Music!

Anyone who loves Pearl Jam will appreciate this song. It's off their new album and it just feels so good! I have a lot of respect for Eddie Vedder and the rest of Pearl Jam, they have been making non-stop amazing and original music for a long time now and it doesn't look like they have lost their touch. This song is mellow and it is a great song to play in your car on the way to work in the morning. Puts me in a good mood!!!! ENJOY!

Link: Pearl Jam - Just Breathe

North Okanagan Hiking Adventures Guide!~

The Okanagan Valley has a wide variety of beautiful spots, from beaches, to cliffs, rivers and hiking trails. Recently I have compiled a nice small hiking guide that covers 5 hiking areas in the vicinity of Vernon, Lumby and Armstrong, B.C that are all in close driving distance and can easily be done in an afternoon. Most locations covered have really good swimming and camping opportunities, not to mention they are beautiful and they all offer a unique experience. Time to get out and stretch the legs before the ski season is upon us!
EnJoY!

Link: North Okanagan Hiking Adventures Guide

Colorado Climbing!

Colorado is known to most people as a magnet for serious American climbers. Rifle, Estes, Boulder, all hold a very unique reputation in the climbing world and offer a ton of options waiting to be had! Since the ice climbing and ski season is upon us I will include a few winter-ish links: the first one; The Colorado Ice Climbing conditions page, and two; 'Climbing Life', and excellent resource for ski tours, ice climbing, alpine routes and rock climbing. These are the best sites I have been able to find and they give a ample amount of information about the great climbing that Colorado offers. This is a very awesome state that has a little of everything for every type of climber! Enjoy the winter!!
Link: Climbing Life.Com
Link: Colorado Ice Climbing Conditions

Raven Adventures~Jasper, Alberta!!

In 2005, I moved from Ontario to Jasper with 12 friends of my friends from Outdoor College in Ontario. Highly trained and motivated, we somehow ended up taking over the rafting industry in Jasper. My good friends Steve and Chris now run this awesome Outdoor Adventure company called Raven Adventures and it is now one of the most successful companys in town! At the beginning the company was completely focused on Rafting and now 5 years later it has expanded due to the hard work of many Outdoor Adventure graduates and students! I am so proud to have been part of all this. I am sharing this on this page so if anyone is ever in the area and looking to do something fun and experience the beauty of Jasper, these are the guys to hook up with! Just to name a few activities; the Sunwapta River and it's awesome class III+ whitewater, Mt.Edith Cavel with its amazing alpine experience, Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon which are great mellow experiences for all ages and many more! I'm sure in the future they will be expanding their operations to include many other options!  Check them out!!
Link: Raven Adventures

Paddling In The Yukon!

SO! There is more than just Gold in the Yukon!!! Hahaha! Here is another addition to some Yukon outdoor activities information! As most paddlers know the kayaking, rafting and canoe options in this beautiful territory are vast and endless. You have everything from big long multi-day expeditions, beautiful pristine lakes, big canyons and even little play spots right near the road. Most rivers here peak during early summer and basically run dry by mid to late summer. Although the season is short and the logistics can be complicated, a river trip here is a experience not to be missed. Rivers like the Tatshenshinni, Yukon and the Liard are classics and deserve any whitewater enthusiasts attention. You also have the Wheaton River, located nearby Whitehorse that you could easily run and get in some rock climbing in the same day nearby. Included here is a link to Kayak the Yukon, which is a great page to get some basic information to get you started. A very highly recommended guidebook to aquire if you plan on heading up this way is Ken Madsen's book "Paddling in the Yukon: A Guide to the Rivers" ENJOY!!
Link: Kayak Yukon Web Page

Rock Climbing In The Yukon!

There has been a bunch of people developing some really good looking rock climbing near Whitehorse, YT. The community is strong and their site seems to cover everything you would need to get out. The rock is mainly limestone and granite, and it offers lots of sport, trad with tons of potential just waiting to be discovered. Every summer they even host a awesome bouldering festival at a place they call IBEX! The bouldering around this place looks wonderful! Just knowing this climbing exists offers another excuse for me to get up off my ass and make a trip to the Yukon! Between the amazing rivers, alpine climbing and now rock routes, a road trip here looks like it is more than worth the effort! I will be trying to add more beta about the Yukon in the near future. Enjoy this cool find!!
Link: Climb Yukon Web Page

Music!

