HELI-SKIING WITH CMH -

If you like to ski but have never tried Heli-skiing, you must put a trip with CMH in the Kootenays on your bucket list.

On Friday, February 25, Mike and I had the amazing opportunity to go heli-skiing with CHM (Canadian Mountain Holidays).
For our blog fans living far away, CMH operates a Heli-ski lodge out of Nakusp. People come from all over the world to experience the amazing powder that our vast mountain terrain offers all winter.

And now we know why.

It helped that Friday was the sunniest day we've had in weeks, and the absence of wind meant that it was WARM!!!

CMH is ran by professionals. Their primary goal is to give you the best experience possible, while doing it safely. Their track record for safety is unblemished, and I felt very safe all day; and judging by all the smiles on everyone in our group, I think that feeling was shared by all. The guides know the terrain well, and won't take you where your safety is at risk.

They also make the entire experience as comfortable as possible; water and juice is available in the helicopter, along with snacks to keep your energy up. And they serve an amazing lunch, including hot soup and beverages, in the alpine.

Mike McKenzie, our pilot for the day is ranked one of the best in the world, having 35 plus years experience with heli-skiing. We ski in groups; ours was 10 people, most of them from Germany and our guide Dan. We skied almost 6,000 meters (or 18,000 feet) that day. After it was all over, my legs were screaming but you couldn't wipe the grin off my face. That was by far the best day of skiing of my life!


One thing to keep in mind though is that the terrain is not easy; although CMH does run clinic on how to ski powder and trees (or glades), it isn't offered on all trips so if you are an average skier, it might be overwhelming on your first day. (check their list on the website "are you ready for your first time? - it'll give you a good idea if you can do this or not). But for those looking for powder, CMH delivers; no one skied someone elses tracks all day, unless you chose to.

There is one bad thing about it.... it is ADDICTIVE! We are hooked.


We ended the day at the Nakusp Hot Springs with some of the skiers; a warm lunch and beverages awaits skiers, and shuttle buses are available at different times to take them back to the lodge. We met some of our new friends from the day back at the lodge to share a beer and a few stories.

So thank you Ken, Cheryl, Patrick, Dan and everyone at CHM for making this ski day the best we've ever had. From now on, we'll have to put aside holiday money to do this at least once a year.

For more information on CHM and the different lodges they operate, visit their website at: www.canadianmountainholidays.com. For those who don't ski, they also offer summer adventures.

HAWAII ADVENTURES

On a previous blog, we mentioned that our November holiday was cut short due to a Hurricane in St. Lucia and we re-scheduled our holiday for Hawaii in February.
We're back, and our rating for the Big Island of Hawaii is definitely thumbs up. There is so much to do, we didn't get to explore everything on our list (*that just means we'll have to go back), but we hiked, snorkeled, swam with dolphins, and giant turtles, and ziplined in the rainforest, walked to an active lava field, learnt about the amazing gods, legends and myths of this beautiful place, went up to 14,000 feet at Mauna Kea,met great people and ate yummy food.

The Big Island boast 11 of 13 climate zones in the world; from the desert sunny side of the Kona Coast (where we stayed) to the rainforests of the North and east side of the island, and freezing conditions at the top of Mauna Kea, it makes for a diversified eco-system depending on where you end up.
We found many advantages of hiking in Hawaii; no bugs, no carnivores, no snakes, and if hiking in the rainforests, it is particularly nice and cool.

There are 2 hikes we'd highly recommend; Polulu Valley and Waipi'o Valley located to the North of the Island. The 2 valleys used to be connected by a trail but the rains has washed out a lot of the trail, making its passage too dangerous, and we were also told that this is sacred land to the Hawaiians and there are no trespassing signs everywhere. There are lookouts at both trail head if someone doesn't want to hike down to the black sand beaches, and back up the other side. We went as far as we were allowed to go on either side and the scenery was breathtaking. Wear decent footwear; it rains a lot and the treck down can be hazardous at times.

This picture is on the Polulu valley trail. The hike isn't very difficult, and once we got to the end of the beach, the trail continues to another peak. The weather was partially overcast that day, which made the hike very comfortable.

The above photo shows the black sand beaches on Hawaii. we continued on past the beaches and ended up on the other side of the peak showed above.

