​
​Who’s right for a career in the outdoors? Students with lots of energy, who often get bored of regular classes and what you might describe as a “normal” job. Students looking for an adventure and are passionate about outdoors are a great match; but it’s not necessary to be a professional athlete or to know exactly what career you want afterwards. The Adventure Travel program is about creating Outdoor Professionals, the only pre-requisite is wanting something different

 
So what’s involved in becoming an Outdoor Leader? Well there is no shortage of courses and certifications out there. And as a professional you never stop re-certifying and gaining additional education. But not all courses are helpful, not all courses are needed, but some are critical. The Canadian Tourism College’s Adventure Tourism program provides the knowledge and courses required to start a career in the outdoors. Upon graduation you’ll enter the Industry with Advanced Wilderness First Aid, Avalanche Skills Training, Intro to White Water Rafting and Ocean Kayaking.
 
“Why not take those courses on your own; they are readily available to the public?”
 
Absolutely! Anyone can begin the process by collecting various certifications required to become a guide; kayaking, hiking, or rafting. Or pass exams needed to become an avalanche educator, ski instructor, rock-climbing guide or mountain bike coach. But becoming a professional, and more importantly one that will succeed in the competitive world of the Outdoor Industry, requires more then the hard-skills and certifications.
 
What the Adventure Tourism program offers students is all of the “soft-skills” required to find employment and progress through the ranks. So whether your working for various companies or running your own business, a successful outdoor guide needs to always be the first to get the call.
 
During the program students will learn and apply various tools that will help to keep them busy and employed, including self-marketing and branding, communications (both before and after a trip), the fundamentals of starting a tourism business and the black art of entertaining rain soaked guests under a tarp.
 
In addition, students will learn skills not offered in individual certifications, including: map & compass navigation, weather, tarps & knots, survival skills, emergency evacuation, wilderness communication, gear and technical clothing maintenance.

​The program starts with a couple of days in the classroom, discussing principles of the industry, getting to know each other and going over required gear. After that, students will find themselves in the mountains and on the water anywhere from 3 to 5 days a week. Be prepared for long days, and an extremely dynamic schedule; just like working in the industry, each day can be very different from the last.
 
Like any outdoor adventure, fun is always had. With the Adventure Tourism program students graduate not only ready to spring board into a career, but they have the support of fellow students who often share bonds that last a lifetime. Instructors are all working in the Industry and offer first hand advice and mentorship so that each student can succeed, no matter how they define success.

Fall is one the greatest times to hike and I often find myself saving my favourite trips for the September and October months. Whether it’s going the distance on a crisp day or worshiping the sun in the alpine on one of those bonus “summer-like” days, autumn is a great time to explore. Many alpine hikes in BC have a short window of being snow free and depending on the winter previous may be snow free for only a few months. Fall guarantees access, and the only snow comes from the sky.

One of my favourite areas to hike is in Garibaldi Provincial Park. Prime for day hikes and overnights, the park offers a number of access points with an impressive area of 1,950-km2. This fall my wife and I headed up for a couple of nights with some friends.
 
We started at the Rubble Creek Trailhead, just 29-km outside of the Whistler Village. BC Parks has invested a lot of money into rebuilding the trail and it makes for a great ascent with an overnight pack.

The hike up to Garibaldi Lake is 9km and takes about 3 to 4 hours. We set off shortly before 10am and started the hardest part of a backpacking trip: the beginning. It’s the heaviest our packs will be and it always seems like a long way to the reward. But after a few switchbacks, our bags began to feel lighter and we settled into a conversation that matched the rhythm of our steps. The first reward of getting outside is the ability to catch up with friends.

Once at the lake we peeled off our boots and settled in for the day. We recharged with a snack on the dock and an extremely quick dip in Garibaldi Lake to cool off. Despite it being fall, the sun was still warm. It was nice to get another swim in before winter officially arrived. 

