Jul. 13, 2011 - Issue #821: The Beer Issue
Outdoors Insider
Notes from the great outdoors
Lets do this
Cup runneth overStart with the third annual Edmonton Canada Cup cross-country mountain bike race (edmontoncanadacup.com), then add on-site food and beverage, musical entertainment, a kids race and one garden gnome, and you've got a lot more than just a race.
But wait a minute, you ask, did that say "gnome"? This year the event has added a single-speed race with a gnome as top prize, matching single-speed's intense style of riding (no granny gears) with its irreverent race culture. Of course, top calibre national competitors will be on hand for all disciplines, providing a great opportunity to witness an elite sporting event that usually occurs far from large urban centres.
The race, happening July 23, is fast becoming a local institution—there's even been talk that the city is considering permanent signage for the course to make it accessible to anyone who wants to test themselves on a World Cup trail.
Camping 101
Nature deficit disorder is slowly creeping into our cultural heredity. Some kids now grow up without ever camping in a tent in the wilderness—an experience that used to be a fundamental Canadian rite of passage.
"People have become really disengaged with nature," says Alisson Ogle, manager at the Palisades Stewardship Education Centre in Jasper. "It's important to develop these connections because people protect what they care about."
Thankfully, the Palisades Centre and Jasper National Park are coming to the rescue with "Camping 101" courses to introduce young families and recent immigrants to camping and being in the wilderness. Two of the three courses have already taken place, June 24 – 26 and July 8 – 10, but there is still one more to come on July 22 – 24. Participation is open to anyone who wants to learn basic wilderness skills and enjoy one of our greatest national assets. For more information or to register, contact the Palisades Centre at 780.852.6192.
Smart city, dumb bylaw
Alberta will soon have a new surfing and kayaking hotspot, the Harvie Passage. Designed with eddies and wave features, the weir redevelopment on Calgary's Bow River is set to open in summer 2012, offering a fantastic new white-water venue within Calgary city limits. For the present, however, it remains closed as hydraulic testing and safety and signage programs are refined.
The city showed great vision and forethought in embracing the concept and turning a former hazard into an outdoor attraction. Yet it makes the city look reactionary to have an old municipal bylaw banning backyard skate ramps.
A new skatepark strategy goes before council this fall, at which time they will hopefully reassess this antiquated bylaw and allow skateboarders to recreate freely in their own backyards. Check out the Calgary Association of Skateboard Enthusiasts website, calgaryskateboarding.com, for more information or to support local advocacy opposing the bylaw.
Jerks unite
All right, I'm a jerk—at least when I'm being tailgated by some impatient driver who wants to speed through a national park. Not all species share our urban traffic savvy, and an antler sandwich at 120 kilometres per hour just isn't my taste.
Earlier this spring, Banff National Park had to reduce speed limits due to high animal mortality. Yet still I've seen drivers flying through the parks at well over 100 km/hour. So, a plea to Parks visitors: follow the posted limits, especially in animal zones. Flash your hazards and slow down if you see animals near the road. Don't pull over.
Join me, and be a jerk too. V
DO IT:
Jul 16, 5 Peaks Camrose
5peaks.com
New venue, new trails ripe for discovery.
Do it!
Jul 23, Race the Rockies – Golden
racetherockies.com
Like FMIJ, this will be the last RTR-Golden.
Jul 30 – Aug 1, Canadian Death Race
canadiandeathrace.com
It didn't kill me last year so I'm doing it again. Stay tuned …
Jul 30 – Aug 1, Fat Tire Festival
frontierlodge.ca/fattirefestival
Nordegg area bike fest's 20th
anniversary, with guided rides, comps and more.
Aug 20 – 21, ROGUE Race /
High Level Downhill
roguerace.com
Nothing says prairie fun like hay
bales, road rash and rolling hills. vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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