The Adventure

Heli-Hiking, Heli-Skiing, Heli-Belly?

By Lianne Marquis

Have you heard about heli- belly? It’s a common word that you’ll hear around the buffet table, the dessert table, during tea goodies, dinner and in the field. How does one go Heli-Hiking and come home with their pant button undone? Thanks to CMH's Chefs and Pastry Chefs, there is never a shortage of amazing, delicious, mouth watering food to be had. Jocelyn Skill is our Pasty Chef in the Bobbie Burns this summer and I had a chance to ask her a few questions:

 

Lianne Marquis: How did an East Coaster find her way to CMH?

Jocelyn Skill: I came out to Banff in 1991 after my first year of cooking school. I made the decision then that I would come back once I was done school and make the mountains my home. It was after living here for ten years that a friend suggested I work for CMH. Ten years later I’m still here.

LM I’m curious to know why you became a pastry chef and where did your schooling and apprenticeship?

JS I had always loved to cook and bake as a child and knew early on that I wanted to be a chef. My parents tried to discourage me from entering the trade, but at that point in my life I couldn’t imagine doing anything but pursuing a culinary career. I went to a small college in Ontario where it quickly became apparent that I was a natural in the pastry arts. I then went on to apprentice for an amazing pastry chef at the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, Alberta.

LM What yummy desserts will we find on the Bobbie Burns dinner menu this summer?

JS I try to keep things a little lighter in the summer so I serve lots of homemade sorbets, but crème brule, panna cotta, soufflé and a decadent chocolate cake will make it’s way to the table. The key is keeping portions small.

LM You also cook, as you and the chef share the duty of making the tea goodies that we offer for après hiking. What do you usually serve for tea goodies?

JS We always serve a “recovery” smoothie. I love making chicken wings, pizza, quesadillas, quiche. If there are guest requests for a particular food we try to accommodate as best we can.

LM It’s pretty common for our guests to ask the pasty chefs for recipes at the end of their tour, is there one that you would be willing to share with us?

JS Sure, here’s an easy one to share.

Coconut Panna Cotta.

900 ml whipping cream

300 ml coconut cream or good quality coconut milk

8 leaves of gelatin (available at specialty food shops)

200 grams granulated sugar

2 vanilla beans,scraped

Water for soaking gelatin leaves

Soak gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Bring the cream, sugar and the vanilla beans to a boil. Drain gelatin leaves, squeezing out any extra water, then whisk into hot cream mixture. Whisk in coconut cream. Bring mixture to room temperature then pour into coupe glasses. Serve with good quality sorbet and fresh fruit. Makes 12

LM During the Bobbie Burns staff set up this July the guides took all the staff out to the tree-top ropes course. Can you tell me about that experience?

JS It’s thrilling and challenging. I love that sort of rush. I seek out those adventures when I’m travelling as well. The guides have done a great job of providing a really fun challenging experience for the guest and staff alike.

LM Have you had an opportunity to experience a day out on the Mt. Nimbus via ferrata at the Bobbie Burns?

JS Not yet but it’s a must on my things to do here this summer. The guides have promised to try and get us all out.

LM My fingers are crossed for you Jocelyn, I want to hear all about it!!! When you’re not in the kitchen baking and cooking, what are you doing in your spare time?

JS Anything outdoors, but I love to mountain bike and run. Having a good laugh with my friends over a glass of wine is a must as well.

Congratulations on receiving your 10 year long service award with CMH this spring Jocelyn! We hope that you have another 10 years with us!!!

Vacation + Education = WOW!

I'm freshly back from a 3 day summer adventure at the Bobbie Burns Lodge (yes, an actual trip, with my wife!).  The trip, with all of the helicopter flights, ridge walks, via ferrata adventures and gourmet dining, was amazing.  But what put it over the top, for me, was the time spent with motivational speaker Dr. Joe MacInnis. "Dr. Joe" was at the lodge for 3 days as part of CMH's new Educational Travel program. What a treat for guests and staff alike.

In case you aren't familiar with him, I encourage you to learn more about Dr. MacInnis and his various missions. Some highlights of his career include a Medical Degree, 6 Honorary Doctorates, 10+ books and over 5000 hours spent under the sea (including leading the first dives under the North Pole and some of the first visits to the Titanic!). Most recently, Dr. Joe has been fascinated by leadership, spending his time in the Gulf working with a group of concerned experts and advisors on the "perfect oilstorm".

Despite all of his accolades and accomplishments, what struck me most about Dr. MacInnis was his passion: Passion for the environment – at the Bobbie Burns, in the Gulf, and around the world. Passion for learning – about the sea, the mountains, and people. Passion for life – his outlook on life, a desire to learn and to share and grow.

And best of all, he wanted to share his passion with everyone!