Garibaldi Lake boasts one of the most breathtaking views in the Vancouver area. I’m always amazed that within a 1-hour drive from the downtown core and a 3-hour hike in from the parking lot, one can finds themselves here. With an early start, you can make a simple day trip out of it and get back to the parking lot with daylight to spare. The hike is, in my opinion, a must do, and was the first stop on our 3-day adventure.

With the sun gone it was amazing how cold things got and it was a good reminder of why you always want to be prepared in the backcountry. After a well-deserved dinner of pasta and a couple cups of tea, we headed into our tents for bed.

The next morning we got an early start and made our way towards Taylor Meadows and our big goal for the day: Panorama Ridge.

As you start to make your way to Panorama Ridge you begin to see glimpses of the lake, and you start to realize it’s even bigger than you first expected. At the junction to Panorama Ridge we stashed some of our heavy items and took a detour to the top.

Panorama Ridge, as the name suggests, offers a full 360° line of sight. With a view of the Campground, Black Tusk, and the entire Garibaldi Lake, you begin to understand just how big this place really is.

As we made our way down from the peak, the sun started to come out and Black Tusk began to peek out of the clouds. We grabbed the gear we stashed at the junction and started our way through the Cinder Flats and towards the Helm Creek Campground.

As we made our way down from the peak, the sun started to come out and Black Tusk began to peek out of the clouds. We grabbed the gear we stashed at the junction and started our way through the Cinder Flats and towards the Helm Creek Campground.

It was a long day of hiking. We quickly grabbed some tent spots and had dinner. Helm Meadows is an underrated spot, in my opinion. It might not be as breathtaking as the Garibaldi Lake Campground, but it provides a great view of the Tusk. It’s also less crowded, more secluded, and I often find there are only a couple of groups camping each night. After dinner we reflected on the day and gazed at the stars, with nothing but Whistler a few kilometres away the stars made for great entertainment until bedtime.

The next morning we packed up and made our way down the final section of our journey. The hike from the Helm Creek Campground to the Cheakamus Lake Parking Lot is mostly downhill. It was a short day compared to the previous but it was a nice change of scenery. Dropping down into the Cheakamus River along side Helm Creek the trail is less traveled and more “raw” than the other trails we had hiked. The technical nature kept us occupied from daydreaming about fresh vegetables and cold craft beer at the end of our journey, at least that’s what I was thinking about.

If you’re heading out to Garibaldi, here’s a few tips: Make sure you pack out what you pack in and stay on the trail at all times, especially in the Alpine. If you’re staying overnight be sure to purchase a permit from BC Parks, either at the Parking Lot with cash or cheque, or online with a credit card. It costs $10 per night per person. While using the campgrounds, please leave them better than you found them and use the bear cache.  Store food and toiletries properly; remember you’re in Black Bear country.
 
November brings an extra hour of sleep, but we lose an hour of daylight. It also means hikers find themselves getting stranded in the dark. The week after we change our clocks in the fall is one of the busiest for BC’s Search and Rescue. Many groups find themselves being paged multiple nights as the sun is setting. So please be prepared! Bring a headlamp and give yourself ample time to make it back to the car. It’s better to be sitting in a Café or at your favourite local brewery an hour earlier than expected than calling for help an hour later.
 
This British Columbia hiking round-up was brought to you by our friends at Keen. We're sporting their Liberty Ridge Boots as we scramble up ridges and into the alpine. Which summits will your Keens take you to?

Rolling into town we stopped off at O'Neils Home Cooking for a classic breakfast sandwich. What appears to be a simple ham and egg sandwich on a sweet potato bun that's far from simple. An O'Neils sandwich would be the perfect ante up for our double down.

Who needs a truck when you can shuttle in a hatch-back. We loaded Ryan's Subaru and drove up the Sumas Mountain Road towards the upper parking lot. From there we had a short pedal up to the top Knob Gobbler.

Knob Gobbler is a 'pedally' All-Mountain trail that starts from the top of Taggert Peak on Sumas Mountain. The top section is a fun technical trail; rooty steeps flow into loam filled corners. One after another they kept coming, and we kept letting out the hoots and howlers.

