Posted by Topher Donahue on Tue, Jun 29, 2010 @ 11:11 AM
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
Posted by Jane Carswell on Fri, May 28, 2010 @ 03:33 PM
by Paul Lazarski
As heli-hiking guides at CMH we are confronted minute by minute by a multitude of puzzle-like decisions. The true art of guiding is to make those decisions appear seamless and ‘easy' to the guest. Many decisions are made for purely environmental and sustainability reasons. Today the word ‘sustainability' is heard everywhere, both referring to many different things and meaning different things to different people. To a guide it means something very simple: caring for your home! In fact caring IS the essence of sustainability, creating a love of place and a sense of ownership, as in when you value something so much, you feel the need to share it with others.
In addition to the behind the scenes work back at the lodge, there are a multitude of in-the-field decisions that take place in the mind of a guide starting with the very first few steps away from the helicopter. As guests are taking in their first excited views of the mountains, they are unaware that the guide has already quietly scuffed over the helicopter skid depressions, protecting that moment for future guests. They will introduce the mountains, subtly changing his/her position and drawing the group nearer to a more group friendly ‘hardened' site. A hardened site simply refers to a micro portion of terrain that is more resistant to the footfalls of a group so as to minimize long term impact. We always impact our environment, the challenge however, is to walk through it in such a way so as to protect its integrity, not only for future guests but simply because it is the right thing to do.
If you watch the line that a guides leads, they will continually be connecting the dots, moving from one harder surface to another (rock, grasses, snow, dry meadows) avoiding if possible the environments that will be more impacted (heather, willow, moist meadows). Creek crossings are areas of special concern by forcing one over the same terrain time and time again leading to heavy impact. More importantly, simple avoidance if possible, can preserve the surrounding plant community. Lunch spots, vulnerable to trampling and washroom issues, need extra diligence when choosing. Often the guest only becomes aware of this process and these sensitive environments when they are asked to "spread out". When appropriate, the guide may describe their decision making process to guests. Education being the secret to good guiding, and the best education is that which leaves the guest with a deeper understanding but without the knowledge that they've been taught.
Being used to hiking in parks and along trails, some guests feel uncomfortable walking through mountain environments, however, plants respond to footfalls in different ways, recover at different rates and are more or less susceptible to lesser or greater numbers of people. Guides use pre-existing animal trails (like the one in the photo above) timelessly created by mountain goat, elk and bear to eliminate human impact. In 2004 CMH sponsored specific trampling plot studies, in which a variety of plant communities where deliberately walked through a varying number of times. In order to determine long term vs. short term impact, these sites are inspected at regular intervals. In addition, as part of this ABLE project (Applying Back-country Landscape Evaluations) hundreds of specific GPS landmarked plots were established to determine the impact and/or non-impact of hikers and game. Both trail and area plots measure the amount of, and percent of species, the amount of cover & bare ground and the width of pre-existing trails if any. These are checked and compared on a multi-year cycle.
The knowledge from these ongoing studies is part of a guides skill set and is paramount in creating a successful hiking day for our guests. All of these behind the scenes decisions are being processed within a framework of other issues (guest fitness & fatigue, the best view & lunch spots, terrain & bear safety, timing, heli pick up sites, guest interests & expectations, the avoidance of wildlife & other hiking groups, water sources and fragile or ‘tempting' geology) to create exceptional guests experiences.
It can be rightly said, that a guide has a ‘love interest' in preserving the landscape and its ecosystems and is fully aware that it is his/her self that has the greatest power to protect the places they love. As guides we have a responsibility to think forward, so that we can proudly share the same amazing places with the same level of passion to our future guests.
Cheers
Paul Lazarski
photo by Paul Lazarski, Guests using a game trail on Rockypoint Ridge, CMH Bugaboos.
Posted by John Entwistle on Thu, Mar 25, 2010 @ 04:34 PM
By: Ellen Slaughter
Each summer a growing number of women join us on our Heli-Hiking adventures. In 2009 Dawn Kosloski, co-owner of Bikini Boot Camp, was one of these women. This summer Dawn is hosting a trip for Bikini Boot Camp recruits. I had the chance to sit down with Dawn and ask her a couple of questions about the trip.
Ellen: Dawn, you were a successful geologist in Calgary's oil patch. What prompted you to switch gears and build Bikini Boot Camp across Canada?
Dawn: I have always been passionate about physical activity and the outdoors. When my best friend Lindsay started Bikini Boot Camp in 2004 and asked for my assistance, I loved the idea! As the business grew I realized how excited I was about the company and what it stands for.