Guests from 5 to 85 were equally entranced by his evening presentation "FIRESTORM: Leadership lessons from the Gulf of Mexico". And throughout the trip, he happily shared his time, observations, experiences and knowledge with any who asked. Everyone on the trip left feeling optimistic and excited about the future, including Dr. Joe.

Upon my (reluctant) return to the office, an email from Dr. Joe was waiting for me. I think his passionate email says it all – for everyone lucky enough to have shared the experience:

"Thank you for three days in that special place where the mountains are in love with the sky. Thank you for the brilliant sunshine, sparkling glaciers, luminous waterfalls, and snow-packed peaks reaching beyond the horizon. Thank you for mountain guides so willing to share their sense of wonder, empathy and insight. And thank you for the Sky Angel who found us at the end of the day and flew us back to the deep end of the hot tub and a five-star dinner."

— Dr. Joe MacInnis

 

Jason Semenek works on CMH's websites and online marketing out of the Banff office. He and his wife, Melissa, joined Dr. Joe MacInnis at CMH's Bobbie Burns Lodge July 24 - 27, 2010. Their next adventure will be to the Bugaboos for a Photography Workshop with wilderness photographer John E. Marriott. Lucky them!

Via Ferrata-ahhh- An Interns Point of View

For the first week of the summer season, I was invited up to the Bobbie Burns Lodge for some high flying fun. So, on the morning of July 6^th I met up with a couple of other people from the office and the rest of the guests, and we were on our way up to the lodge! We did an afternoon hike so that the guides could figure out groups for the following day. Then we came back to an amazing dinner, drinks on the deck, and bed!

The following morning we were awoken by the bell at 7:15am for our stretch class. The stretch room was filled with all sorts of nervous chatter as today was the day that we would be tackling the via ferrata. With people moving back and forth, debating if they would do it or not, I was thinking nothing of it… I mean, come on, this thing is safe, you are clipped in the whole time... how bad can it be! So, after more contemplation over breakfast, we loaded the helicopter for the flight up to the base.

When we arrived at the start, Mark, one of our guides, pointed up to a distant peak. He then explained to the group that was where we would be in a couple of hours. At that point, it really didn’t seem possible that we would be sitting on top of something so far away.

So we started the climb. We reached the first rope across a patch of snow. This was great practice for the clip out clip in techniques for our harness system. After walking around the corner, we reached the first rock wall we had to climb…

It was at this point that I realized that I don’t do this sort of thing… I would be far more comfortable skiing down most of this, but climbing up… Yikes! On my way up the first pitch, which was only about 20 feet high, I thought to myself- Oh jeeze, I am pretty high up! And this was just the beginning...

For the 20 feet I felt was high at the beginning, would turn in to 3,000 feet by the end. And so I kept climbing, one iron step at a time. Winding our way up through boulder fields and ridgelines, we crossed planks, small bridges, and boulders. Eventually we hit a snack spot just below the first peak.

 It was at this point where Sarah asked me how it was going. The only words I could think of were: “I am completely out of my element”. And this was true, because I was. After taking some mocking from the other group, we passed them to cross a snow patch to the start of the first peak. Now, the first peak truly does look impressive from any angle. Mostly because it looks exactly like the fang of a creature that could eat you. As someone who has never rock climbed on natural rock, I was intimidated to say the least. Of course the fact that I let the entire group ahead of me didn’t help either… Having to look up towards the summit to see nothing but the harness clad rear ends of my climbing partners all the way to the summit did not exactly instill the confidence in me that I needed. So, up I went. As I reached the Nimbus sub peak, I truly felt on top of the world. Even though the higher Nimbus peak is right beside you, connected by what can only be described as a behemoth of a suspension bridge, you still do feel like you are as high as you can go. It is at this point that you make the short decent to the start of the famous bridge.

The bridge. The bridge is one thrilling thing to look at. 2x4’s unevenly spaced across a span with a 2500 foot drop to the valley floor below. It is seriously something straight out of Indiana Jones, minus the snakes, I hate snakes… So after 96 shaky steps across the bridge, you reach the other side where you never thought you would be so happy to hug a big piece of rock.  Then you look up and you realize you now have to climb something higher than the peak you were standing on 20 minutes ago. So you unclip from the bridge, and clip in to the cable which leads to the summit. Of course when they built the via ferrata, the guides put the route as close to the edge as possible so that you could experience maximum exposure the entire way up. This I was actually ok with as I found that you quickly get used to the heights and it becomes much more comfortable. The climb to the summit finishes of with a section where you literally have to hoist yourself up on to the summit. This is one of the greatest feelings in the world as you push that last little bit to finally reach the summit. Once on the summit, we sat down to enjoy our lunches that we had packed that morning.