The end of Knob Gobbler pops you out at the bottom of an extremely quick climb leading up to the crown jewel of the Fraser Valley: Squid Line.

Squid Line doesn't feature any drops, jumps, skinnies or steeps; it's 4.7km of simple fun. It's a flowy trail that can be shredded on your first visit, and my third visit was no a disappointment.

We finished our ride on Sumas, re-loaded and shuffled the cars and after a Slurpee stop at the 7-Eleven we were on our way to McKee Peak and the trail network known as Ledgeview. Abbotsford's other trail network is where I put my tires onto West-coast dirt for the first time eight years ago. Some things have a changed at Ledgeview, a large network of All-mountain and XC trails have been built on the backside, but the free-ride focused front-side remains, in essence, the same.

Using the freeride trail Speedway, as a climbing trail, we pedalled our way up to the access road and started our climb to the top.

From the top we dropped into Little Buttafuoco. The trails on Ledgeview are vastly different then Sumas. The dirt is clay-based and hardens up like concrete, the vegetation is green and consists of deciduous trees unlike the rest of the coast. It's a unique place and always provides a fun ride.

We made the obligatory stop at the viewpoint, took in the sights and took our photos.

From the lookout we made our way to my new favourite trail on Ledgeview. Mixed Bag is a perfect combination of pedalling and descending, it really milks the terrain and makes for a long, enjoyable ride.

From the bottom of Mixed Bag we headed back up the access road and dropped into Speedway to Lebiteme Mike. Most riders visiting Ledgeview will finish their ride there and head back to the lower parking lot. It took me a long time to discover one of the best trails on Ledgeview was just across the road.

Before Squid Line and Mixed Bag my sole reason for raving about the riding in Abbotsford was The Lost Oakley. The trail starts out as a fun pedal with a couple of punchy climbs. The middle section consists of a number of dirt jumps and freeride features. The third section of the trail is a steep DH line with a couple of drops and roll-downs finishing with a couple of wallrides.

It was a great ride, with a great crew. If you haven't been to the Fraser Vally I highly suggest it. Coming up next: A couple of big local laps on the North Shore and a week long adventure at the Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival. Happy Trails!

After a busy spring on the North Shore, it was time for a change. The coast will always be my favourite place to ride, but one of it's appeals is that a short drive East will get you to an entirely different environment. And so it was off to the desert for a weekend in Kamloops, BC.

I meet up with Tim for a bike ride in his backyard. Earlier this year we had rode in North Vancouver for a couple of days. It was his turn to lead the way and it was a great chance to follow a local, something I hadn't done in a long time.

We pedalled from Tim's house and dropped into the middle section of Rio Escondio Grande. From there we took a right and pedalled up Burn the Berms.

Burn the Berms is intended to be a descending trail, but after climbing it I wouldn't have guessed it. It's the perfect up track, and it leads to the top of Rio.

Rio has been a trail on my wishlist for a number of years, and it certainly lived up the expectations. As you approach the bottom, the trail transitions from a tight gully into a classic desert landscape complete with cactus and hoodoos.

We started climbing once again, heading up for another lap. Our up track was a dirt road n the open and I was grateful the weather was cooler then normal for Kamloops.

Our next piece of singletrack was a classic high-speed section of Kamloops gold. The Listen Trail was just fast! It featured three gullies, each with a bigger a G-Out then the last.

The last DH trail of our ride was by far my favourite. Razor Back featured a narrow spine that finished with a steep roll-down, another picturesque Kamloops feature.

The last trail of the day was a climb through the Bike Ranch on the new XC Climb back to Tim's house. Over the years I've learn to love climbing trails and as a trail builder I now appreciate how difficult is to build the perfect climbing switchback; these were some of the best.

We finished the day with a couple of beers and lunch with his family. It was a great ride and for me, a chance to be guided around somewhere new. Hopefully I can do it again soon and explore more of what Kamloops has to offer. I'd like to give Tim and his wife Nancy, a huge thank you for being so welcoming to myself and my partner, Jen. Your hospitality was much appreciated! 

