thank you

Mountain Life Rockies is stoked to have brought home the 2023 Best New Magazine accolades from the recent Alberta Magazine Awards. We were also a finalist for Magazine of the Year, and our resident magician Amélie Légaré was a finalist for Best Art Direction Single Issue. To be awarded for creating something we love is the highest honour. This recognition is a testament to our collective passion for mountains and the life they bestow on us, to our talented contributors and to you, our readers. Your passion fuels us to tell the stories of the special places we are so fortunate to call home.

In the spirit of respect and truth, we honour and acknowledge that Mountain Life Rocky Mountains is published in the traditional Treaty 7 Territory, which includes the ancestral lands of the Stoney Nakoda First Nations of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley; the Tsuut’ina First Nation; the Blackfoot Confederacy First Nations of Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani; and the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. We acknowledge the past, present and future generations of these Nations who continue to lead us in stewarding this land, as well as honour their knowledge and cultural ties to this place.

PUBLISHERS

Bob Covey bob@mountainlifemedia.ca

Jon Burak jon@mountainlifemedia.ca

Todd Lawson todd@mountainlifemedia.ca

Glen Harris glen@mountainlifemedia.ca

EDITOR

Erin Moroz erin@mountainlifemedia.ca

CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR, DESIGNER Amélie Légaré amelie@mountainlifemedia.ca

PHOTO EDITOR

Brooke Riopel brooke@mountainlifemedia.ca

COPY EDITOR

Kristin Schnelten kristin@mountainlifemedia.ca

WEB EDITOR

Ned Morgan ned@mountainlifemedia.ca

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, DIGITAL & SOCIAL

Noémie-Capucine Quessy noemie@mountainlifemedia.ca

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER

Krista Currie krista@mountainlifemedia.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

Jessy Braidwood, Matt Coté, Ryan Creary, Kristy Davison, Corrie DiManno, Michael Enright, Andrew Findlay, Phil Harrison, Rob Heule, Sarah Heuniken, Kevin Hjertaas, Erin Hogue, Brendan Leonard, Mitchell Leong, Bruno Long, Zoya Lynch, Jane Marshall, Lynn Martel, Mason Mashon, Graham McKerrell, Erin Moroz, Steve Ogle, John Pomeroy, Jamie Robson, Georgi Silckerodt, Gary St. Amand, Laura Szanto, Tempei Takeuchi, Kevin Van Tighem, Meghan Ward, Paul Zizka.

SALES & MARKETING

Kristy Davison kristy@mountainlifemedia.ca

Jon Burak jon@mountainlifemedia.ca

Todd Lawson todd@mountainlifemedia.ca

Glen Harris glen@mountainlifemedia.ca

Published by Mountain Life Media, Copyright ©2025. All rights reserved. Publications Mail Agreement Number 40026703. Tel: 604 815 1900. To send feedback or for contributors guidelines email kristy@mountainlifemedia.ca. Mountain Life Rocky Mountains is published every October and May and circulated throughout the Rockies from Revelstoke to Calgary and Jasper to Fernie. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively. To learn more about Mountain Life, visit mountainlifemedia.ca. To distribute Mountain Life in your store please email Bob at bob@mountainlifemedia.ca.

Our Commitment To The Environment

Mountain Life is printed on paper that is Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC ®) certified. FSC ® is an international, membership-based, non-profit organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Mountain Life is PrintReleaf certified. It measures paper consumption over time automatically reforested at planting sites in Canada.

We humans like to hold on, dig in, get really snug in our routines and predictability. When change blows through and upsets the balance, we often lose the plot. In the scramble to right ourselves, we clutch at the familiar and attempt to re-establish the old in the new. But what if we learned to flow with the uncertainty—like a gyroscope in the universe’s lack of a plan?

This winter at Mountain Life Rocky Mountains we’re focused on impermanence. Writer Matt Coté gets philosophical about the ephemeral skin track; Andrew Findlay examines the impact of climate change on Rocky Mountain water sources at the Coldwater Laboratory in Kananaskis Country; Kevin Hjertaas digs into creative ways to find backcountry lodging amidst the growing popularity of off-the-beaten-path adventure.   Nothing lasts forever, they say, so relax and embrace the uncertainty. Will it snow? Won’t it snow? Cold November? Early spring? Who the hell knows. It’s winter in the Rockies and, let’s face it, even with a plan in place we’re all flyin’ by the seat of our overpriced GORE-TEX. Enjoy the trip. –Erin