pacific Coast of Canada, 6,000+km and 5-6 months down the road. Her driving inspiration is Barbara Kingscote’s 1949 journey from Mascouche, Quebec to Vancouver, British Columbia. Our feature interview on the show is with Kimber Sider.

Bob Cartwright from The Outdoors Station sends along an interview he did at the recent Canoe Expo in Stoneleigh in the UK with one of the owners of Ocean Paddler Magazine.

Gary talks about the post he found in the Lighthiker’s World blog listing some favorite outdoor podcasts including SNEWS Live, the Dirtbag Diaries and DSO.

Podsafe music this episode from The Wyrd Sisters, aptly named ‘Canada’s First Ladies of Folk’ by international music critics.

Call in your comments, suggestions and outdoor adventures to the comments line at 206-600-4557. Email Gary at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca and subscribe to DSO in iTunes.

Next week on the show more Trail Magic from Lorne Blagdon and a final backcountry ski trip to the Chic Chocs.

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Gary winds up his skiing adventure in British Columbia with a visit to Panorama Mountain Village near Invermere.  Panorama is an immense mountain with 4,000 feet of vertical, awe inspiring views everywhere you look, uncrowded slopes and amazing backcountry style skiing right off the lift.  We’ll meet some folks who live year round at the mountain and enjoy that west coast, outdoors lifestyle.  We’ll hear about the early days of skiing on the mountain and explore the backcountry opportunities that surround the resort.  Skiing is now over for the season at Panorama but the outdoor adventure continues through the summer.  Check out the website.

Next time on the show we’ll meet a woman with a passion for horses who’s about to embark on a 6,000 km plus ride across Canada from coast to coast.  Call in and record your comments at 206.600.4557 or email Gary at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

Be active… be healthy and enjoy the outdoors.

(I hope you enjoyed the last podcast from Purcell Mountain Lodge-DSO-43.  One of the big surprises of the trip was my close encounter with a small avalanche.  Here are some photos and an account of that adventure from a recent column for the local paper.)

 

I just got back from an amazing two weeks of skiing in western Canada.  Getting there and returning had some challenges but that’s a story for another day.  Likewise the experience of skiing at a mountain lodge only accessible by helicopter is another incredible experience worthy of a detailed account.  I’ll save that for later too.  What I want to tell you about now is that instant during a sunny, blue sky day on a backcountry slope in the Purcell Mountains when the earth moved.

 

I know the avalanche danger has been high this winter in the mountains of western North America.  There have been record numbers of slides and deaths because of an unstable snow pack.  The first day we arrived by chopper at this luxurious lodge situated in a beautiful alpine meadow, 7,200 feet above sea level, we all received the mandatory instruction in avalanche rescue.  We learned how to wear and use the avalanche beacons.  We practiced using the device to search for a victim buried under the snow.  Our guides showed us the proper way to use the probes to poke through the snow and how to dig out around the buried person using our collapsible snow shovels.  We were told how to locate the victims head and work at freeing his breathing passages.  This is the same routine training people receive when they enter the backcountry, either to go heliskiing or like us, attaching skins to our skis and climbing into alpine areas using our own power.  Nobody ever thinks they’re going to need the training.  That would be a wrong assumption.

 

On our second day at the lodge we headed out early for a full day in the backcountry.  The sun burned our faces as we climbed through the trees to a higher elevation.  This one particular slope was steep at the top, about a 30 degree pitch, steep enough to avalanche but then it quickly flattened out.  That proved to be a good thing.  There were six of us in the group and two guides.  I skied down last because I was shooting video of the others making turns through the untracked powder.  Everyone else had skied down and stopped on a ridge just out of my sight but they could all see me.   I put the camera in my pack and started down the slope.  My first turn was to the left and I could see two large fracture lines in the snow.  I thought to myself that doesn’t look good.  As I initiated my next turn something didn’t feel right.  I looked down and saw the snow under my skis cracking and swirling.  I glanced sideways and saw that I was moving down the slope along with all the snow.  I instantly knew I was caught in an avalanche and I got scared.  This wasn’t supposed to happen, especially to a maritimer on his first backcountry expedition into the big mountains.  Fortunately the slide was short lived.  Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.  I can’t remember hearing any sound either.  Luckily I was at the edge of the slide and skied off to the side toward some trees.  The moving snow covered my downhill ski and tried to pull it down but I managed to shake it loose and ski away.  As quickly as the slide had started it ended.  Everything was silent and I was fine.  I couldn’t see the others down the slope and didn’t know whether to yell for help or just get out of there as quickly as possible.  In the end I skied down as fast as I could keeping well away from the avalanche.  When I joined the others I realized they had seen the whole thing and were more concerned about my welfare than I probably was.  The guides told me I did exactly what I should have done by skiing out of the avalanche.  Believe me, it was an easy decision to make.

 

We all went back to examine the slide.  The guides called it a level one slab avalanche caused by a persistent weak layer of snow.  They even knew the day it formed back in February.  The slope slid for about 60 feet and left a debris pile over a meter high.  This was a small avalanche and there was no danger of being buried in it but I could have twisted an ankle or worse if I’d gotten caught up in the mess at the bottom.  Our guides measured the slide, dug in the snow and took photographs.  It was an excellent opportunity for them to study an avalanche close up.

Leaving the area we had to traverse across a steep slope with overhanging cornices.  We did it one at a time to minimize avalanche exposure.  After my experience I was understandably shaken a little and surprised by how quickly I skied across that slope.  I think it was the fastest I’d moved all day.

