Posted by Jane Carswell on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 @ 01:39 PM
There are still some great hiking days ahead in the season. Heck, there are even still some great Heli-Hiking days left in the season before the snow starts to dust the peaks surrounding Banff as well as the Bugaboos and Bobbie Burns. I find myself in need of some new hiking pants so I checked in with Bob Krysak, Retail Services Manager here at CMH to see what advice he has to offer.
JC: Bob, are good hiking pants worth it? What's wrong with wearing a pair of comfy old jeans or shorts?
BK: Jane, hiking pants are worth their weight in gold (and then some)! To go hiking in jeans today is like going for a long, hilly bike ride with a one-speed bike instead of 20. You'll get there, but you'll be very uncomfortable and it will take longer. Jeans and shorts offer little to no protection from the elements, do not move with the body and do not dry quickly. Today's pants offer a variety of soft-shell fabrics that are nylon/ elastane based. They are super-light and durable, water repellent and breathable. With zippered hand and thigh pockets you can safely store your gear and the elastic waist and cuffs make the pants very comfortable. Some pants even come with a soft lined waist area to prevent pack chafing. Another benefit of most hiking pants today is that they are street friendly. You can wear them all day hiking and show up at day's end at your favourite drinking hole and not look like you just crawled out of the woods.
JC: What about zip off pants? They seem to have evolved quite a bit over the last few years. What are the big advantages?
BK: Zip off pants used to be the rage, but you do not see as many around as in the past. The advantage is you can zip off the legs and convert to shorts on a hot day, but you have to be careful of the fit. Some zip offs have the zipper located mid thigh, so if you are muscular this can be very uncomfortable when going uphill and your legs are flexing. Most suppliers, if they have 6-7 styles of pants will now only offer one zip off/convertible. I prefer good lightweight pant in a light color that does not heat up on those bluebird days in the Alpine.
JC: Like anything, hiking pants range from inexpensive to quite expensive. What will I get with the Cadillac of hiking pants that I wouldn’t with a less expensive pair?
BK: Well,the main difference from less to more expensive is the fabric. If you want water resistant with more breathability the fabrics cost more, as you add more pockets with zippers the costs go up also. In the end you can pay from $100-$250 for a pair of pants. The $250 will be more durable, and may be able to crossover into the Winter for use as a touring pant. We deal mainly with
Arc'teryx and
Marmot and they both offer a good range of styles, fabrics and price points.
JC: That seals it. I'm going shopping!
What about you? What are your favourite hiking pants and why? Share your expertise here!
Photo of the Bugaboo Spires taken Aug 26, 2010 by CMH Summer Adventures Guide, Lyle Grisedale
Posted by Jane Carswell on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 @ 02:24 PM
by Sarah Pearson, Marketing & Media Relations, Canadian Mountain Holidays.
Never stop learning – this was the message conveyed over and over by Dr. Roberta Bondar, our guest speaker at the Bugaboo Lodge on the August 17 – 20th CMH Summer Adventure. And that is exactly what we did for three superb days out in the mountains. We learned and absorbed information about geology, wild flowers, glaciations, plate tectonics, animal behaviour and countless other fascinating facts, ideas and theories. Under the leadership of our CMH Guides, we didn’t just hear about it…..we walked through it, touched it, smelled it, tasted it, and truly experienced the full vastness of our mountain landscape.
Following these days of fresh air and exercise we returned to the lodge to the excited chatter about our daily adventures, laughter, and individual stories from guests from around the world. One of our guests at the lodge was Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first woman in space, the world’s first neurologist in space, and head of space medicine research at NASA for eleven years. Dr. Bondar (or Roberta as we came to know her) regaled us with stories from vast life experience; about the physical and emotional challenges leaving this earth presents; experiencing and seeing earth from above; the value of space research; what it takes to become an astronaut; and how returning to earth has changed her perspective on the world. She has said, “To fly in space is to see the reality of earth alone. To touch it after is to see beauty for the first time.”
Captured by both her words and images during her evening presentation, I went to bed that night inspired and optimistic about the future. Her message was - yes, the world is changing, but if we continue to ask questions and seek out answers to scientific mysteries; to listen to each other and embrace life-long learning; and to challenge ourselves both mentally and physically, then we will be able to actively and positively participate as our future unfolds in ways that we can’t even imagine today.