The accessible trail ends at the bottom of this cliff. There are few hikers venturing this far so the trail was nice and quiet. A group of 4 arrived as we were making our way back, and were the only people we ever saw.

The picture on the left is at the lookout of Waipi'o Valley; the great thing is that if you are not a hiker, this is what you see from the lookout, it is spectacular.

The road down to the beach and waterfall is steep; you can drive down with a 4 x 4 or pay a tour company $50; we hiked down, it wasn't that bad. Our goal was to reach Hi'ilawe falls, which at over 1400 feet are the state's tallest falls. we were warned that bad weather had made the trail almost inaccessible. The trails also meanders through private properties so we were careful to stay close to the stream and not venture inland.
We didn't make it to the waterfall but very close; at the second pool, Mike ventured a bit further but it involved carrying our packs through water and bolders, and we didn't have any waterproof bags with us. So we turned around but the hike was fun and beautiful.



Photo above is walking through the rainforest in search of the waterfall.

Photo to the right is trying to find a trail at the first pool we encountered.

And below, the beautiful falls in the distance.

Most of the island is very rocky so if you are looking for white sandy beaches, there are a few of them but most of the coastline is rugged. Lava fields are present in many places and we walked for miles on the black landscape that it creates.
Sea turtles, and all sea creatures are protected in Hawaii; if you are caught touching a turtle resting on the beach, like the one pictured below, you will be fined up to $10,000. From what we observed, it seems tourists and locals alike respect the law. Humpback whales were also all around the island while we were there, we could see them breaching from a distance and were lucky enough to see them on a couple of boat excursions we did.

If you want to see a few more pictures, scroll down to the very bottom of the blog. Hawaii is definitely a worthwhile place to visit.

Happy trails, anywhere you end up in the world and remember, life is an adventure.

WINTER SALE CONTINUES....

Since mother nature has decided to continue bringing us winter conditions in the Kootenays, no one is thinking spring clothing yet, so we are extending our winter sales for at least another 2 weeks!

There are still great deals in ski jackets and pants:
50% ALL SKI WINTER JACKETS (Men/Women and kids)
40% ALL SKI PANTS

We also have items at 60% off. Molehill for small kids are all 50% off.

So come on in, get warm, and grab a few last minute great deals before it ends!
See you soon.

LITTLE MOUNTAIN WINTER HOURS

Little Mountain is changing their hours of operations for January and February ONLY -

Our hours will be:

Open - Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5:00pm
Closed - Sundays
Closed - Mondays

We will resume our regular hours in March:
Open - Monday to Saturday - 9:30am to 5:30pm
Closed - Sundays


Thanks everyone!
Mike & Marie

SUMMIT LAKE SKI RESORT

Photo: The Zinselmeyer family enjoying a great day of Skiing! All in the gear from Little Mountain!!!

Week of Dec 27, 2010
Summit Lake mountain opened its door on Dec.27 with a bang!
I've had the pleasure to go skiing twice this week to great snow conditions. It is hard to beat being able to ski in a less than a 20 minute drive from Nakusp. And better yet, it is affordable!!! ($23 for a full day for adults).
The beautiful log ski lodge has room for all the skiers, there's great hot food and hot beverages available, the staff is super friendly and in no time they know who you are.
We were lucky to get a good 4 to 6 inches on the night of Dec 28 which made for powder conditions on Thursday. It was simply amazing. According to the staff, they've had record days for attendance which is so great to see. It is so important to support our local ski hill, and the many volunteers who put so many hours to keep it running each year. We are still blown away that we have this resort in our backyard.
I am still amazed that when I show up for a day of skiing, I know so many people. Kids are skiing on their own, parents do not have to worry because everybody knows their kids. Summit Lake offers such a great community feel, we'll probably be there this weekend again and whenever we have some time off over the winter. See you all there~!~


For more information, check their website at www.skisummitlake.com.

FIRST SNOWSHOE OF THE SEASON

Winter in the West Kootenays started early this year; we saw snow in November which got everyone excited for winter sports. There is nothing worst living here when it is raining. We know the snow will come and we all wait anxiously for it every year.