A long time "bucket-list" goal of mine has always been to bike and ski Mount Seymour on the same day without any outside help. I pitched the idea to Eli Relke while we were ski touring this past winter and we earmarked the trip for Spring. Thanks to the MEC Rental program, we got our hands on bike trailers, loaded them up with gear and set off.

We decided to make our official start of the day in Deep Cove for a number of reasons:

1. It would make the day a true Sea-to-Sky adventure
2. If we started at Sea Level then the math would be easier
3. What better way to start a long day but with Honey's Doughnuts

Fuelled and ready to go we started our climb out of the quiet community of Deep Cove. We made sure to grab an extra doughnut for the top.

We made it to the top in what was quicker then expected. We were passed by a couple of road bikers, their funny looks were certainly worth it.

I had got some info from a friend a week earlier that their was just enough snow to ski from the bottom, Eli and I were relieved when we arrived to find this was true. We parked the bikes and switched over into our ski-touring gear.

Classic North Shore weather. Welcome to the inside of the ping-pong ball!

This section was looking like the crux move of the trip. We both knew it was going to make for a fun straight-shot on the way down from the peak.

The peak of first pump meant we had biked and skied our way up 1455m of Mount Seymour. The weather started to clear out, so we took in the views while enjoy a cup of coffee and a doughnut. 

Welcome to my backyard! After 3 years of professional ski patrol, 2 years of teaching avalanche skills courses and 6 years of backcountry skiing, the terrain of Mount Seymour feels very familiar to me.

Dropping into the chute.

We knew on our way up that our crux would be going through a tight chute at the bottom of the main-face of First Pump. Eli pointed the board straight down the fall-line way earlier then I had; we were both stoked.

Back inbounds, we were surprised at how good we felt. With over 1400m of elevation up and a sketchy ski down, we were beginning to think this thing was way easier then we had first expected. 

Riding the road from Mount Seymour with a trailer full of ski gear pushing you down was a lot harder then we expected. We started the bike ride feeling pretty good but as we made our way down every muscle that didn't hurt started screaming.

We arrived at Deep Cove Brewery thirsty and tired. A quick high five, we dumped our gear at the door and celebrated with a pint. The trip was a fantastic way to finish off the 2013/14 Winter. Summer had arrived and it's time to bike! (Without skis)

The last day of my week long adventure with my brother was spent exploring the beautiful city of Vancouver. Chad, Katie and myself jumped on some single-speed bikes and headed to the other side of the Burrard Inlet.

Crossing the Lions Gate Bridge we left the gloomy North Shore mountains behind us and headed towards the sunshine.

My favourite part of this ride is the shortcut from the bridge down to the Sea-wall. With bikes not meant for anything off-road, it never fails to produce smiles, laughs and the odd tumble.

After rubbing fenders on the Sea-wall with some of the colourful cycling community that make up Vancouver proper, we headed to one of my favourite lunch spots.

If you like Falfel and Shawerma, then the Babylon Cafe is the place to go. No matter which location I go to, the staff is always friendly.

The last stop of the day was the Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar. We ordered their signature sushi-bombs and a couple of pitchers including Central City Brewing's Red Racer IPA.

We made a break for the SeaBus and headed back to the more familiar side of the water.

It was the end of a long day and the end of an even longer week. Jam packed with tons of adventure, we certainly proved that here on the West-Coast, spring is for everything. That said, what was a long week went by far too fast and I'm looking forward to showing off this beautiful place to my next visitors.

If you missed any of the previous stories.

Part 4: http://www.bikeski.ca/blog/spring-is-for-everything-part-4
Part 3: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/05/spring-is-for-everything-part-3.html
Part 2: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/05/spring-is-for-everything-part-2.html
Part 1: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/04/spring-is-for-everything-part-1.html

The next trip of the week with my brother, Chad, saw us Sea Kayaking with some rentals from Deep Cove Kayak.

The night before, after a fantastic Easter Dinner with the Pride family, we headed up to the lookout on Cypress and snagged some photos.