Of course, standing on the summit would seem like a great place to have a drink of water. At least that is what I thought. So I unclipped my water bottle from my backpack and wedged it between my legs. It turns out that stainless steel water bottles do not grip very well against metal carabineers. Next thing I know, one of our guides was yelling at those below to watch out as my water bottle bounced the 3,500 feet to the valley floor. Needless to say I was, by my own fault, very thirsty for the rest of the day.

Luckily for us, our decent was far more controlled and graceful than that of my water bottle. It involved rappelling, down-climbing, and snow sliding in rain gear before getting to the pick up for the flight back to the lodge.

That night I was so tired that I had a nap prior to dinner and was woken by the dinner bell, although I still think I didn’t actually wake up until about half way through dinner. Everyone had stories to share from their adventures of the day, with the biggest theme being the smiles from all who had accomplished something truly remarkable!

Just How Strong is the Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata?

I visited the CMH Bobbie Burns Lodge in the summer of 2007 as the guides were putting the finishing touches on the now legendary Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata.  Traversing the knife-edged ridges, straddling the tiny summits, and walking across the airy suspension bridge was exciting enough while tethered into a bombproof harness and cable.  Building the thing must have been outrageous.   To find out a bit more about the installation and its strength, I tracked down Carl Trescher, a British Columbia native and mountain guide.  After experimenting with a small via ferrata on Mt. Syphax, Trescher went to Europe, the birthplace of adrenaline sport, to learn from the masters.

TD: What kind of training did you do in Europe?

CT: I did a High Ropes Instructor Course. I concentrated mainly on the building aspects of the course and learned lots of different techniques for setting up ziplines, portable and permanent cable structures and protection systems as well as specific rescue techniques with cable based systems.

TD: The forces on the suspension bridge must be massive.  Do you have any idea how much force is placed on the anchors if a person is standing in the middle of the bridge?

CT: Surprisingly, the forces placed on the anchor system of the suspension bridge are pretty low. Safety is by far our main priority.  We distribute the load between 4 main cables, which then distribute the loads to their separate anchor systems. A separate safety cable and anchor system is used for fall protection. We use a dynamometer to measure the force on most of our structures and maintain a safety ratio of around 10:1 or greater.  Measuring the force on the bridge anchors comes in under 2 kilonewtons (the force of about 204kg) with someone standing in the middle.

TD: 10 times stronger than needed!  That’s nice to know.  So how strong is that?  

CT: We use expansion bolts to build our anchoring systems for the bridge. These systems are theoretically capable of holding around 100 to 135 Kilonewtons. (The force of over 13,000kg.) Should be strong enough!!!

TD: How long did it take to install?

CT: The Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata was built in a series of phases of two summer seasons. About three weeks of construction time was taken to complete each phase.  The material required to build a via ferrata a sure weighs a lot and some days it sure felt a lot longer!!

TD: How do average people do on Mt. Nimbus in terms of both fear and physical difficulty?

CT: The average person and first timer does incredibly well on the via ferrata. The great thing about it is you are going to some outrageously wild places and situations in the mountains, yet it is completely safe and not difficult so the average person is more than able to physically do it.

Most people do quite well with the fear also.  We designed the via ferrata with a bit of flow starting off with easier sections and slowly building as we climb Nimbus Tower. For those looking for a bit of adventure this is definitely the highlight of the trip. We try to get to know people on the first hiking day as a lot of people are physically able to do the ferrata although not every person would necessarily enjoy it. That is one of the great things though about summer in the Bobbie Burns as there is still all the great hiking and classic mountaineering as well as the adventure trails and via ferratas.

Have you done the Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata?  Did it feel strong enough to you?

Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata photo by Topher Donahue

Why I Guide: An Interview with a CMH Summer Adventures Guide

I love being in the mountains.  It puts my life into perspective, and truly makes me appreciate this amazing place in which I live and play.  But do I love the mountains enough to be a guide?  Tempting, but I'm not sure I've got it in me.  Becoming a certified mountain guide through the International Federation of Mountain Guides (IFMGA) is a long haul. On average, the time and money invested in becoming a mountain guide is comparable to attaining any university degree.

Erich Unterberger, Area Manager of CMH Adamants, is made of much sterner stuff than me.  A long-time CMH guide, Erich truly loves these mountains and draws his energy from them.

We asked Erich why he loves to guide and were lucky enough to get his response on video.  Take a look - his passion will move you.

 

At Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), safety is our number one priority.  To that end, all of the guides that lead our guests on mountaineering routes and hiking trails on a CMH Summer Adventure are fully certified mountain professionals.  All have some level of certification through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) or the IFMGA.

You can join Erich on a CMH Summer Adventure this July, August and September while he makes some guest appearances at the Bobbie Burns and Bugaboos.  Alternatively, he'd love to take you for a few turns this winter if you come heliskiing at the Adamants!

Dr. Joe MacInnis on the Gulf Oil Spill, Leadership and Heli-Hiking

by Bob Ramsay

For a renowned deep-sea diver, medical doctor, author and environmentalist, Joe MacInnis has a habit of finding himself in the epicenter of incredible things.