Another addition to the music tracks for everyone to enjoy; The People Under The Stairs! They bring the old school West Coast sound back to hip hop and they make it sound sooo good! This song just reminds me that hip hop is not dead and all that horrible new radio played gangsta crap is just a joke! If you like true hip hop music listen to this track, its from their brand new album, I swear you will enjoy playing it loud on your car stereo! ENJOY!
Link: People Under The Stairs - Down In L.A

SnowBoard - Ski Season 09'

Just wishing everyone a great riding/skiing season! I know everyone is starting to jonse, the climbing/paddling season is over and it is time for the snow to fly! It is snowing in BC and some mountain resorts are even open. Be safe and hopefully everyone has some epic deep days! Here are some links to some very important Snow Reports at many resorts that in my books are worth visitng if you have not, make sure to make time for a great road trip! There are also links to Avalanche Sites/Bulletins on the sidebar of this homepage! ENJOY!!

Sunshine Village - Banff, Alberta: http://skibanff.com/conditions/snow_report.php

Kicking Horse Resort - Golden, BC: http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/mountain/information/conditions.aspx

Revelstoke Resort - Revelstoke, BC: http://www.revelstokemountainresort.com/revelstokemtn/conditions.aspx

Silver Star Mountain - Vernon, BC: http://www.skisilverstar.com/mountain_showSnowReport.html

Red Mountain - Rossland, BC: http://www.redresort.com/mountain/report/

Whitefish Mountain Resort - Whitefish, Montana, USA: http://www.skiwhitefish.com/snowreport.php

Jackson Hole - Jackson, Wyoming, USA: http://www.jacksonhole.com/mountain-info/conditions/weather-snow-report.html

Cougar Creek Crack Climbing - Kootenays!

This area is a crack climbers paradise and it is home to some of the best slab and crack climbs in the West Kootenays! Located between Nelson & Revelstoke near Valhalla Provincial Park & Slocan Lake, this crag is well worth the effort to get to. Its quite isolated, has a rough logging road + 40 minute approach and there are almost no bolted climbs, so it doesnt tend to see much traffic. But............. if this is your 'bag' and you are looking for this kind of experience this place is unbeatable. The potential here is staggering; there are a ton of boulders in the area waiting to be climbed and lots of routes waiting to be discovered, so bring a brush and a sense of adventure and you will be rewarded,  The rock here is very similar looking to Granite but it is actually Gneiss, the highest cliffs are about 150m, so two ropes can be useful and a wide assortment of gear. Get out and enjoy this place, there is also lots of other climbing around, be sure to pick up the 'West Kootenay Rock' guidebook just released which includes the Valhallas & Slocan City Bluffs, both nearby and also highly recommended as a part of the trip! Come spend a week even! ENjoY

Included here is a very great in-depth guide!
Link: Crack Climbing - Cougar Creek Guide

Riggins, Idaho.......The Bouldering & Sport Climbing Is Fantastic!

If you are planning on heading down to City Of Rocks, Idaho (highly recommended), this is another place to stop on the way. The bouldering here is so full of flavour and the sport climbing is great too. There are so many amazing lines waiting to be sent here it is really hard to believe. Between the City of Rocks, Massacre Rocks and Riggins (oh with some sick paddling too) there is no reason not to road trip here. The sport climbing guide included here is focused on the amazing steep limestone located in the Hell's Canyon (Snake River) area and the bouldering guide is mainly focused on the Gneiss boulders near the Salmon River. All the climbing areas are located in the direct vicinity of the "Idaho Paddling" section of this blog. So one could easily make up a multi-activity trip in here, it would be well worth it! I could not think of a better place close to home to make an effort visiting, this region offers a wonderful experience in the outdoors!  The climbing and paddling in Idaho is really exceptional, I simply cant say anymore, get out there! Once you get into the area you can easily pick up a better guidebook to the paddling, climbing, and hiking at one of the many outdoor shops. Have a great time!
Link: Riggins Bouldering
Link: Riggins Sport Climbing

The Shuswap/Salmon Arm/North Okanagan Outdoor Adventures!!

Stretching from Salmon Arm Area to Sicamous and down towards Enderby, the Shuswap area hosts a great deal of outdoor activities for every kind of Outdoor enthusiast! You have the lower Shuswap River coming down from Mabel Lake, which offers really good paddling oppourtunities for all levels. There is Scotch Creek that feeds into Shuswap Lake north of Salmon Arm, which hosts great whitewater in during spring and early summer. You can get in a canoe or kayak and travel across the lake systems camping at recreational sites or more developed campgrounds. There is also quite a lot of climbing being developed, ice and rock! Included here is a guide to the best hiking trails in the region. It is divided into sections but none are too far away from Vernon or Salmon Arm and some are fit for mountain biking (designated). Albas Falls, Enderby Cliffs, and Haines Creek are must do's if you are in the area! So if you live anywhere near get out and enjoy, the area is so diverse it has a little something to keep everyone interested!! Have a good time!
Link: Shuswap Hiking Trails