A-Life BC Travel Blog

By Ross Collicutt

The sun reflected off the snow and made it difficult to see without sunglasses as we drove into the parking lot at Mount Washington Raven Lodge. The Raven Lodge is usually home base for cross-country skiers and snowshoers looking to make their rounds on the groomed trails in Paradise Meadows.

But we weren't there to snowshoe or cross-country ski.

Our target for the day was Mount Elma. We were ready to scale her snowy slopes with our backcountry ski touring gear. Backcountry skis are a bit like cross-country skis in that they prevent you from sliding backwards when travelling uphill. The skis have sticky hair strips on the bottom to grip the snow, allowing you to walk up a hill with your heel free before removing the strips or skins, clipping in your heel and skiing down. These skis are the perfect mode of transportation for summiting and descending Mount Elma.

By Ross Collicutt

There are hidden secrets tucked between Nanaimo and Mount Benson. They are large and small and embedded in the rocks. They were also a mystery to me until I discovered them myself.

I'm talking about the fossilized hard shells of extinct molluscs that give Ammonite Falls its name.

The spiral-shelled creatures lived around the time of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and died out along with the larger creatures of that era. The cause of the extinction is unknown but, of course, there are many theories.

The fossilized molluscs are closely related to squid, octopus and cuttle fish. The name "ammonite" comes from a Roman named Pliny the Eldar, who was a naturalist and author. He called them ammonis cornua ("horns of Ammon") because of their resemblance to the Egyptian god, who was often depicted wearing ram-like horns.

Ammonite fossils look like compact spirals with ridges all the way down. The outside end is open where the creature's tentacles would hang out. The fossils can be found all over the world, from Madagascar to Alberta, and right here in BC.

By Ross Collicutt

With so many spectacular hiking areas on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, it's a wonder we all aren't out there every day. Regular commitments and daily routines often get in the way and make it difficult to get out there and hike.

Rain and cold temperatures can make even the most seasoned hiker want to retreat indoors. Sore legs and feet from ill-fitting shoes or boots can send you hobbling back to your car after what could have been a peaceful walk on an excessible forest trail. Like any other sport or activity, there are important things you should know about hiking to enhance your experience. Here are six tips to get you started.

1. Get stable shoes that fit

Easily the most important piece of gear for a hiker? Shoes! You can hike for an hour or you can do a four-month trek in Nepal, but if your shoes don't fit your feet properly you've got a problem. Make sure you take enough time in the store to walk around and gauge their feel. Try to buy your shoes from the most knowledgable salesperson you can find. The salesperson should be able to match your foot length and width with a brand of shoe that best matches your shape.

By Ross Collicutt

A new multi-use trail is hidden just off the Island Highway near Nanaimo. It's the first section of a six-part series that the District of Lantzville plans to build over the next few years.

Strollers, walkers, runners, bikers and wheelchair users are allowed on the E&N Trailway. Just keep your eyes peeled! Fortunately, there is plenty of room on the Trailway, which measures more than five feet wide.

The best part of the Trailway is actually not on the trail itself. It's the fact that it connects to Nanaimo's Parkway Trail, which runs alongside Nanaimo Parkway.

By Ross Collicutt

The smell of mulled wine and gingerbread wafted through the air. Lights twinkled all around us. We had just walked into a German Christmas village.

We hadn’t really flown all the way to Germany. In fact, we had only walked down West Georgia Street in Vancouver and found ourselves transported to a world full of beer steins and every kind of sausage you can imagine. Back for a second year, the Vancouver Christmas Market brings authentic German food, drink and Christmas gifts to a beautiful market on West Georgia and Hamilton streets.

By Ross Collicutt

It looks like Mount Washington might benefit from another year of La Niňa weather. That means colder than average temperatures and higher than average precipitation, which usually means more snow. Last year's snowfall of more than 1,840cm set a new record for the resort, surpassing the previous record from the 1998-99 season.

The snow began accumulating early this year, allowing Mount Washington to open a week before its scheduled date. The alpine ski lifts, Nordic ski trails, snowshoeing areas and snowtube tracks are open for business. The resort even has a new treat for fresh skiers and boarders.

By Ross Collicutt

One of my favourite parts of the holiday season is walking around town and seeing the light displays. Some people dont get into it very much -- placing a few here, a few there -- but others spend hours, days even, wrapping everything they own in strings of brilliantly shining bulbs.

Sometimes whole streets will set up a theme and each house will be decorated to the hilt. Reindeer, candy canes and icicles all light up at the flick of a switch. Some of them are even accompanied by music.

On Vancouver Island, one of the best places to see an entire downtown street lit is the Ladysmith Festival of Lights.

By Ross Collicutt

Vancouver Island and BC's Lower Mainland are chock full of all forms of outdoor racing. There are mountain bike races, road bike races, road running races, kayak races, sailing races, and even trail running races ominously called the Gutbusters. But these are more warm weather events. What happens when the ground is covered in snow?

You put on some snowshoes and go for a run, of course!

Since 2001, The Yeti Snowshoe Series has brought snowshoe racing to Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland at locations like Mount Washington, Mount Seymour, Grouse Mountain and Whistler/Blackcomb. 2012 marks the first year organizers have expanded beyond BC with a new venue at Scenic Caves, Blue Mountain in Ontario.

So what exactly is snowshoe racing?

By Ross Collicutt

Driving through Duncan one day, on my way home to Nanaimo, I was looking for a nice spot to stretch my legs and take some photos. The sun was casting a beautiful glow over the valley as it started dipping behind Mount Prevost.

They say just before sunset is one of the best times to get out and take amazing photographs, so I kept my eyes open for a nice location. Some interesting trees and landscapes or maybe some different kinds of wildlife would have all made for some great shots in the fading light.

I was passing Somenos Marsh at the north end of Duncan when I realized it would be a perfect place to wander the beautiful, recently-installed boardwalk out into the marsh and maybe even get some photos of a few of the 200+ bird species that frequent the area. There is a helpful map on SomenosMarsh.com, the digital home of the conservation project.

By Ross Collicutt

I've always been interested in sailing, but I could never see myself out on the water and so always favoured the land based sports. That all changed this year.

I learned the basics by taking some dingy courses this year and soon found myself crewing (helping sail) a 43-ft keelboat. The keelboats can be much larger than a 14-ft dinghy, but the idea behind sailing them is similar.

The local regattas held a few times per year are part of what makes sailing fun on Vancouver Island.