One is the CMH Summer Adventures trip he'll be headlining from July 24-27 at CMH's Bobbie Burns Lodge. But even  bigger is his recent appearance in Washington as part of film director, James Cameron's initiative to find a way to cap the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

Joe MacInnis knows Cameron well; they worked together on finding and filming the Titanic, and both have real street cred when it comes to the environment (Remember the plot of Avatar?). So Joe wasn't surprised to get the call from Cameron last month to join 25 deep ocean experts in marine science and technology in Washington to come up with new solutions to America's worst environmental disaster.

Said Joe: " Many of us had worked in research subs at depths greater than two miles. But we  weren't sure we could really make a contribution, because BP has more than 100 engineers out there. That said, we  felt we had to try, because the conventional answers didn't seem to be working."

The result of their gathering was a report - which Joe MacInnis had a hand in writing that's been sent to the U.S. agencies involved with the cleanup.

Here's what Joe said about the experience - and the issue that sparked it:

"When you see what's happened down there in the Gulf, what you really see is our relationship to the natural world writ large. It's how we deal with climate change, overfishing, energy use, and ultimately, how we're killing ourselves."

"These human threats to the natural world can only be navigated through leadership. That's why I came up with the idea of "Save the Planet Leadership."

Joe MacInnis will talk about that unique take on leadership while he's with heli-hikers at Bobbie Burns.

"In the last five years, I've talked with pretty much everyone I've worked with who has  a view on leadership and I've come up with 12 traits I believe are essential to leadership as we enter what's already a hugely environmentally-conscious age."

MacInnis also articulates a number of steps to acquire those leadership traits, "because leadership can be taught."

"The perfect example was James Cameron and his Washington initiative, says MacInnis. "He's not best-known as an environmentalist, so he comes from outside the mainstream. But he displays what I call a ‘cool competence' on the subject. He's done his 10,000 hours of gaining experience in the subject. Another leadership quality Cameron displays is to be able to deliver on stage. In other words, he can write and speak extraordinarily well."

"And given what a battle saving the planet still is in many of the corridors of power, you also have to be psychologically and physically tough. The pressure can wear you down, so you have to be in great physical shape."

For Joe MacInnis, many of these qualities are neither new or fancy. But in a world awash in leadership theories, this heli-hiker believes they could be the very ones to save the planet.

Joe MacInnis will present the details of Save the Planet Leadership during his Bobbie Burns trip. To join him, contact CMH Summer Adventures at 1.800.661.0252.

Bob Ramsay is a Toronto communications consultant and writer. He’s also a CMH heli-assisted ski-touring newbie, a heli-hiking veteran, a long-time colleague of Dr. Joe MacInnis and a boundaryless recruiter of friends to enjoy CMH adventures.

 

My Peak Experience: A Yoga Retreat with CMH

By Anne Douglas

I had the most extraordinary peak experience last summer during the Yoga and Heli Hiking retreat in July at CMH’s Bugaboo Lodge.  There were so many highlights to the trip, but none compared to the breath taking scenery that caused the usual busyness of my mind to drop into an enduring stillness and a profound joy to explode from my heart, even tears to swell as I was deeply struck by the beauty I was immersed in.  It seemed as though the inherent joy that was alive in this place was expressing itself through me. 

There were several places of significance that we walked through each day in which I felt the thickness of nature’s vitality, potency and mystery.  We seemed to be entering mystical realms of unseen forces and nature spirits.  I became aware of a heightened electric charge out in the remote depths of these mountains.  It was as if the richness of this wilderness, unperturbed by human use, held a higher frequency of energy than I had ever felt before. 

I have lived in the Rocky Mountains for over 30 years and explored many a hiking trail in the front and backcountry, but none of my experiences have compared to this.  Expansive meadows of rich flowery variety…small, pristine, crystalline mountain lakes spilling into each other, lake upon lake…snow capped granite sentinels towering over us as massive protectors…all of nature seemed to open her arms to us in a great welcoming embrace as if to say “welcome home”. 

The daily yoga and meditation practices kept us limber and ready, centered and sensitized to our surroundings.  Each practice built upon the last to open us more and more fully to each moment.  The gourmet meals nourished us to utter satisfaction while the lodge amenities and staff accommodated our every need (hiking boots and poles, outdoor wear, backpacks, water bottles and more, all provided for you). The luxury of helicopter transportation offered rapid access to what would otherwise be inaccessible for most. 

This extraordinary combination of experiences and service is sure to evoke your own peak experience, as it did mine.  I hope you can join us!  

Join Anne Douglas July 15 – 18, 2010 at the Bobbie Burns for a Yoga Retreat this summer.  To reserve your space, call CMH Reservations at 1.800.661.0252.