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Farm to Fork: A Culinary Adventure in British Columbia
by Eric S. Pateman
For those craving a culinary adventure, BC’s bounty of quality, raw ingredients – not to mention its hefty helping of farmers, vintners, chefs, and artisan producers – proves to be as satisfying and memorable as the scenery. And thanks to its burgeoning reputation on the food scene and its mix of world-class restaurants, authentic ethnic foods, quality cheap eats and culinary adventures, you’ll be reaching for your knife and fork more than your camera.
Here’s an insider’s look into where to pull up your chair and raise a glass in some of BC’s notable foodie regions. (read more!)
Mountain Biker’s Heaven: British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies Region
By Darren Davidson
Clad in imposing body armour, caked in mud, sweat and smiles, and riding hulking $3,500 bicycles affixed with burly shocks, tires and even disc brakes, dozens and dozens of mountain bikers weave and bunny-hop amongst a holiday crowd nowadays common to almost all of the Kootenay Rockies region’s four-season mountain resorts during the warm weather months.
Barreling into the resort village, the bikers and their cycles are quickly whisked to the mountaintop on lifts initially built for skiing and snowboarding during the winter. Moments later, at the top, riders saddle back up and speed or meander towards trails cut through the mountain’s forest and runs, pedaling over man-made jumps, teeter totters and built-up banks. (read more)
Heli-hiking In British Columbia
Canadian Mountain Holidays began offering family heli-hiking adventures five years ago because so many adults wanted to return with their kids. CMH's five Heli-Hiking lodges are gateways to some of the world's most inviting, grand, and little-visited mountains, a wilderness of tumbling glaciers, flowery meadows, airy ridges, and stunningly blue lakes.
Based from European-style lodges, travelers helicopter each day to the heights, leapfrogging days of heavy backpacking, making short, long, easy, and rigorous hikes carefully suited to guests' desires and fitness, reveling in solitude and rare grandeur, soaking up unending rays of mountain beauty.
Hikes of any ability and length are available from mountaineering treks to stolls across a mountain top meadow. Kids can take to trails or stay at the Lodge with "Fun Facilitators" for an assortment of activities depending on age and ability. Parents can look forward to relaxing spa treatment back at the Lodge before joining the kids for a family-style dinner.
For more information:
www.canadianmountainholidays.com or www.cmhski.com
Whistler Offers Great Family Fun!
As the old local saying goes, "you move to Whistler for the winter, but it is the summer that makes you stay." Summer is a beautiful time to come and explore Whistler Valley and there are a number of exciting new valley, on-mountain, and culinary activities for visitors to choose from including alpine yoga, a visit to a traditional Salish First Nations lodge, five-day cooking schools with a world-class chef, rap jumping, and photo hiking.
IN THE VALLEY
Skyline at Cougar Mountain
Skyline uses both traditional and new zipline technology to create an eco-adventure experience like no other in North America. With six ziplines up to 550 metres (1,800 feet) in length, and more than 61 metres (200 feet) off the ground, visitors will be able to reach free fall speeds of up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour high above the tree canopy and through the forest. The integration of line, trolley and braking components means that riders can control their point of view from the comfort of a unique harness system. At each stop, an interpretive forest guide awaits to lead the visitor through the area's history and diverse populations of flora and fauna. Information: www.cougarmountain.ca
In-SHUCK-ch First Nation Jet Boat Tour with Whistler River Adventures
This summer Whistler River Adventures will add a First Nations experience to their Lillooet River jet boat tour - the first of its kind in the Whistler region. Guests will enjoy a three-hour tour aboard a motorized jet-boat through the whitewater rapids of the Lillooet River. A stop at a traditional coast Salish pit house, or "s7istken" (pronounced ee-sh-kin) located next to an intact section of the original gold rush trail to observe and participate in a traditional Salish welcoming ceremony is included along with a sampling of traditional native foods. The s7istken is built from a design dating back to 2500 BC and is the only one of its kind located in traditional territory that is open to the public for viewing on the British Columbia coast. Tours depart daily from the Whistler River Adventure offices located at the base of Whistler Mountain in the Whistler Gondola building. Information: www.whistlerriver.com/jetboat-main.htm Read More!
"WEM on a Whim!"
Megan Kopp
Red devils and damsels, fox faces and tangs -- fishy business, this going undersea. The hatch closed, consol lights flashed and our submarine headed off. We cruised by giant sea turtles, blacktip sharks, a sea coral garden and more fish than you can shake a rod at! As we exited the sub, sea leg shaky, the ambient noise took over and we were back... in the mall. West Edmonton Mall -- it’s a splash!
When you think of northern Alberta and its provincial capital, Edmonton -- year-round watersports isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg at Canada’s largest indoor shopping and entertainment centre. Our little car was buzzing with excitement as "the girls" hit the highway. My sister, daughter and I were on our way for an overnight adventure, complete with a stay in the Fantasyland Hotel (attached to the west end of West Edmonton Mall, a.k.a. WEM).
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The majestic rumble of the falls can be heard from miles away, but the sight itself never fails to cause the viewer to pause and gaze in wonder at the 600,000 gallon per second mass of hissing, frothing water crashing over a 170 foot cliff amid huge clouds of spray and mist.
Ottawa has been described as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Less than an hour's drive from the American border, Ottawa enjoys the attributes of a major center for the visual and performing arts, as well as other big city attractions. Yet, it still maintains the accessibility, atmosphere and charm of a smaller city, in addition to access to spectacular park and wilderness areas located within and around the city.
Canada's most cosmopolitan city is the cultural heart of south central Ontario. In recent years, the United Nations named Toronto as the most ethnically diverse city in the world. Its residents have come to Canada from 170 different countries and speak more than 100 different languages and dialects. Within Toronto, the visitor will pass through neighborhoods that are Italian Asian, Greek, Portuguese, Jewish, Polish, West Indian and Pakistani. Toronto has welcomed its immigrants and the vitality with which they have infused the culture, religion, customs and cuisine of the city. |