We suited up and headed out to a part of the North Shore I've seldom explored, the ocean.

It was a blast for sure, and it might not be the last kayak of the season.

We headed back to Deep Cove. We were all hungry and I had a craving for Sushi.

If you missed any of the previous stories.

Part 3: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/05/spring-is-for-everything-part-3.html
Part 2: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/05/spring-is-for-everything-part-2.html
Part 1: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/04/spring-is-for-everything-part-1.html

The final story comes out on Friday, don't miss it!

Previous to this ride, my brother had only ridden the shore once. Just like our ride first ride, I'm blown a way at his natural talent. It's taken me a long time to get to where I am as a rider; I'm happy he can keep up, despite not living here.

Expresso Smooth, or is it a blur?

Near the bottom we bumped into Digger working hard on a new section. Stopping to thank him for his work came with a remark about how 29ers are gay. I might have to get used to that one.

Coming in hot, look out!

Hiking, skiing and now biking; the last thing to do was take the adventure to the water. Check out Part 4 of Spring Is For Everything, coming soon.


If you missed Part 2, you can find it here: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/05/spring-is-for-everything-part-2.html

And if you missed Part 1, it's here: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/04/spring-is-for-everything-part-1.html

From left to right: Chad, Katie, Jen and Brent

Part 2 of my week long adventure with my brother, Chad, saw us heading to Whistler for some spring skiing. We made the necessary stop at Galileo Coffee and while leaving a "ski bum miracle" rolled into the parking lot. What should happen to park beside our fully loaded 1985 4WD Toyota Tercel but an identical make and model, fully loaded with four skiers and gear. The eight of us chuckled and compared wagons, then we were on our way.

The snow report was calling for 6cm of fresh. I was expecting a morning of dust on crust with some warm spring skiing in the afternoon. I had been looking forward to a fun day showcasing Whistler/Blackcomb and it seemed like the conditions wouldn't be half bad. What was posted as 6cm at mid-mountain was actually 25 to 30cm up top. A powder day on April 18th was the last thing I was expecting but that wasn't stopping us from enjoying it. Praise be to Ullr.

There's more to this photo than first meets the eye. In the background you can see Katie working through the learning curve of skiing powder for the first time.

The peanut gallery below was always ready with words of encouragement.

We hiked from the top of the Showcase T-Bar over to the Blackcomb Glacier and as we crested the top we found a bowl of untracked powder. We quickly dropped in and I had 10 of the best turns of the season.

Chad took a bit of a tumble at the top, but the "shit-eating" grin he skied down the bottom with was priceless.

The learning curve for Katie was a bit different, but by the end she started to get the hang of it.

It was a grand sojourn of Whistler/Blackcomb; we skied the Glacier, 7th Heaven, Whistler Peak and over to the Symphony Bowl. Not a bad day, especially for first timers Chad and Katie. We had worked up an appetite and it was time to carbo-load.

The key with a meal at the Old Spaghetti Factory is to talk a lot with your hands. To properly eat Italian, you must first try to be Italian.

The next morning we headed out to the Pemberton valley. On our way we stopped off at Nairn Falls Provincial Park and went for a stroll.

The highlight was our visit to the Pemberton Distillery. As soon as you walk into their tasting room the smells of what's cooking in the back envelope you. Owner and Distiller, Tyler Schramm, lead us through a number of delicious spirits.

Their Organic Potato Vodka, Organic Absinth, Aged Apple Brandy and Kartoffelschnaps were fantastic. Katie was partial to the Organic Single Malt Whiskey but we all agreed the Organic Gin was some of the best we had tasted.

After a quick lap around the Mount Currie community we took our bottles of Schram Organic Gin and headed back to the North Shore for some G&Ts at home.

Stay tuned for Part 3, coming out on Monday. Chad and I trade in our skis for mountain bikes and go for lap in the backyard on Mount Fromme.

If you missed Part 1, you can find it here: http://www.bikeski.ca/1/post/2014/04/spring-is-for-everything-part-1.html