Ellen: Where do you get your satisfaction as an owner of Bikini Boot Camp?
Dawn: I am so happy to be a part of building such an amazing company that empowers women in a positive, fun and supportive environment while challenging them to be their very best. It's an incredible feeling to be able to celebrate the success of our participants and trainers.
Ellen: You were on a CMH women's Heli-Hiking trip last summer. Now in 2010 you are hosting a Heli-Hiking trip for Bikini Boot Campers. What is it about a CMH women's trip that matches up well with Bikini Boot Camp's core values?
Dawn: "Bikini Boot Camp Gets Bold" is an extension of our programs which empower women in a positive, fun and supportive environment while challenging them to be their very best. The opportunity to be able to bring together a group of amazing and like minded, active women wanting to take time for themselves or with girlfriends or family is an easy choice. This trip will empower, inspire and amaze you!
Ellen: What are 3 things you would like any woman who is thinking about joining "Bikini Boot Camp Gets Bold" to know?
Dawn:
1. You can do this! The Bikini Boot Camp and CMH team will guide and support you every step of the way and make this fun and incredible weekend one you will never forget. Every detail, from the top of the line equipment to the unlimited home made cookies, is taken care of.
2. You can come alone! You will be with a group of like minded and amazing women who will feel like family by the end of the trip. You will laugh and celebrate your successes and all those fun and breathtaking moments together.
3. You deserve this! What better way to Celebrate Yourself than by treating yourself to a world class, once in a lifetime, fun and fabulous experience. From your first views of the magnificent granite spires to the incredible feeling of being on top of the world in the helicopter this trip will leave you breathless!
Thanks Dawn. It's great to chat. To learn more about the exciting growth of Bikini Boot Camp across Canada, check out the April issue of Alberta Venture. Dawn always inspires me with her positive, fun-loving, can-do approach to life. I'm excited to get out in the mountains with her this summer. I hope you can join us.
Ellen
Posted by Topher Donahue on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 @ 11:24 AM
When it comes to life-changing summer adventures, young and old alike are moved by experiencing the Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata at CMH Bobbie Burns. I had a chance to speak with Jonah Lefkoff, a well-spoken kid from Boulder, Colorado, who climbed Mt. Nimbus last summer with his father. When I arrived at Jonah’s house, he rushed into another room, yelling excitedly, “Wait, there is something I really have to show you.”
A minute later he emerged with a framed print showing him and his father high-fiving on a craggy summit. The photo captures one of those moments any father and son would be lucky to experience even once in a lifetime, a moment when they are best of friends and neither one of them would want be any other place, or with any other person, on earth.
The Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata at the CMH Bobbie Burns lodge is unique in North America. Its closest cousin is the cables route on Yosemite’s Half Dome – a metal pathway to a summit that would otherwise need technical climbing skills and tools. On a Via Ferrata, you wear a climbing harness and clip into two tethers attached to a cable. You move along an exposed mountain like rock climbers, but the ascent is made easy by steel rungs drilled into the rock at convenient intervals.
Here is what Jonah had to say about the experience:
TD: What is the best thing you have ever done?
JL: The Via Ferrata in the Bobbie Burns with my dad!
TD: What was the hardest part?
JL: In the beginning I was not so sure I liked it, but about halfway I really cheered up. My dad asked me if I wanted to go back to the lodge. I told him I wanted to keep going, and after that I felt a lot better.
The Via Ferrata’s point of no return, or at least no easy return, is a flat spot where the helicopter can land just before the first tower. After that, it is possible to retreat, but it is easiest to keep going over the top. The first summit is a sharp point where you literally throw one leg over the top, like you’re sitting on a horse, and one leg is hanging over one side of the mountain and the other leg dangles over the other. Then, the most outrageous part of the Via Ferrata greets you – a 60-meter long suspension bridge that hangs far above a mountain valley. It is entirely secure, but feels like walking in the sky.
TD: What was the scariest part of the adventure?
JL: The bridge. I kept telling myself, ‘Don’t look down! Don’t look down!
TD: Did you look down?
JL: I looked down - mostly!
TD:
(Jonah's mom, Cindy, told me his one vice is television, so I wanted to see how a real experience compared to his favorite show.) If you could either watch Sponge Bob or do the Via Feratta, which would you do?
JL: (Long pause) I’d watch Sponge Bob and then do the Via Ferrata - with my dad.