So on a cloudy Sunday in November, we decided to go for a nice hike with the kids. Our friends Jodee, Maia, Zoe and Dawson and of course, dog Jewel were all part of the expedition.
We opted for a wide trail close to the hotsprings; it is low elevation and easier for the kids.
We had a blast~ the kids were running in their snowshoes, finding hills and just having a great time.
Snowshoeing is great exercise and cheap! The initial investment is a pair of snowshoes (we sell the MSR Evo at $159.99 for adults, kids version at $65.99). We've had our MSR for almost 10 years and they're still working just fine. These snowshoes fit just about any boots and are light and easy to carry. THere is so much terrain to explore around Nakusp, we plan to do a lot more this year.

If you're not ready to invest in a pair of snowshoes right away, we have adult and kids size available for rent. $15 for the day so it's a great and inexpensive way to try it before buying a pair. And if you rent a pair and decide on the same day to purchase snowshoes, we will put the rental fee towards your new snowshoes.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR HOLIDAY GETS CANCELLED

It's been a while since our last blog so it's time for an update.

At the end of October, we were en route to go and explore the beautiful island of St.Lucia. We were excited to hike in a tropical paradise, and also do a bit of diving. It wasn't meant to be: the Island had been hit by a hurricane when we were in transit from Calgary to Toronto. Upon landing to make our connection, we were advised of the situation. After spending a night in Toronto, we were told no one was flying in or out of St. Lucia, apparently the damage much worst than we thought.

We decided to fly back to Calgary and reschedule our holidays.
On our way back, we started to think that we were still free to use some of that time to have some fun, and since Banff was on our way home, we decided to spend a night or two there.

It was the best decision ever. We woke up on November 2nd in Banff to blue skies and fairly warm temperatures for that time of year. We decided it would be a perfect day for a hike. We didn't have much warm clothing with us or gear so we decided to stay close to the area.

What we like about Banff is the access to trails without having to drive very far. On our first hike, we did the easy and popular Tunnel Mountain Trail. Although it was in low season, the trail was busy. We can see why; a short hike took us high enough to enjoy spectacular views of Banff and surrounding mountains. We normally would venture to more challenging hikes but we highly recommend going on this hike. Take a picnic and your camera! You won't regret it.


The next day, we decided to go up Sulphur Mountain by Gondola; we normally opt out of the overpriced 'tourist trap' attractions, but this is definitely worth it. The boardwalk at the top is simply amazing, it was bitter cold and windy when we were there. At the top, there is a restaurant with 360 views. If you don't have a lot of time in the region, I would put this as one of the things to do while there.

On our last day, we decided to hike to the Hoodoos. What are Hoodoos? It is a column of weathered and unusually shaped rock. The trail is extremely easy. If you don't feel like hiking, you can drive to the site. It is very unusual and beautiful. Although it was November, we saw a couple of kayaks landing on the shores of the river below us. The trail is beautiful, you might see climbers on the trail; the rock face of Tunnel Mountain is a popular site for climbers. We highly recommend this easy hike for the whole family.
Our two nights in Banff ended up being 4 nights. It was so beautiful we didn't want to leave. This made us realize how lucky we are in Canada, especially on the West Coast, to be living just a few hours away from such natural beauty. Things definitely has changed since I lived there during the 88 Olympics, but it is still one of the most spectacular places we've been.
And if you are wondering, yes we were able to get a full refund on our trip and have rebooked for Hawaii (Kona). We've already mapped some of the hikes we definitely want to do and some diving trips so stay tuned for an update end of February.

IO/BIO MERINO UNDERWEAR RED MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT PROMO

We are SO happy that IO/BIO is offering the same promo as last season.

This offer is for one (1) single day pass voucher for Red Mountain Resort that may be submitted in person at Red Mountain in exchange for a lift ticket in any age category for this season for each IO/BIO Merino wool item purchased.

Once we give you the voucher, all you have to do is go online, register and your first day of skiing at Red Mountain is FREE!!! Yes, FREE.
Many of our customers were able to take advantage of this great promo last season.

We have lots of great IO/BIO Merino underwear colours this year and different weight.

For more information on the amazing IO/BIO products, check www.io-bio.com

SUMMIT LAKE AREA SKI PASSES

We are pleased to let everyone know that we are now selling Summit Lake ski passes at Little Mountain.

Get your passes early to get the early bird pricing: (before December 1st)

( REGULAR PRICE IN BLACK EARLY BIRD IN RED)


ADULTS 19 and up $275. $230

STUDENTS (13 to 18) $225 $185

CHILD (6 to 12) $150 $130

SENIOR (60 to 65) $150 $130


FAMILY RATES *(MUST INCLUDE ONE ADULT!)