What struck me most poignantly was her message that when people are passionate about our world and the environment around them – then we will work to protect it. When it’s personal - when it makes a difference to us as individuals - then we have the drive and ability to protect and make change. Seeing our world in new ways makes it personal – whether this is through photography, reading, education, or experiencing places first hand. For me, after spending those glorious days amongst those magnificent Bugaboo Spires - it is now and forever, personal.
The Roberta Bondar Foundation http://www.therobertabondarfoundation.org/
Posted by Jason Semenek on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 @ 05:03 PM
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".
An Update on Trip Conditions at the Bobbie Burns Lodge
Flowers, flowers, flowers! Splashes of colour everywhere: purple moss campion, yellow fleabane, white anenomes and red indian paintbush. Conditions are great in all locales, including the Mt. Nimbus Via Ferrata and the Adventure Trail - lots of zip-line excitement going on! The weather has been warm and sunny, melting away the last of the snow.
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!
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, Jun 18, 2010 @ 11:38 AM
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.
Posted by Jane Carswell on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 @ 01:17 PM
Guest post by John E. Marriott, Professional Photographer and host of CMH's Bugaboo Photography Workshop September 7-10, 2010.
Bring a camera along. As ridiculous as it sounds, it's a key piece of advice for anyone wanting to capture great wilderness images. Roadside attractions are a dime a dozen, but what really separates a great landscape photographer from the pack is the need to get off the beaten track and get stunning images of hard-to-get-to locations. And while camera gear is heavy, I make sure I pack all the important photo equipment first on my backpacking excursions (Canon EOS 5D II body, 17-40mm lens, 70-200mm lens, and an assortment of filters) and skimp on other less critical stuff (like food, shelter and clothing).- And don't forget a tripod. Twenty years ago bringing a tripod along was a serious addition to your backpacking gear, adding up to ten torturous pounds to your pack. Today, however, new carbon fibre tripods and ballheads mean that adding a tripod to your backpack can cost you less than 3 extra pounds (my backpacking tripod, a Velbon Sherpa Pro with an Acratech ballhead, is up to 5 feet tall, yet weighs in at a paltry 3.1 pounds). A tripod is key to allowing you to use all that camera gear you carted in with you, taking advantage of the golden hours at sunrise and sunset and using filters if you choose to, something that is much harder to do without a tripod being handy.
Scout it out. If you arrive at a backcountry campground before sunset, quickly scout out the locations that may work for a great sunset image or for the next morning's sunrise shoot. Try to avoid scrambling around at the last second ‘chasing the light'. Watch for interesting foregrounds that may add to your images of those ‘trophy' landscapes. - Ignore the weather forecast. Many of my most dramatic backcountry images are from freak snowstorms or giant storm clouds. So while I don't recommend you venture out when the Storm of '52 blows in, I do recommend you still get out there when it looks like a few of your days may be spotty for weather. Blue sky days are often the most dull in terms of photography and lighting.
Take a polarizer along. A polarizing filter can be your best friend in the backcountry, particularly a warming polarizer which can not only cut the glare of reflections and intensify your colours, but also add an overall vibrancy to your images. Yes, you'll need to haul out your tripod (see #2), but the effects of using a polarizer in some of your wilderness scenes will give you that extra bit of pizzazz in the finished product, wowing your friends and family alike.
What tips do you have and what equipment do you never leave home without?
John E. Marriott is a professional nature photographer based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. If you'd like to learn more from John, join CMH Summer Adventures in the Bugaboos from September 7-10th this year.
Photos by John E. Marriott:
1. Badger Pass, Banff National Park
2. Ramparts, Amethyst Lake, Jasper National Park
3. Glacier Lillies at Jumbo Pass, Purcell Mountains
Posted by Jane Carswell on Mon, May 31, 2010 @ 01:21 PM
One of the most popular questions asked by our reservations staff, and our guides is "When do the flowers bloom." It's an interesting question and the answer is a little bit different each year. So I did two things: I looked back to last year's
Current Conditions updates from the guides to get an idea of what we typically see when. And I also spoke to Lyle Grisedale,
Heli-Hiking Guide in the
Bugaboos who is working on a long-term project studying the affects of climate change on various species of plants. Of course, all things in the natural world have their own cycle and it's dependant upon late-season snow and the depth of the winter snowpack, but here's a guidline based on the 2009 Heli-Hiking season:
Early July: Western Anemone, Drumonds Anemone, Cinqfoil, Buttercups, Paintbrush, Roseroot, Arnica, Flebane, White and Pink Heather, Fireweed (pictured here in this image of Thunderwater Lakes, Bugaboo Region), Purple Leaved Willowherb, Mountain Avens, Glacier Lillies.