I pondered the power of television. Standing on top of rock spire in the middle of the wilderness with dad sounds pretty awesome, so Sponge Bob must be out of this world – or television must be more like heroin. A recent study showed televison usage by kids is at an all time high, with kids averaging over 28 hours of television a week - more than a month each year - glued to the boob tube. See a full report on the study here.
TD: How do you feel after climbing the Via Ferrata compared to after watching Sponge Bob?
JL: Hmm.
TD: How do you feel after watching Sponge Bob?
JL: Sort of like speaking this inappropriate language because I just heard it.
TD: And how about after doing the Via Ferrata?
JL: Sort of this tired and excited feeling at the same time.
TD: So if you had to choose one, either watch Sponge Bob or climb the Via Ferrata with your dad, which would you do?
JL: Even though it is a lot of work, I would climb the Via Ferrata with my dad.
It was long after the interview was over that I realized the power of what Jonah had told me. I was struck with this question:
If Jonah had never shared outdoor experiences with his parents, would a television show trump his father in his rankings of life experiences?
Note:
Jonah spent numerous days rock climbing with his father near their home in Boulder, Colorado, before visiting the Bobbie Burns in August of 2009, but rock climbing experience is not necessary. The Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata is appropriate for most teenagers and adults who like a bit of adventure in their lives.
Posted by Topher Donahue on Tue, Jan 26, 2010 @ 11:05 AM
By the late 19th century, seeking adventure in the mountains was in vogue in Europe but, with the equipment and technique of the day, difficult sections of popular climbs were slow and dangerous. Climbers began installing permanent metal fixtures (ladders, cables, rungs and bridges) to bypass these hazards.
The first recreational era of the Via Ferrata lasted only a few years. By early in the 20th century, the Alps became a primary battleground of World War I. The Italians positioned their front line across their most rugged mountains, the Dolomites, a region now famous for scenic skiing, climbing and hiking among huge spires and rock walls. The Via Ferrata were built to give the military access to the higher ground and strategic sites where the mountains provided natural, formidable, defenses. Several old military Via Ferrata were rebuilt and are maintained by the Italian Alpine Club. Adventurers in the Dolomites now enjoy the most exposed museum on the planet with a Via Ferrata alongside trenches and other relics of mountain warfare.
In the late 1800s, the Americans also installed cables and ladders to give tourists access to difficult and popular summits. Both the Cables Routes on Colorado’s Longs Peak and California’s Half Dome were drilled into precipitous granite peaks. Longs Peak's Via Ferrata was prone to rockfall and was later removed for safety reasons, but the Sierra Club rebuilt the Half Dome cables to withstand thousands of ascents each summer.
There are few places in North America where Via Ferrata construction is appropriate for land management or the wilderness ethic. Mountain climbers are some of the more outspoken opponents of the Via Ferrata, as modern climbing equipment and technique make virtually any peak accessible. Ironically, modern sport climbs are arguably Via Ferrata, with metal expansion bolts drilled into the rock at frequent intervals to allow human passage.
One of the airiest Via Ferratas on the planet is located deep in the Purcell Range of the Columbia Mountains of British Columbia. Just a few kilometers north of the Bugaboos, where heli-skiing was born 45 years earlier, the guides of CMH Bobbie Burns have constructed the Mount Nimbus Via Ferrata. It follows a narrow path along a knife-edged ridge that leads over the twin-spired summit of Mt. Nimbus, and crosses a 60-meter suspension bridge between the two peaks. (See a video here.)
The idea for the Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata began with a mountain version of a summer camp-style ropes course built near the CMH Bobbie Burns Lodge. This Adventure Trail takes guests through a thrilling series of zip lines and small Via Ferrata installations over the glacial-tinted turquoise waters of Vowell Creek . When CMH guests started booking trips to the Bobbie Burns primarily for the the Adventure Trail, the guides were reminded that people love safe, thrilling mountain adventures. The guides realized adventures for everyday people could be created with the addition of short Via Ferrata sections to surmount overhanging rock or bypass dangerous sections. The guides then built a short Via Ferrata on Mt. Syphax to connect a long, classic day of easy climbing.
Realizing the potential, the Bobbie Burns guides visited Europe to learn how to install a full-scale Via Ferrata and returned to equip Mt. Nimbus. Mt Nimbus has since been featured in National Geographic Adventure Magazine, The Robb Report, The Los Angeles Times, Men’s Journal, and other print and online publications.
Helicopter is the only realistic way to access Mt Nimbus. It is located in the most remote part of the Purcell Mountains and is an exclusive experience for participants in the CMH High-Flying Adventure program.