ONE ADULT $275. $230

TWO ADULTS 485 $415

STUDENT $180 $130

CHILD $130 $110

Note: we only sell the ski passes and not the punch cards.

See you on the slopes!!

COLIN ANGUS IS COMING TO NAKUSP

We have some exciting news to share.

World renowned Colin Angus is coming to Nakusp!!!



When: November 27th 2010
Where: Nakusp Secondary School (GYMNASIUM)
Time: Door open at 7:00pm - presentation 7:30 to 9:30pm (with intermission)
Price: Kids and students FREE - Adults: $8 advance ticket and $10 at the door
(Tickets available at Little Mountain and Advantage Travel World, 412 Broadway st)

(link to http://www.angusadventures.com/tour.html for more information)



For those who haven't heard of him, here's a brief bio of his achievements:

Colin Angus completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the world when in 2006 he cycled into Vancouver after 43,000 km of travel. During the course of two years he rowed across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, trekked and cycled through 16 countries, endured winter in Siberia and searing heat in the tropics.

Colin has made a career exploring remote parts of the world and sharing his adventures through bestselling books, films and presentations. He has navigated the Amazon and Yenisey Rivers from source to sea, sailed the South Pacific Ocean, and rowed thousands of km in waterways around the world. He has co-produced four documentaries which collectively won ten awards at international festivals including the Dijon and Telluride Festivals of Adventure Films. His work is published in numerous publications including the Globe and Mail, Reader’s Digest and Cruising World.

Outside Magazine listed Colin as one of the top 25 “bold visionaries with world changing dreams” for his work in promoting lifestyle changes to help the environment. Colin and Julie continue their efforts in promoting zero-emissions transportation as a healthy way to maintain a healthy world. (For more information check his website www.angusadventures.com)

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT! Our store now has his best selling books and DVD's available for sale. This is a great event for the entire family. we hope to see you all there!

GIMLI RIDGE (take 2)

Sunday, October 17 2010 We woke up to sunny skies and decided to squeeze in one more hike this year, before the snow starts in the alpine. Mike had done Gimli earlier this summer, but it was foggy and raining and he barely saw the beautiful peak, so we decided to go there again. (see below) From Nakusp, it took us exactly 2 hours from our house to the trail head, packs on and ready to go.
For those who like to have their 'eye on the prize', this massive rock can be seen from the parking lot. It's an easy to moderate hike through the forest, with some steeper parts so good footwear is recommended. It's a national park so no dogs are allowed. This is one impressive area, all the peaks are jagged rock cliffs, it is spectacular. To the left, more peaks towering over us. We had lunch at what seems to be 'base camp' for climbers and hikers.


We didn't see any wildlife on this trip, but we heard picas in the distance. After a quick lunch break, we continued to the left to view Mulvey Basin. Ice has already started to form on the big rock, and while we were sitting enjoying the sun, we heard this loud crash - it was the ice melting, and landing below (right on our path to get back down). This was another amazing day hiking in the Kootenays. Pretty soon, we'll slap on the snowshoes and keep exploring nature's wonders. Happy trails.
(scroll down for more pictures)

CUSTOMER REWARD PROGRAM

It is hard to believe that we opened the store almost a year ago (October 21st). We want to thank our community for their continued support. Your comments are always appreciated, and we are dedicated to continue changing the store to accomodate your needs.

We wanted to introduce a reward program for our customers and by discussing it for a while and getting input from my friend Corinne over coffee, we came up with a Customer Reward Card which will be available this week! Here's how it will work:

Next time you come in, we will start a card with your name and phone number and keep it on file at Little Mountain

For every $20 dollar spent (before tax), we will stamp your card according to your purchases that day
(i.e. if you spend $120 before tax, we would stamp your cards 6 times - 6 x $20=$120; if you spend $130, you would also receive 6 stamps, and so on)

The card has 25 squares each worth $20 - IT MUST BE IN INCREMENTS OF $20 (if you only spend $15, your card will not be stamped )

Once your card is full, you will receive a $30 credit towards your NEXT purchase in our store

Minimum purchase to use the card is $30 before tax - the card has no cash value.