Mid-July: Moss Campion, Phacelia, Yellow Columbine and Triangular Leaved Ragwort.
Late-July / Early-August: Many flowers are at their peak at this time such as Paintbrush, Arnica, Pink and Yellow Monkey Flowers, hawkweed and miterwort. Meadows are typically in full bloom.
Mid-to-late-August: Flowers on south aspects are pretty much finished, but the north and east aspects are typically still in bloom.
Early-September: Larch trees starting to turn. Crisp, cool nights and early mornings. Sometimes a dusting of snow. Very few flowers left, only in the lower elevation meadows and valleys.
Then I checked in with Lyle. He, along with two other guides in the Bugaboos have established some study plots of wildflowers and have been tracking the growth in each plot year over year.
JC: Lyle, what information are you hoping to gain from this project?
LG: We are interested to know how climate change will impact the plants that grow at treeline and above. What we are looking for are plants that are moving upslope due to changes in the weather.
Our main concern are the plants at ridge top (2500 meters). They have no where to go and could be invaded by plants from lower elevations. The risk is a loss of biodiversity but on the positive side some of these plants may be able to adapt to being invaded or adapt to the changing temperature.
JC: How are you collecting the data?
LG: We have eight plots, four at 2000 meters and four at 2500 meters. The plots are oriented to the compass, north aspect, south aspect west aspect, and east aspect. Each time we are in the area of a plot we do a formal observation were we write down what plants are in the plot, and their stage of growth ie. Just starting, in prime bloom, past prime, gone to seed, dying or dead. These observations are recorded into a data base.
JC: And what early learnings have you had?
LG: I had being doing anecdotal observations for about 8 years, and then we established the plots in the Bugaboos about 3 years ago. To give you an example of plants moving, common fireweed was rarely found above 1600 meters, but recently I have seen it as high as 2200 meters.
We each find that every time we visit a plot it is a great opportunity to talk about climate with the guests. They are usually very interested in what we are doing and what the climate is doing. Invariably, some great discussions follow!
What about you? What changes do you see in your environment that may be attributed to climate change?
Posted by Topher Donahue on Fri, May 21, 2010 @ 04:11 PM
One of the surprising elements of CMH Summer Adventures is that most of our time is spent with no trail in sight. Sometimes the bears, moose, and other animals go the same way we want to go, and then we can follow age-old animal trails for short distances. The rest of the time we walk gently on carpet-like tundra dotted with tenacious wildflowers, across scree slopes made of billions of tiny rocks, over chaotic boulder fields of burly talus, through lush old-growth forests, on low-angle slabs of ancient stone, and everything in between.
With groups of adventurous hikers, we’ll encounter all of these terrain features in a single day. With hikers wanting only the easiest hiking, we use the helicopter to access the ideal, mellow terrain.
For everyone, hiking off-trail requires paying attention and walking with a focus beyond that which we are accustomed to while hiking on well-used trails in National Parks and popular recreation areas. For some suggestions on better walking off-trail, I asked Erich Unterberger, an IFMGA guide and lifetime adventurer who, beginning as a kid in Austria, has spent most of his life in the wilderness, away from any trails or roads, while wearing hiking boots, rock climbing shoes or skis. Erich took time away from building his family a house in Revelstoke, British Columbia to give us some pointers, and here’s what he had to say:
As for walking off-trail, I don't know when I last walked on a trail. I think I always walked, or looked to walk, off the beaten path.
- What I look for when I’m off-trail is safety first. I always check for any hazard above like loose boulders, cornices, etc.
- You want to make sure to avoid sensitive areas like marshy places or heather slopes.
- Pick your line from a distance - almost any peace of terrain has a path of least resistance through it.
- When you are crossing a steep side-hill, point your downhill foot outward to minimize stress on your ankles.
- When crossing talus or scree slopes, you need to look a few steps ahead. This gives you better balance.
- Take small steps. This makes covering ground easier and more efficient.
- I often use a walking stick which comes really handy for rugged sections and makes walking downhill much easier.
Exploring off the beaten path is one of the most rewarding aspects of mountain adventures. The CMH guides will outfit you with the needed equipment, like boots and walking poles if needed. Most importantly, they cutomize each adventure to ensure that you get just the right kind of experience to be safe, exciting and eye-opening for you without it being too difficult for your ability and fitness level.
Heli-hiking photo by Topher Donahue