 

That night the guides presented me with a special drink made up of a number of different liquors and topped off with a mountain of whipped cream.  They called it appropriately the ‘Avalanche’.  I drank and enjoyed it, thankful that I was there and able to.

 

It was a small slide but a gigantic eye opener for me and the others in our party including the guides.  The risk of avalanche is always there in backcountry alpine areas and has to be taken seriously.

 

 

 

 

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On this special edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors Gary goes to Purcell Mountain Lodge in British Columbia. It’s a slice of heaven nestled in an alpine meadow surrounded by towering summits and tumbling glaciers. This luxurious, wilderness alpine retreat is accessible only by helicopter. It’s a magical place, completely off the grid with its own water treatment plant and power generation from a nearby stream. Only a limited number of visitors are permitted each year. They come for hiking in the summer and the champaign powder in the winter. Guests can choose from backcountry touring with skis or snowboards, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or even tobogganing. It’s a winter wonderland.

Gary joined five others for a four day telemark backcountry adventure. There were plenty of fresh tracks through knee deep powder every day. They experienced 2000-foot descents through treed glades and in alpine bowls. And there were some surprises thrown in as well. Gary recorded an audio diary every day with all the skiers, the two guides and lodge staff. You’ll hear about all the experiences, all the stories and adventures… it’s like being at Purcell Mountain Lodge yourself. Enjoy.

Next week Gary wraps up his BC skiing adventure with a visit to Panorama Mountain Village.

Call in your comments, suggestions and outdoor adventures to the comments line at 206-600-4557. Email Gary at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca and subscribe to DSO in iTunes.

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Gary is back from his skiing adventure in British Columbia. He’ll share the trip with you over the next three programs. We’ll begin in the town of Golden, BC at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. This is one big mountain. Kicking Horse boasts the longest vertical in the Kootenay Rockies at 4,133 feet. It has 106 runs, 70 inbound chutes and 2750 acres of terrain. We’ll learn about the history of the ski resort and the railroad town of Golden. We’ll meet some of the local characters who ski here including a young telemarker from Calgary and a 72 year old skier who loves the steeps and skis with a camera on his helmet. We’ll visit with some first time Kicking Horse skiers from Toronto and a member of the trail crew who works on avalanche control.

During his time in the area Gary stayed at a fabulous Bed & Breakfast in Golden called Home Lodge. We’ll meet the owners Simon and Lynn who escaped to the mountains of British Columbia a few years ago from Britain. And finally we’ll get to know a guy from the U.S who’s been coming to to Kicking Horse every winter for the past six years.

Next week Gary takes us to Purcell Mountain Lodge for some of the best backcountry skiing in the world. Call in your comments, suggestions and outdoor adventures to the comments line at 206-600-4557. Email Gary at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca and subscribe to DSO in iTunes.

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Welcome to the very first full video edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors. We didn’t know what to call it so we picked the incredibly original title of DoingStuffOutdoorsTV. (We had to call it something different from the audio version) This first episode is all about the sport and art of ice climbing. This is where people armed with ice axes and crampons tackle a frozen waterfall for fun. We went to the annual Ice Festival held on an island in the Kennebecasis River near Saint John in New Brunswick. Some of the best ice climbers from the region gather for this event and it attracts many beginners too.

We interviewed three climbers, Joe Kennedy, Denise Hamel and Steve Adamson. Steve is known as the grandfather of climbing in this area with many mountaineering expeditions from all over the world under his belt. They tell us what the experience and adventure of ice climbing is all about and why they do it.

We hope you enjoy the program. If you do let us know by calling our comments line at 206.600.4557. You can email us at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca or leave a comment here on this page. And if you like the stuff you find here be sure to subscribe to Doing Stuff Outdoors in iTunes and encourage your fellow outdoor enthusiasts to do the same.

Gary is out in the Canadian Rockies right now skiing and gathering more video and audio content for DSO. He’ll be back in two weeks with another audio edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors.

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It’s all about ice this time on DSO. First Gary and a group of his backcountry skiing buddies explore a frozen river in New Brunswick. It’s a trip they do every year, venturing through a wilderness area to reach the headwaters of the Kennebecasis River. It’s always an amazing ski through some breathtakingly beautiful scenery but skiing on a frozen, fast moving river presents some unique challenges, especially if the ice is unstable. Listen in as the group recounts the adventure as they take a break beside an old covered bridge.

From a frozen river we go next to Jasper National Park in Alberta for an icewalk along the floor of the Maligne Canyon, one of North America’s deepest. Warren Isbister tells us about the guided trip he took past frozen waterfalls with ‘Beyond the Beaten Path’.

And finally on this program we link up with Bob Cartwright of The Outdoors Station in the UK. Bob is the producer of some fabulous outdoor audio and video podcasts. He sent along an interview he did with Ed Bassett of EB Adventures at the UK’s first Canoe Expo. EB Adventures is an adventure travel company that specializes in kayaking trips and expeditions.

Next week you should be able to watch the very first full video edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors. It’s a program about ice-climbing. We’ll be back with another regular audio edition of DSO in about three weeks. Gary’s going to be in British Columbia doing some backcountry telemark and lift skiing and collecting audio and video content for future programs.

If you have suggestions for the show or stories you’d like us to do call our comments line at 206.600.4557, email me at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca or leave a comment on our webpage at doingstuffoutdoors.com. And if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to Doing Stuff Outdoors in iTunes and other podcast directories. And enjoy the outdoors.