No stamps given when redeeming gift certificates or using a store credit.

This is our way of saying thank you for choosing Little Mountain as your favorite store.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

NEW LINES FOR FALL

Little Mountain is very excited to introduce a few new lines for fall:

Ultimate skateboards Distributors; yes, Little Mountain is now in the business of skateboarding. Ultimate represents the top brands in the sport. The guys who own it, and started it, are all skaters, and they support over 200 skate events a year. we carry a small inventory however, if there's a board you like, we can probably order it.

O'Neill: O'Neill was started by Jack in 1952 as a surf shop in a garage. Today, it's a leading brand in wetsuits, swimwear, and casual fashion. we're expecting our fall order any day, the prices are very reasonable, it's young, fresh and vibrant. It'll be a nice addition to our already very popular Billabong line.

Isis: this is a great line of clothing developed for women by women. (95% of the company is women). Their goal is to develop attractive performance clothing that FITS women who are inspired to live an active life; fit to them is more than just a number on a size chart, so they have adjusted their clothing to fit different body types. (some styles are available up to size 16).

Kuhl: Kühl® uses not only innovative style and features but exclusive fabrics with their unique weaves and vintage washes that create authentic character. Their designs as well as the utmost craftsmanship provide a fit that is pure comfort.

Fig: A truly Canadian company based in Montreal, FIG is an elegant solution to athletic wear, essential for comfort and busy lives of women. Cotton, and organic hemp/cotton blends with a little bit of lycra are what they mostly use and it is so comfortable and easy to wear. we have limited selection for fall and winter, but have a full inventory coming for spring.

Merrell Apparel: Merrell has branched out and is now in the business of clothing, and we are very impressed so far by the quality and styles. It's been selling well, the prices are reasonable. Come and check it out!

Our fall and winter stock are arriving weekly! Whether you need a warm jacket or pants, or simply a great pair of jeans or hoody, or a sleeping bag, tent, ski gloves, ski poles, helmets, come visit us! Our winter hours are now: Monday to Friday, 9:30 to 5:30pm and Saturday 9:30 to 5pm.

PADDLE ON UPPER ARROW LAKES

Sunday, August 15


I love where we live! Sunday morning, we decided to go for a paddle, but didn't want to venture far so after loading the boats, we drove 5 minutes to launch the kayaks at the Marina in Nakusp. Within half hour of having breakfast, loading the boats and leaving our house, we were on the water.

This is one of the great bonus about living here, it is beautiful everywhere and we don't need to go far to find a quiet beach all to ourselves. All we did is paddle across from the Marina and found a nice little beach, easy access to land the Kayaks and we stayed there all day, had a picnic, we only saw the odd power boat driving by slowly. The lake was so calm that day. From our little beach, we could watch the village and activity going on while relaxing on our chosen piece of paradise for the day. So this wasn't really a big adventure, but I am so glad to be living here. There is so much to do even when time is an issue, there are so many quiet, beautiful places to paddle to and it takes no time at all to reach your destination.

SEARCH FOR UPPER HOT SPRINGS

Friday August 13....

On a beautiful Friday afternoon, Mike & I and our friend Mark decided to find the Upper Hot Springs. Everyone knows about the Half Way Hot Springs, and we were told the Upper Hot Springs was on that same road, to just keep driving to about 22 km and that although difficult to locate, we should be able to see the trail; so after looking at a map book, we ventured on what we thought was the correct road.... we drove for a couple of hours at least on for the most part easy logging road but with definite treacherous parts. On our first try, we drove to about 22km, only to end up at a dead end, the road washout out by debris, fallen trees, and definitely no sign of a hot spring anywhere.
Not wanting to be defeated, we back tracked for a while and found another branch on the road which we though for sure must be the way. So again driving another 10plus km on that road, which was also a bit crazy in parts, we came to another dead end, but this time, it looked like it could be a hot spring area. we searched the area for signs of a stream... with no luck. By then it was almost 5pm, so we decided to drive back to Half Way hot spring for a soak, and wondered where we went wrong.
After talking to locals, they told us we were on the wrong road... but we don't regret it ! we finally know where the Half Way road goes to and it is beautiful up there - definitely a 4 x 4 road, we had to move rocks in one area to be able to go through. But another adventure, not much exercise but a fun trip nonetheless.